Photographed: BOOKS & BOWEL MOVEMENTS
This Christmas, I was given my usual books and my father was given a toilet seat. If ever again I am asked why my blog title remains this tradition of reading while pottying, I will point to this blog.
Bookish Gal
This morning I sat at the breakfast table while my mom vacuumed around me and my father had a Santa nap on the couch. I finished the 120th book of the year. Here is my thank you speech:
I’d like to thank the Academy, my mother, my father, my brother for creating competition, coffee, sweet potato muffins, fellow bloggers, my students, books AND bowel movements, dancing in the kitchen, soft rain, both cats, and my budget for adding $50 a month for books for the last year. (It’s clear I have a problem and I should have started with “I am Cassie M and I am a bookoholic.”)
I’d like to thank people everywhere who read and who have encouraged me to continually write this blog even when I’m too tired, or there is too much reality television that I could watch instead.
I tried to get it down, but I’m not sure these words are good enough.
I think it’s safe to say that I came to reading as an escape rather than the sport that it has become in my life. When you’re a kid and instead of playing video games, you’re picking Great Expectations off the shelf of the school library, you know you’re different. And I’ve finally come to realize that that’s a good different. We’re studiers of the language of our time, we’re the history keepers, the stop-motion picture takers, the people who can appreciate a moment put to words. I can analyze the placement of a period for an hour if I must. I prefer the soft light of a flashlight against the glow of a sheet rather than a ceiling light or a lamp. We all do, us readers. We’re like a community, a sisterhood, a brotherhood, we should design robes that have pockets deep enough for all the characters we carry around after we’ve placed our bookmark in new pages, new words, new wishes.
HOLY BOOKS BATMAN!
Like oak trees that carry equators of history in one chopped stump, we carry words. We are the people that will carry history all the way to our grave stones. When we’re asked by grand children, small children, dwarves in the woods, about our world we’ll be able to tell them with eloquence and grace whether we start with “Once Upon a Time” or “It was a dark and stormy night.” We carry the voices of generations in our wombs and for longer than nine months, for life times. We’re women made of hair, water, and syllables. They kink in our hair, leave freckles on our cheeks, sunburns, hang nails, wrinkles at the bed of our palms. We’re not made of water, fire, earth, or wind, but stories, paragraphs, sentences, ink. The next time you wonder why you picked up that book instead of turned on that television, remember the gift that you’re bearing because not a lot of people are given this gift. We’re the minor few.
True. Story.
My dad just said, “You know the theme I find with these books about presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, they’re all well read, they all sit in the evening and read.” It’s just proof – we’re the Presidents of time and letter.
We’re the ones who walk into a bookstore and before turning to the coffee, the calendars or the shelves, we just take a deep breath. There’s nothing more powerful than the smell of printed paper bound and stitched to a cover. We don’t read blurbs, we break spines to read paragraphs before we buy the book. We test ourselves with different genres, different publishing companies, different words. We read everything; street signs, mall kiosks, gas station pamphlets, books. If there’s anything I learned from reading 120 books this year it’s that I’m one hell of a dinner party guest, no wait…that wasn’t it. If there’s one thing I learned from reading 120 books this year, it’s that you can’t breathe under water and you can’t breathe in smoke, but you can breathe the middle of an o, the undercarriage of an a, the drooping breast of a b for life support. You can live on words written and trees carved.
Just some more pictures of me.
Thank you all for being a part of my journey this year. I could not have done this without the encouragement of my blogging friends. This community of people have made me feel more at home and more bookish than I ever thought possible. Keep breathing, keep sobbing, carrying the weight of the world’s words on your shoulders because no one but you can bear it.
December 25th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
I am utterly impressed that you read 120 books this year. I might hit 57, with two of those being books I didn’t finish.
December 25th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Aw thank you love! You can do it. : ) I just know it.
December 25th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
We’ll see. I got an editing job last week (like a real deal, steady work, foot in the door editing job). This is superb, obvs, but I have two books to edit by next Monday. It’ll get done, but it’s definitely put a dent in the reading time.
December 25th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
Wow, you are awesome. I wouldn’t even know where to look for that. : ) You’re doing so great. Don’t worry – you’ll get it done and it’s wonderful.
December 25th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
You are truly amazing! Happy reading, my fellow bookish friend! :)
December 25th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I was in the middle of reading your blog and I can’t wait to follow the blogs you mention AND reading about your year blogging journey!
