Thursday, September 06, 2007

Booking it Perfectly? And Thanks!



BOOKING IT THROUGH THURSDAY

From the blog: Okay, so the other day, a friend was commenting on my monthly reading list and asked when I found the time to read. In the ensuing discussion, she described herself as a “goldilocks” when it comes to reading–she needs to have everything juuuuuust right to be able to focus. This caught my attention because, first, I thought that was a charming way of describing the condition, but, two, while we’ve talked about our reading habits, this is an interesting wrinkle. I’d never really thought about it that way.

So, this is my question to you–are you a Goldilocks kind of reader?

Do you need the light just right, the background noise just so loud but not too loud, the chair just right, the distractions at a minimum?

Or can you open a book at any time and dip right in, whether it’s for twenty seconds, while waiting for the kettle to boil, or indefinitely, like while waiting interminably at the hospital–as long as the book is open in front of your nose, you’re happy to read?


Good heavens -- if I waited for the perfect moment to read, I'd never get any reading done. I have to wonder if the woman above, the original "goldilocks" reader has a husband, children or pets? I read at any spare moment, sometimes in one or two minutes bites -- five minutes while I'm stirring a pot, two minutes while I'm having DD do a math speed drill, ten minutes before bed. I'm interested in seeing if there are many "goldilocks" readers out there -- I can't imagine getting any reading done with a need like that!

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Thanks for all the warm wishes yesterday on my contract for "Isn't She Liv Leigh". Yes, I'm still floating. My Uncle (you remember -- the mean man who is here to take my mom back to California...Ha!) called me "Marianne Roberts" -- from his lips to God's ears.

:-)

Hey -- have you headed over to The Long and the Short Of It yet this week? Have you entered our contest? Have you checked out Ceri's contest yet? Today is the best day yet: Thrifty Thursday -- with a FREE short story for your reading pleasure. Go check it out.

Also, remember that we're looking for romantic flash fiction and articles for the site, among other things. Check out our submission guidelines -- we'd love to hear from you.

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In Pillar Place: Swallowtail P2, both Martin and Rose went on the prowl yesterday and Martin is in place to pupate today. Rose is sitting quietly on a stick, and I imagine she'll only be a few hours behind Martin. Once that's done, the box goes into the bulkhead for the winter. Gotta keep them cold, or they'll think it's time to hatch!

Nothing much going on at Pillar Place: Monarch P2 of note. They're eating, sleeping, pooping and shedding their skins... you know, a day in the life of a monarch pillar. My only real concern is having enough milkweed. We're not just on the edge of fall here (with nearly freezing temperatures at night -- down in the thirties), we're also in a bit of a drought. So things are beginning to yellow and die, including all the milkweed. I'm told it can be picked and frozen (who knew?), so if things begin to look desperate, I'll give that a try.

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You Follow Your Head

You're rational, collected, and logical.
Generally, it takes you quite a while to fall in love.
In fact, you've even been accused of being very picky.
While you're cool, you're not ice cold.
You just know what you want, and don't mind waiting to get it.


Sometimes, when I take these romance-y type tests it makes me wonder how I ever ended up writing romance in the first place...LOL.

16 comments:

Ceri Hebert said...

Ah, don't you love relatives. My mom calls me Ceri Roberts on occasion. If only. If only I could write uninterrupted for 8 hours a day. I'm lucky if I get 8 minutes of uninterrupted writing time.

I'm looking forward to DH going back to work. Then we'll return to normal(ish) around here.

I can read in a hurricane if the story is good enough.

Thanks for the plug. The contest is going very well. :)

Alice said...

Hello Marianne, you are looking at a half-Goldilocks i.e. me. That is only when I'm reading for my studies. For that purpose, I can't read like I do fiction.

Happy BTT!

anno said...

I'm more of a Dr. Seuss type of reader:

I can read in the dark!
I can read in a park!
I can read when I'm busy!
I can read when I'm dizzy!

And so on...

FWIW, I'm also a Follow Your Head type of romantic. Surprised me, too.

Chris said...

I'm with you. I'd never read if I waited for the perfect moment.

Melissa McClone said...

I just read whenever I get the chance. Though ideally if I start a book, I like to finish it as soon as I can even if it means staying up all night.

Not surprised at all by my result:

You Follow Your Heart
You're romantic, sentimental, and emotional.
You tend to fall in (and out of) love very quickly.
Some may call you fickle, but you can't help where your emotions take you.
You've definitely broken a few hearts, but you're not a heartbreaker by nature.
Your intentions are always good, even if they change with the wind

Anonymous said...

I've seen a bunch of people ask in their replies what the opposite of a goldilocks reader is, and I think anno has it: a Dr. Seuss reader! That's definitely me!

Kathleen said...

With two under 2 I know exactly what you mean! I'd BEVER get any reading done that way either! My BTT is up.

Stephanie said...

Yeah...if I waited for the perfect moment, I'd never get any reading done! With a husband, 3 kids and 2 dogs, I take what I can get!

Happy Thursday!

Anonymous said...

Just call me Goldilocks. *g* There's a reason I read in bed at night. Any other time and I can't concentrate enough to know what I've just read.

Julia said...

I'm with you, I won't get any reading done if I waited for perfect time to. So I pretty much read it anywhere, anytimes. Except of course when the flow of the writing does need concentration, than I need the time and place for that one, IMO :)

Happy BTT!

bookinhand said...

You are absolutely right, waiting for the perfect moment would mean little to no reading! I hadn't thought of that until I read your response. No wonder I can read almost anywhere! Diane

Jen said...

Oh my goodness, Anno cracked me up. And yes, I'm in her category... when I'm interested. If I'm not as involved in a book, though, then I want a little more pampering (ie. at least a 15 minute stretch to read)

CeeCee said...

I read anytime, anywhere! I agree with you with I'd never get a moment with my books if I had to wait for perfection!

Brandy said...

I read whenever I can, which is hard homeschooling 2 kids and keeping up with everything around here. If I waited for the perfect opportunity, I wouldn't spend half of what I do on books! *G*

As for the quiz, I follow my head. Actually, it sounds about right.

Have a good day!

Melody said...

I'm with you, Marianne! I don't think I'm able to have my reading done if anytime is not the "right" time for me. :P

Happy reading!

Dru said...

I read whenever I can, standing on line, waiting for the bus, sitting at the computer, watching tv.

Acording to the quiz, I follow my head.