Romance Novels?!

On a side note I would like to tell my friend with whom I had hoped to spend the eve of the new year this: I was being selfish. Forgive me. The universe was looking out for us because really what I needed to do was stay home, listen to Pink Floyd, and write just as you needed to do what you did.

I was an avid reader growing up. I taught myself how to read the summer before grade one. I remember I was learning with the book: Are you my Mother? I kept asking my mom what sound an i makes. But then I read it. My second book was Fun with Dick and Jane. Really. Fun with Dick and Jane.

My mom always read to me when I was little. I don't remember her reading story books but she did read Charlotte's Web, Little Women and the first three of the Anne of Green Gables books. I loved reading. I loved being able to escape into a book and live somewhere totally made up. After my mother's initial 'introducing me to literature', she did not follow through by making sure there were good books for me to read. There should have been books at my fingertips that she provided that were interesting, educational, funny, sad, poignant, and lots more things.But there were not.

I don't know when it started, but I started reading romance novels. Danielle Steele, Harlequin Romances, and literally hundreds of teen romance novels. I spent all my money on buying them, had a huge collection of them. I read some good books interspersed, but I always came back to the romance novels. I know how cheesy they are. I know that things don't always work out in the end (or maybe they do and I just haven't come to the end yet) but I still read the books. Once, just once, I would like it to end in tragedy, but somewhere I don't expect it, like in a Harlequin. I think I like to be surprised. But only in the safety of a book as I've had quite enough of it in real life.

I like lots of different kinds of books now, mystery, courtroom drama, weird, biographical, 'literature', religious books, pretty much anything someone puts in front of me. If it grabs me pretty close to right away then I will read it. Otherwise I put it down and take another. There are so many amazing books out there that I'm not going to waste my time on bad ones. I'd rather not write a book at all than write a bad one. Or a poorly edited one - what's that all about? How does that even happen? Typos and grammatical errors, and it's been edited by a professional 'editor'. I'm sure I have mistakes in here, but guess what? I edit very briefly - once. So please forgive me my imperfections.

I am reading a book right now that was given to me by two incredible people who I just was lucky enough to hang out with in Toronto, C&A. It is called Spat the Dummy, written by Ed MacDonald. It is hilarious. I started reading it yesterday and have only put it down when I have to. It's funny, honest, aggressive, and so many other adjectives. You should read it and then you can come with some adjectives of your own. I knew by the title that I was going to like it and loved it by page 10. Please - read it! You'll never look back.

I spent several days in Toronto without the kids. All I did was hang out with people I love. I didn't get to see my sister and her family as much as I would have liked, and I didn't get to Kitchener to see another friend, but I used up the time I had resting, talking, laughing, visiting. My friend L who I stayed with and I had an 8 hour therapy session with each other the first day and it went from there. I love my friends and family in Toronto. I wish I could merge my life here with my people there. That would be the best of both worlds! For Real.