December 25th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more! Books are the best. Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
You too, dear! : ) I hope you got all your wishes. : )
December 25th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Very inspiring, it boggles my mind you could read that many books and still keep up your busy lifestyle and still find time to blog so much! You’re amazing! :)
December 25th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Haha thank you! That makes me feel really good because I feel like I’ve definitely been slacking lately since I started teaching. BAH! I hope I can get back on the horse starting in the new year! : )
December 25th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Oh I know that feeling. My reading drops a lot when teaching gets really busy, as well. But I find I read lots in the holidays to try and make up for it. It’s a tricky balance to find, but clearly you’re doing it very well! :) You’ve certainly read a lot more than me :P (though my goodreads thingo lies, as I haven’t updated it much lately…I have to get back on that horse I think).
December 25th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
I’m a little obsessed with my goodreads. It’s almost ridiculous. I definitely know how you feel with reading and busyness. It’s seriously insane. After you teach all day, the last thing you want to do is read. Honestly, I want to sit there and zone and drool. Ridiculous!
December 25th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
I bow to your awesome achievement. I had a goal of just 48 and fell 4 short. 10 a month. 2.5 a week. That rocks.
December 25th, 2012 at 8:22 pm
You can do it! You have 5 more days. Read some Golden Books or some Mother Goose tales! You’ve got this. Success is at your finger tips. And thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s probably the most I will ever read until I’m retired. : )
December 25th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
I can vouch for your reading skills. As your Mother, I see you always with a book in your hand. Even when you are not enjoying the book, you plod on to the finish.
Although teaching has slowed you down, it has also brought you to more books, the ones they require you to teach.
With all that said, I believe we gave you at least 6 new books for Christmas. Keep reading!
December 26th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Haha This is all true. : )
December 26th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Bravo, so many great sentiments here, so happy to have become part of your reading community and although I read far fewer I probably read the equivalent of a few books in reading yours and others reviews as well! :)
Looking forward to what the 2013 reading year will bring, Bonne Continuation!
December 26th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
You’re wonderful! I miss our penpalship! I think we read full books in the reviews we write and read and you’re a gifted writer so you’re working on that as well as your reading. AND you have a family! Bah I can’t even imagine reading at all with all that stuff going on! I would lose my mind. : )
December 27th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Seriously gorgeous, moving post. I pimped this one all over Facebook. Keep it up, my friend!
December 27th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Hahaha. I love that you “pimped it out.” You’re the best!!!!!! I will try to keep up next year, but I think I almost lost it this year!
December 27th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
This post made me so happy. I myself, have never been able to quite put into words how I feel as a reader and as a part of this community. I think you did a spectacular job and I’m so happy I found your blog this year. I can’t wait to read more of your work. =]
December 27th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Wow, you’re so sweet. : ) Thank you! I was like, “I’m not sure this quite covers it AT ALL,” but who can really put into words that feeling. There’s just a special connection some people have with reading and obviously that makes those people special. Thanks for stopping by! I will definitely check out your blog now.
December 27th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
I’m so glad to be part of your community Cassie. Keep up the great posts and great title choices. I look forward to sharing your 2013 journey.
December 27th, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Once again, you’re wonderful, that is all.
December 28th, 2012 at 11:15 am
love reading your blog and can’t wait to keep seeing all your updates and recommendations for 2013!
December 28th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Aw thank you dear! I can’t wait for 2013, it’s looking gorgeous! : ) I hope yours is full of wishes come true!
December 30th, 2012 at 11:08 pm
I really enjoyed this post. As a kid, we all had to read an hour to get to play video games for an hour. I’d donate my video game hour to one of my brothers or cousins so that I could just keep reading. Love it!
December 31st, 2012 at 3:27 pm
You were awesome! I was never allowed to play video games so maybe that’s why I love reading so much.
December 30th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
My goal for 2013 is 100 books. Maybe I’ll surprise myself! :)?
December 31st, 2012 at 3:28 pm
You totally will! You can do it!
January 1st, 2013 at 11:30 pm
Oh so impressive :) I have so many books on my ‘to-read’ list and yet I barely conquered 30 this year. Here’s to more reading in 2013. Congrats again on the 120 books – seriously, impressive!
January 2nd, 2013 at 11:42 am
I really need to promise myself I won’t buy any more books until I read all of the ones I own. :)