Worldess Wednesday: What are you reading?

Before I was a mother, I carried on a relationship of serial monogomy with my books.  I'd read one from cover to cover and carefully give it a place on my shelves among other like-minded books before I'd pick up another one.  I never understood when my friend, Lori, would tell me that she was reading three or even four books at a time.  Why would you want to do this?  Don't you want to savor each one for its essence?

Before I was a mom, I was also writing or rewriting a book professionally full-time and keeping all of the details of that story in my head was essential. I didn't want to distract myself with too many narratives or styles of writing at once.  My pleasure at the end of the day and how I made the distinction between reading for work and reading solely for pleasure was to crawl into my adored bathtub (Aaron says this is why we bought the house we are in--solely for the bathroom) and to lose myself in a great story.

Things have changed and the other day, I was called out on my new habit.

What are all of these books doing piled up next to the tub?  Aaron wanted to know.

I'm in the process of reading them.

All of them?

I am actively reading all of them but am in various stages with each of them--just beginning, just finishing or smack dab in the heart of things.  There may be a few that are simply cued up.

I thought you liked to read one at a time?

Well, now I don't have as much time to luxuriate around and finish four books a week and I am trying to simultaneously relax, and learn, and get to know some of the writing of the fellow blogging moms, so this is my new method.

And this is my current reading list photographed for (nearly) Wordless Wednesday.

And this is my reading room

One book has broken my pattern this week and that is Mama Zen by Karen Maezen Miller.  I am reading it cover to cover.  I have her latest book ready and waiting.