I used to read all the time but three things have taken a major cut into my reading time.
1) My beautiful children. A mother reading is like a blinking billboard saying, "Jump on me."
2) My Iphone and all the media it puts right into my hands. That's right Hulu +, PBS on my phone, Netflix...you guys are putting a major cut into my reading time.
3) Finally my scratched cornea. Two years ago baby Peach scratched my cornea. The wound has mostly healed but my left eye still is/will always be a little blurry. The result is reading for a long time gives me a headache. It is like my brain keeps trying to correct the blur and when it can't it just doubles down and tries harder. It can be exceptionally frustrating and has cut down on the amount of time I'm willing to sit reading.
The result, a girl who used to read a book a week in the very least is lucky to read a book a month. A book a month??? I feel like I've lost my mind. But that is where I'm at. So these are the books I've read most recently.
John Grisham - The Racketeer. A Wish I Hadn't Read. Seriously the worst Grisham book ever. I have a soft spot for Grisham since he was the one who first got me into mysteries, but seriously just not the best. Grisham specializes in a flawed character who has a good heart. I just never felt it, and if you hate your protagonist then what is the point.
Attica Locke - The Cutting Season. I was reading this at the same time I was reading The Racketeer. The Cutting Stone was definitely better. It is a mystery about a migrant worker found dead on a historical plantation. The mystery is sort of secondary to Caren Gray the protagonist trying to figure out what to do with her life. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but I would definitely say it was better than the John Grisham. Maybe Grisham it is time to take a little break.
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas - I decided to pick this book up because I knew Tom Hanks was in the movie and I love Tom Hanks. Good grief it was a chore. You have seven stories going on that loosely weave together. You get each one in a half and then move on to the next so I spent the first half of the book feeling like nothing was being finished. Then finally we got to the second half. Unfortunately at that point I just didn't care anymore. It was a headache.
Finally the only book in the group I'd want to read again Leigh Bardugo - Shadow and Bone. It is a teen drama book, so big surprise there for me right? Well I was surprised because the last two series I've tried to start I hated. Sorry Divergent, I just didn't like you, and Matched I didn't like you either. Youth books I've loved, The Hunger Games (OBSESSED WOULD BE THE BETTER CHOICE), Harry Potter, Artimis Fowl, The Last Apprentice The Host but none of the Twilight books. I can't explain my taste but this one I knew I liked two pages in. I started it at the gym while I was on the elliptical and had it done before the kids came home. The positives, it was a quick read, it is a singular book so no finishing it and realizing you have three more years for the series to be finished, romance, magic, a dark lord, a protagonist who doesn't realize her own beauty. This must be how a good majority of woman feel in their teen years because pretty much every girl youth book is written that way. Anyway I loved it and would read it again in a heart beat. Congratulations this is my winner of the four.
My little Cheetah is 18 months today. How did this happen? Why can't I just freeze time for a second. She is growing like a weed, literally. At her appointment she measured 31 1/4 inches which for her adjusted age puts her in the 65% for height. This is nuts to me. She still seems so short, but apparently she isn't as short as I thought she was. She has definitely made strides in her height. Her weight on the other hand...not so great. She is 19 lbs, 9 ounces which puts her in the 8th percentile for her weight. She is dropping off her growth curve. This isn't my first time at this rodeo. Gigi was off her growth curve and then at four she jumped up in height again. Captain E was a huge baby but then as he got older while he stayed on the taller side he continued to get thinner and thinner. Such is life. Cheetah loves to eat. She loves apples, bananas, strawberries, cheese, chicken, noodles, chocolate chip cookies, lettuce, potatoes, popcorn, rice, oatmeal, cereal, and her absolute favorite is lasagna, or "basagna" as Peach likes to call it. She also loves popsicles and you will often find her running around the backyard half-eaten popsicles in hand. She loves being outside. Thank goodness we got a fenced in yard because she loves to be in it. Her favorite hangouts are the sand box, digging and getting dirty make her happy, swinging on the swing, and the top of the play house. This girl is a climber. You often find her on top of tables, dressers, sofas, and ladders that are available. It shouldn't surprise anyone that her favorite word is "UP". "UP," she yells, "UP, UP!" At fifteen months I was worried because she was hardly speaking at all but recently her language has started to blossom. She calls knows my name, her dads, Captain E's, and her sisters. She can tells us to pick her up. She ask for food and drink. When you give her something she will tell you "Thank you." When she hands you something she will say, "Here you go." Cheetah loves to read and will bring a book to me and say, "Mom read." She loves the dog next door which is crazy because that dog is not so nice. I keep telling Dr J I'm worried the dog is going to bite her, and really do we need to do another emergency room visit this year? Really. She is a good girl. A joy to be around. She has a great laugh and gives great cuddles. Her siblings and parents adore her, although captain E will often tell me, "This little girl is trouble." And he is right. But she is also a delight. Cheetah we love you so much. It is fun to watch you as you grow and gain skills each day. You really are a great kid!
