Easy Reads

Last night we had our 2nd Winter Dinner Date Party and we got chatting about books (as 1 of our friends is about to jet off for a few weeks in Italy and needed some reading recommendations - jealous!!)

I have to say, that I often feel quite awkward explaining my feelings about reading. To say I 'struggle' to read sounds like I barely made it through school or am incapable of interpreting the label on a tin of soup, but what I mean is, either I battle to find time to read &/or lack the concentration required to get stuck in to a good book.
I think it must be a bit like drinking or exercise? If you don't drink very often, it's tough to suddenly party like you did in your twenties at the annual office Xmas party, and you're not going to be very good at it (I know, but that's another story). And if you're not a regular at the gym, it's going to be a struggle to embark on a 5km run thinking that muscle memory will carry you through (again, I know!).
So the same goes for me & books.
My mind isn't used to it, so it often feels too much of an effort.
Especially since Lula was born I just haven't got in to the 'swing' of reading.

Last end of year holidays though, I had quite a bit of time off, my parents came over from the UK and we had a really chilled break. I had time to read.
I read One Day
And I loved it!
I couldn't put it down & loved grabbing a few pages over a cup of tea in the morning sun or a chapter or 2 after an afternoon snooze, and reading in the evening instead of watching tv.
I was disappointed when it finished but decided to set myself a New Years Resolution to read more.

Inspired by my holiday experience I was excited to start the 1st page of my next book.
And it was so disappointing. I just couldn't get in to it.
And I thought that maybe it was because I was back at work & my mind was back to thinking about a million things at once, leaving no room for a book.

Then we went on holiday & I packed 2 recommended books to get me through the long flight to Thailand.
When God was a Rabbit
Case Histories
I loved them and even borrowed a 3rd book from the resort we we were staying at.
The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
I was inspired again.

Talking to my reading muse at work, I learnt that even the most avid readers have books that they don't enjoy or just can't get in to, and it's about learning what genre you like & moving on to the next.
This friend of mine, Megan, knows me soooo well, she knows better than me what books I like & she put me on to Gone Girl.
I enjoyed it despite being back to normal day-to-day working life, and a thanks to her I'm back on track with reading again.

And I'm not ashamed to discuss now that I like easy reads.

When I say 'easy' I don't mean large font and pictured diagrams to help explain the story!
But light, well written fiction.
I like humour. A story that's imaginative or inspiring with a bit of sparkle that makes you smile inside & out.
My current book ticks all those boxes
The History of Love

I now love reading & am constantly on the hunt for these types of titles.
Here's a few on my to-read list:
You Had Me at Hello
The Snow Child
The Night Circus
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

And this one posted on A Cup of Jo's blog looks quirky & funny.
Lets Explore Diabetes with Owls

Now I just need to master the ability to remember a story longer than a week after I've finished it!

Practise. Practise. Practise.