I’ve struggled to keep up with reading since having kids. This month, I feel like I’ve finally hit my reading stride after four years of pregnancy and parenting. I’ve been held back by legitimate things, like exhaustion and postpartum depression, and self-inflicted things, like television and Twitter.

My epiphany (I almost wrote “a-ha moment” and now I hate myself) is that if I want to read, I need to read *instead* of watching TV, *instead* of scrolling through hundreds of tweets. I need to read not just before bed, but at lunch, and in the morning.

I read a challenging book this month, The Magic of Saida. And I read it fast. It felt great. I’m totally out of the loop with the #GoT and #WalkingDead overtaking my Twitter feed right now, but that’s okay with me. (I will move Heaven and Earth to watch Mad Men, though. We all have our vices.)

Books Read

• The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji. 4.5/5 stars, review coming soon. Was nothing like I expected, terribly difficult to get into, but worth it.
• The Paradise Engine by Rebecca Campbell.  4/5 stars, review also coming soon! Deliciously moody and dark, just how I like it.

Books Obtained

• The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje – signed copy! 
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville – from Wee Book Inn

Books I Want to Read

• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Peer pressure addition, though I’ve also recently been told I should save it for a rainy day in my next life time.
• The Dinner by Herman Koch. Lots of buzz on this one.
• The Girls by Lori Lansens. Recommendation from Brie at Eat Books. Conjoined twins coming of age story? Yeah, gonna read that!
• Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. Stumbled on this on Goodreads and it sounds brutal. Good brutal.
• Naive. Super by Erlend Loe When Kristilyn at Winter Distractions calls something her favourite book, I’m listening, cause she reads a whole lot of books!

What’s Next on Reading in Bed

• Catching up on reviews. First up is North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I’ve been putting this off, but it’s my first Classics Club read, and while I’m not a big fan of the book, I am a big fan of the main character. She’s got lady balls (not literally.)
• I’m reading Persuasion by Jane Austen, even though I should be reading Dirk Gently by Douglas Adams, as it was my Classics Club Spin pick. I’m loving it. It’s hitting a lot of notes that I wished North and South did.

Moby Dick Read Along Preview: May Long Weekend 2013

After much consultation (i.e. Googling and asking the Edmonton Book Bloggers) I have made a few decisions about this Read Along. Here’s what you need to know. A real post is coming soon.

• It’s all going to start on May Long Weekend (that would be May 24 for international readers. I see you, two Singaporeans who landed here today!) 
• It will end on July 22nd. On the 23rd, I’m heading to the wilds of Cape Breton Island and plan to be reading something far trashier than Moby Dick.
• There will be a give away for a sweet Moby Dick T-shirt from Out of Print Clothing.

So go on, find yourself a copy. Start early if you’re worried about finishing on time, but really, it’s not going to be that formal. 

Asides

• Michael Hingston didn’t like Belinda’s Rings as much as I did, but you should read his review because he makes some really good points. The only part of his review I strongly disagree with is describing the book as “amiable,” because that’s something I would say about a puppy or something. Kind of a burn! This is another excellent review.
• Speaking of Belinda, I’m super excited that I’ll get my copy signed on May 15 at NeWest Press Spring Spectacular! Four authors with new books coming out this year will be on hand, including Corinna Chong and Rebecca Campbell, and there will be live music too. I will definitely be out past my bedtime.