Just One More Chapter – The Sunday Salon

• Andi


• 28 Sep 2014

Last night, P and I went to bed early.  The stress of moving with the effort of capturing and transporting our guineas to my dad’s house combined with a lovely afternoon tromping through the woods with a metal detector made us both quite tired.  Plus, today is our wedding anniversary, and we wanted to be fresh and fun for our day together.

P turned off his bedside lamp after only a few minutes of reading, and I expected I would follow soon after. . . . but it happened. If you’re an avid reader, I expect you know this problem – the “I’m hooked and must keep reading even if it’s really late” problem.

I expected to get a few pages into Blood Promise, the 4th of the Vampire Academy books, before I dozed off.  The books aren’t really that compelling, and I’m not terribly invested in the story.  But as if is often the case, Richelle Mead has done what so many other YA writers have mastered – she has written a book that pushes the reader forward through the use of mystery and rising action that is almost frantic but not beyond control.  Thus, her books, even though they don’t intrigue me that deeply, do keep me reading because I think over and over again, “I just need to know how this one thing turns out.”

So last night, that kept me reading for 2 and a half hours, until almost midnight . . . And then at 6:10, I was awake, ready to let the chickens out and feed the goats.  Farming and late night reading may not be the best combo.

Still, I did enjoy reading for an extended period of time last night because reading relaxes me deeply and because it’s been a while since I let myself slip into a story that fully.  Mostly, I read in snippets these days, so it was nice to immerse for a change.

I did worry that I would make this morning feeling groggy, but I feel really rested, and I’m reminded that sometimes it’s not sleep that gives respite but just relaxation . . . like with teenage vampire guardians and evil blood suckers.

What kind of books keep you reading long into the night?  Any recommendations? 

 

Spaces are beginning to fill up in the next session of the Painted Steps Writers Group. Join us to finish a draft of your book and receive accountability, encouragement, and community.  Only 9 spaces left. Reserve yours today.