Stop the holiday madness! Read.



"I have no time for reading.  It's the holiday season and I don't have two minutes to spare for myself."

"Reading in December is a luxury I cannot afford to give myself."

"Where on earth do you reading fanatics find the time to read AND discuss books?"
To all this I say, "Stop making excuses!"
We may not have snow on the ground yet but it will come.  On that day, I for one will be prepared to hunker down with my stack of books, hot cocoa, and a blazing fire.  Until then I will continue falling asleep with a book every night until that glorious snow day arrives.  It may take me almost forever to finish a book because I have to reread the parts I slept through the night before but I need the comfort of a book at night to help me shut down my overworked holiday brain.  This is another reason why I have not transitioned to an ereader.  I am afraid of getting a nosebleed or breaking the device when I pass out mid-sentence and everything tumbles onto the floor or my face.  In the meantime, I have to keep my mental and paper lists of what I want to read and have read and continually renew my books at the library because even though they're languishing in my pile, they're still a vital part of my reading plan.
Right now I am indulging myself with a little brain candy.  I just devoured Skipping Christmas for the third or fourth time and loved it just as much as the first time.  (This book has become a holiday tradition for me, like my sudden urge to watch with the Muppet Christmas Carol movie and Holiday Inn every December.  It's our tradition!  To the delight of my family, I also have the Holiday Inn music on CD.)  In an effort to expand my reading experience, I am now in the middle of Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.  I don't find this as intellectually engaging as Deborah Harkness' books but I am reluctantly starting to like Sookie and Sam and Bill.  Who could not love a vampire named Bill? 
I am also attempting to work my way through Shadow Command by Dale Brown.  I think the last adventure book I read may have been My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George unless you count Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger as a mystery/adventure crossover.  Although I am having a difficult time with the large variety of characters (American, Russian, Iranian), weapons and acronyms, I am enjoying the concept behind the book.  Terrorists being annihilated through the use of advanced space weapons and surveillance by the "good guys" within the first 15 pages makes one hopeful that there will be more excitement to follow.  I don't think my inability to grasp the technical side of things is going hinder my overall enjoyment of the story line.  I have also decided to reinforce my understanding of the events in the book by listening to the audio book as well.
To rest my brain, I will sporadically go to Don't Know Much About the American Presidents by Kenneth Davis.  The "Don't Know Much" books are set up in such a way that you can read them according to the topics that interest you instead of cover to cover.  My son stole Ann Aguirre's Outpost from me which was my YA brain relaxation pick for the month.  The first book, Enclave was a quick read (a dark dystopia like to the Hunger Games) and I had hoped to counteract the overly sweet Hallmark movie channel feeling I get in December with Outpost.  I hope I don't go into holiday story sugar shock while I wait for him to finish the book.
Still despairing over catching up on your reading list?  Try a book on CD or if you haven't tried the Overdrive service through your library, take the time to browse their site and download a book onto any device you use for listening to music.  During December, we spend large amounts of time in the car or the kitchen.  Put a bookmark in your book and listen to the audio version while you do your running, baking, wrapping, or cleaning.  It's just as relaxing as holiday music.  You may find that listening to a book is the most relaxing and cheapest holiday vacation you'll ever take, even if it's with zombies or "kranky" neighbors.