Tucked away in our little town, sits a tiny book store called The Book Bug. Every book on the shelves is used. Some have been donated and some have been traded in for other books. When I received my assignment to read, I knew that this was where I would seek to find my books. But what should I be reading? I went through a Nora Roberts phase for a while, but I just was not in the mood for a sweet romance novel. I wanted something more engaging - a cliff hanger perhaps!
Then, I thought about the sixth-grade avid reader I recently met. This boy has a tough home life and struggles with behavior issues at the local school where I substitute. During the past couple of weeks, the aide that follows him from class to class has been very ill and I have had the joy of getting to know him (along with several other amazing kids who need just a little extra help). The following morning, I grabbed his attention and told him about the requirements of my most recent class. When I informed him that I needed a book recommendation, his face lit up. He spit out a list of authors and books so quickly that I my pen could barely keep up as I attempted to record them all. At the top of his list were the Divergent and Hunger Games series.
That afternoon, with list in hand, I headed to The Book Bug. The helpful clerk proudly showed me to a spiffy set of almost-new Hunger Games books. She had the complete trilogy. While I was thrilled to find that she had all three books, I was a little hesitant in my choice. After all, I typically like to read the book before I watch the movie and I have already seen both of the released Hunger Games movies. Then, I thought about how happy my sixth-grade friend would be to see that I had followed his recommendation. Therein emerged all the motivation I needed. I paid my fee and left with three books in tow.
Immediately, I became plagued with the stress of finding the time to read my "pleasure" books. Being a wife, mother, college student, and substitute had already taken its toll on my schedule. Still, after dinner was eaten, a great deal of school work chipped away, and the kids tucked sweetly in bed that Thursday evening, I began turning the pages of book number one: The Hunger Games. Thirty minutes flew by as Suzanne Collins pulled me in with her illustrative language and welcomed me into the mind of Katniss Everdeen. The following Friday evening, I repeated the routine and was able to mark another thirty minutes down toward my goal.
By Saturday, I was hooked. I found myself carrying the text with me the entire day, stealing time to read in 15-20 minute intervals. I had been so drawn into the plot that I couldn't separate myself from the book. By the time my calculations were made, I had spent an hour and a half reading the enthralling Hunger Games. Sunday brought even more opportunities to devour the book and, before I knew what happened, I had already made it to Part III. Could I really be two-thirds of the way through the book in such a short time? I had been able to spend a great deal of the day reading - so much so that I had not been able to come to an exact calculation (my husband claimed it had been hours). The epiphany that I truly do have time to read was invigorating!
It is evident that I am going to fly through this series. I better start thinking about which yarn to enjoy next...
No comments:
Post a Comment