I am taking a step away from fitness and motherhood for one moment. One blog post. What? I know, I know. But I do have more aspects to me than just those two topics. For instance, I am an avid reader. A day does not go by where I am not nose deep in a book (well my paper white kindle). Today I came across the Daily Prompt on WordPress. What a neat idea, sometimes we need a little inspiration outside of our own world view. Today was such a day for me.

The prompt for today is: Franz Kafka said, “we ought to read only books that bite and sting us.” What’s the last thing you read that bit and stung you?

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Like I said, I read daily. I cannot get enough of books. I am up to date on the Pendergast and the Harry Bosch series. Both by different authors and both have well over 10 books. I think the Bosch series has closer to 20. I have read those all in the past year and a half. I love both of those characters. I recently finished both of the new books in them. I started reading each practically the day it was released. Neither of them popped into my head when I read that. No, there was another book that I read in between the two different release dates of those two latest books. It made my heart ache over and over. I cried. I cried at a book. I don’t remember the last time that happened.

The Shoemaker’s Wife is the book I write of. It was not quite what I had expected. A few times it left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach. Not in a bad way. Ok, well it was in a sad way and totally unexpected. But, it was phenomenal. I couldn’t put it down. Adriana Trigiani wrote a beautiful tale that spans decades. It is a love story. It is a tale of immigrants. A tale of change, struggle, success, leaving, living, loving, and longing. I do not want to give too much away, because I feel that had I known the details it would not have impacted me the same. It most certainly bit and stung me, though. Some books I cannot put down but I do once they end. I move on to the next, not thinking too much of the previous, but this one will probably stay with me for a long time.

I love books deeply. I had a hard time learning to read. Once I conquered that hurdle there was no stopping me. I stayed up late reading even as a child and adolescent. I remember spending many hours at the local library, immersed in the books. Sitting on the floor in front of the shelves looking over what I wanted to borrow next. My grandma took me often. I loved being in the libraries at all of my schools. Even in college, I preferred to study in the library. Not in the large common area. No, I would find one of the desks in the stacks and plop myself there for hours. If those were all taken and I had to go to the study room, I chose one of the smaller ones that were on the 2nd or 3rd floor, and even then I got antsy. I love being around books. I am the girl who has books on her Christmas and birthday lists. It is a little different now that I have a Kindle. I have had one for two years. My husband gave me a new one this year  for Christmas. I had no idea, I didn’t ask for it, but it is amazing. I am in love even more than I was  with my old one.

Jack has a large library already. He isn’t even 2. I bought him a ton of books for Christmas. He loves to read. He begs me to read about 5 books at night. “Please, please, mom read!” I cannot wait until he truly finds a story that bites and stings him. I think I have already passed on the love of reading, I just hope he holds on to that love.

What books bite and sting you? Are you an avid reader?