November 19

 I started reading The Hunger Games tonight.  I’m about 75 pages in and it is very, very good.  Since Peanut arrived, I've done very little reading outside of magazine articles and the news.  I’m determined to start reading again and to work my way through the massive pile of books on my nightstand (in all honesty, they could BE another nightstand).   I’m not sure how I’ll balance reading and writing since I already struggle to find time to do the latter, but I’ll figure it out.  I am realizing more and more than it is essential to make time for myself, even if it ‘s only a few minutes each day.   I think I’ve avoided picking up a book in my spare time because I like to be able to read until I’m ready to stop.  I have to accept, though, that my days of reading until the wee hours of morning are over for awhile.  I have to take what I can get, even if it’s 15 minutes before bed or 5 minutes in a drive thru.  Perhaps I need to choose my books more carefully and focus on novels with shorter chapters so that I can get to a “stopping place” more quickly while I’m reading.  So for today, I am thankful for good books and for finding the time to read one of them.