For my birthday (which occurred earlier this month) the man got me a Barnes & Noble Nook.

I know, I know.  I wax lyrical about books sometimes (you should hear me in real life … or just see the bookshelves that exist in our home that are packed full, plus the tupperware containers in storage filled with other books that didn’t fit on the shelves …. Two conclusions following that statement ~ a) I sound a little like a hoarder, which makes me want to go clear off my bookshelves immediately, and b) I love love love to read).

And yes, fundamentally, I was initally hesitant about the whole e-reader trend.  Books are more than just the words, they are the pages, the font, the feel, the weight … You get my point.

And then I got one. And my world changed.

Let me rewind a bit.

When I was younger, I was a bookworm.  The library was one of my favorite places to be, paging through books, making stacks of things I wanted to check out.  I read everything ~ I mean everything. Sometimes I wish I’d written things down, because so many of the stories still fill my mind and imagination, and I wish I could go back and re-read them.

Yes, I’m also a re-reader.  I have read Rosamunde Pilcher’s “Coming Home” more times than I can count and I also own far too many copies.  For some reason, I compulsively buy it at airports and read it while waiting for a plane.  (I can add this to my list of Really Quirky Things I Do).  I have also read (and listened to) most of the Harry Potter books more times than I’d like to admit.

But every once in awhile, a person hits a stagnant phase.  And the last few years of my life have been … well, they’ve been a myriad of things, at both ends of the spectrum of happiness and sadness and everything in between.  And sometimes, and this is just me hypothesizing on a dark winter day, when a person is struggling to put their life in order, some of life’s pleasurable pastimes end up on the sidelines, collecting dust.  Writing and reading were two of those things for me.

I was lucky enough to meet a man who saw through all the angst and confusion and rawness of me ‘figuring things out’ ~ and he both gave me the idea for this blog, which has helped me write again after far too long, and he gave me a Nook, which has re-ignited my excitement about reading.  I have a list of books to read that will last me quite some time … and I’m okay with adding to it.

Right now, after really struggling to stick with it, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is finally showing me why it became an international best-seller.  I put it down this year to read (amongst other things) Daniel Silva’s newest release, “Portrait of a Spy,” all three Hunger Games books, the beginnings of Diana Gabaldon’s #5 Outlander book, “The Fiery Cross” and Haruki Murakami’s “1Q84” (which I cannot wait to read, but I kept feeling distracted by the unfinished copy of “Dragon Tattoo” that has been sitting next to my bed for months).

Also on my list, George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Ice series.  I have a sample of “Game of Thrones” on my Nook, as well as an audio version (because I’d sorta like to listen to it driving to work with the man).

The thing about the Nook is this … you can carry multiple books with you, and read any time you want.  (This is also a little dangerous).  I have a Nook app on my iPhone and have found myself sneaking a few pages in every now and then throughout the day.  It’s such a sweet indulgence.

And when I get on the plane to Indiana on Friday, I will have every single book that I’m in the middle of reading with me … and I’ll still be able to carry all my luggage on board with me.  It’s completely crazy (my child-like enthusiasm might also clue you into how old-fashioned I am … it’s not like Nooks and Kindles are new technology).

I imagine that my Nook will be my best friend during Lent … the man and I are contemplating giving up TV.  But … Lent is still aways away, so I’ll check back closer to the time in question! For now, I’m heading back to Sweden, Mikael Blomkvist & his investigation into the Vanger family.  To everyone who is in the middle of a book (or contemplating starting one!), happy reading!