A Secret Confession

Ok...I'm going to admit it...*deep breath*. I'm not a very good reader. Well, let me rephrase that, my ability to read and comprehend continues to operate at a high level, my stamina for the activity...not so great.

 

I know! I know! This may come as a surpise to many of you as I do seem like a well-versed intellectual! *sarcasm*. What I do know, usually comes less from reading entire books on the subject, but more from "researching" ideas and topics.

 

I have every well-meaning hope in the world to read. After all, I love the idea of a warm summer day, a lounge chair and a book that stimulates my brain's electronic pulses. But the extent of my reading usually happens for about an hour to two hours every 6-8 weeks (which coincidentally is about the time and length of my hair appointments...you see where I'm going with that!).

When Scott and I started dating we went to the Book Depot. We both picked up a copy of Malcom Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" as we are both fans of his writing. The idea was to read the book together to discuss it. If we liked the book, we'd keep a copy and give the other away to a friend who we thought would enjoy it. If we didn't like the book, we'd give both copies away, to people who we thought could use a good waste of time! *jokes*  Long story short. Two copies of "The Tipping Point" sit on our book shelf. One is in pristine condition with the pages slightly fattened, and spine lightly creased for flipping through them all one by one. The other has a stained, marked up cover from being shoved in bags, under the seat of a car, used as a coaster, and who knows what else....but, the inside is in pristine condition, with the pages still flat and spine hardly creased for the lack of actually "opening" the book past the 4th chapter. Can you guess which one belongs to me? :)

 

See my intentions are good! I take the book with me in case of a spare moment... I WANT to read them...I really do! Afterall if the topic wasn't interesting to me, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. In fact, we just picked up another box of interesting thought provoking titles at the Book Depot's box sale a few weeks ago!

 

About 6-8 months ago I had a copy of "Irresistable Revolution."  A friend let me borrow it because she knew I would love it. I had it for 6 weeks and she asked for it back. I REALLY REALLY want to read it...but the question is, will I? Now everyone I know is reading that book and loving it! And I ponder the quotes I hear and soak up it's message, but always feeling slightly 'out of the loop' on the total picture.

 

So what kind of books do I get through? Well, let me tell you...I can fly through a Sophie Kinsella or Meg Cabot novel faster than you could cook a casserole! I will forgo sleep to finish it! But, unfortunately, figuring out whether the heroine will 'land the dream job and throw fabulous dinner parties' or 'how Shopaholic got rid of her credit card debt' isn't likely going to help me in the long run.

 

So here we are... 6-8 weeks later. And tonight? Well during my 1-2 hour hair appointment tonight, I'm going to try and crack open a "thinking" book. So what's on the shelf to decide between?

• Tripping the Prom Queen, by Susan Shapiro Barer- The truth about women and rivalry.
• Naken Consumption, by Anthony Russel - Retail trends exposed.
• Leadership by Engagement, by Kathleen Redmond - Leading through authentic character to attract, retain ad energize.
• 10-10-10, by Suzy Welch
• Reading People, by JoEllen Dimitrius
• Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell

and...hey look!...The Tipping Point!

 

Not sure which will be the lucky winner. Truth be told, I'll do my best, but if you want to make some extra cash,...hedge your bets that I'll get distracted on an US Weekly magazine within the first 15 minutes of my hair being in foils...

Hey! I'm nothing if not honest!