Anyway, the reason for not blogging is that I have not been feeling all that well. Went to the doctor to find out that I had high blood pressure, but went back last month and without medication I got it down on my own. I was also having some dizzy spells and some headaches but those seem to be calming down as well. A couple of weeks ago I couldn't really eat which was good for weight loss, but bad for headaches. I seem to be back on track. I'm feeling normal, eating better, and I've lost 16 lbs which is good. I'm hoping all this is because I've been under some stress at work and am a little sick of winter. I need to see something green and hear some birds chirp soon.
One of the side effects of not feeling well has been that my book project has been put on hold. I finished "American Rust" which was absolutely amazing. It was well written, kept my interest, had interesting characters and it made me feel for what they were going through. Of the books I had read, this one was the best one so far. The author, Phillip Meyer was so descriptive, I felt like I was in that little run-down steel town and following along on the adventures of the characters. It did remind me of a John Steinbeck novel. A true slice of America and the hardships that happen every day.
I had started the next non-fiction book in my list, "The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science" and have gotten about a quarter of the way through it. It is well written and interesting, but I can only read a few pages at a time. The book is filled with information which is almost too much to take in. So, when I started having dizzy spells, I really didn't feel like focusing so hard on a book. I will admit I put it down and have not picked it back up yet. It is sitting on the coffee table waiting for me to stick it in my bag I take to work.
So now to my change of plans. I don't want to feel like I failed at my resolution, so I'm going to stick with reading the 45, well now 43, books on the fiction list. I figure I can get that done by the end of the year, it won't be as big a challenge for me and it will be something I enjoy more so will probably stick to it. Again, I don't want to say that I don't like non-fiction books. I just find that with things being busy at work and things also busy when I get home, I don't have time that the non-fiction books would require for me to truly understand them and enjoy them. If I had two weeks or more to read each book, that might be possible. But I want to give this resolution and the books a fair chance. In my mind, books are meant to be enjoyed and just right now, I am not enjoying the non-fiction books. Now that my health is back on track, it's time to get back on track with the reading AND the writing of the blog. I expect you, my friends and followers to help me keep this up. Keep asking about the blog, keep asking how the reading is going and I will be sure to let you know.
