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and...*Angels Grayce, KonaKitty, and Sylvester* always loved, never forgotten




Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Salon with Sheebie

Friends and Kitties!

  I have a tiny topic for today: Reading.

I went out to dinner with a pal a couple of weeks ago, and we were discussing books.  I made the comment that for me reading is like breathing, I have to do it to survive. And I do mean survive; for me reading is an essential, an escape, a pleasure, a portal to other lands and a source of endless information.  On days that I can't spend an hour (or more) caught up in the written word I get irritable, no other media soothes me like words.

One of my earliest memories is of reading.  I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom with my Dad, and I'm looking at a book about Dalmations and a firehouse when all of a sudden I realize it:  I'm READING the words!  I was three years old, and I haven't looked back since.  In grade school I was bored to death when all the kids in my class were learning to read, I didn't understand that for many, reading is a difficult skill to master while I was devouring Roget's Thesaurus for fun.  I was a nerdy kid and books were a great refuge from both teasing classmates and the crushing depressive anxiety I had as a kid.  (Well, actually I still have the anxiety, but now I have Xanax, too.)  I think my two year long depressive episode in college was partly due to the fact that I was required to spend so much of my time unable to read for pleasure--everything was learning-focused.  To this day I have vivid nightmares about scouring the library at college, desperately seeking the literature section for escape.

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here at Casa de la Cerecke, harvesting my husband's "crop".  With his green thumb you can only IMAGINE the monster plants he grew.   I got smart after the first day and bought a hand-crank trimmer (Amazon!!) which has been a huge time saver.  Nevertheless, I haven't had a lot of time to bury myself in a book.  So I thank you, my fellow bloggers who toil away as I do, posting your (mostly) daily vignettes--you keep me sane by giving me something to read.

How do you guys feel about reading?
Let me know in the comments!


Happy Sunday, and have a Great Week!

XX  Sheebie, a.k.a. "Reader Rat"  XX

59 comments:

  1. OMG! Since I could, I have and until my eyes cross from exhaustion I do.

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  2. Oh boy! I remember the FIRST day I read. No looking back. I will read anything. I read all my daughter's Harry Potter books, so I knew what the fuss was about. Will stay up all night if I can. Best gift ever: my Nook. I always enjoy your Goodreads. Happy Sunday!

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  3. I have to read a book every single day even if I'm exhausted like during tax season and can only make it one chapter. My day is not complete unless I read!

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  4. My moms prefers to read online news instead of watching video news clips.

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  5. Glogirly goes in spurts. She loves getting lost in a good book...and I love sitting next to her while she does. But we've been mad, mean blogging machines lately so most of our reading has been our furriends' blogs. We might need a little reading vacation soon!
    : ) Katie

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  6. I only like reading May Ling's blogs, specially when she rolls over and shows off her dreamy floofy tummy!!!... oh wait, that's not reading, is it?

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  7. My human totally gets this. Here is something you will relate to: one day she was visiting a friend who had just come back from the L.A. Zoo and had bought something while she was there. The paper shopping bag was on the coffee table, and it was printed with different animals and descriptions of them. As if it was something she did every day (and maybe it was), she picked up the bag and started reading all the fun facts. Her friend looked at her and said, "YOU are the only person I know who would read a shopping bag."

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  8. Yes, I totally agree: reading is really important and I also need to have the books I like a lot. I always need book shelf extensions and have now settled on ebooks for the paperbacks I devour, but do miss the feel of the pages and being able to lend them out. My shelves really show my life and character.
    And I need to read too, but regret not being able to remember what I read. Being about to embark on a load of study (and piles on non-fiction) I am both looking forward to it and dreading it! I need my dose of Scandinavian crime for sanity too.
    And by the way, I think good reads is a great way of keeping up with people and learning about them!

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  9. Yes, I totally agree: reading is really important and I also need to have the books I like a lot. I always need book shelf extensions and have now settled on ebooks for the paperbacks I devour, but do miss the feel of the pages and being able to lend them out. My shelves really show my life and character.
    And I need to read too, but regret not being able to remember what I read. Being about to embark on a load of study (and piles on non-fiction) I am both looking forward to it and dreading it! I need my dose of Scandinavian crime for sanity too.
    And by the way, I think good reads is a great way of keeping up with people and learning about them!

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  10. I understand this! I always have been a reader, but there were no books at home, I was always hungry for books. So hungry that now I have always too much books, I mean I cannot read all of them, due to lack of time. I was reading the day of our marriage, it was a very simple marriage, we were living together already, and when I had had breakfast, I continued to read my book. The same when my daughter married. I was in the living rrom, she had her friends around her to help her put her beautiful dress on, I felt unhelpful and began to read. I will always remember the amazed look of the photographer, who said "you are a real reader, you really are able to forget everything around you", and indeed that's the way it is! But I must admit I read less since I am surfing on Internet... I read, of course, but not only books anymore... By the way, are you surprised, as I am, when somebody tells you he or she loves to read, but not "bricks" (thick books)? I never understood this, because reading one thick book or reading two ot three "thin" books, at the end you will have read the same amount of pages, no?...

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  11. It's almost midnight and I'd keep reading, but I can't get my eyes to focus any more. Lol -

    I grew up in a small town where k-12 was all in the same building. Grades 1&2, 3&4, etc were together in their own rooms with their own library. I was lucky that my cousin was the 5&6th grade teacher in our school, because before I was out of the 4th grade I had read all of the books in the 3 & 4th grade library. Frances let me start on the books in her room. (of course, by the time I got to 5th grade, I'd read all the books in that library - I think I just went ahead and read them again -that is a joy (addiction?) all of it's own.) And oh, the wonderful summer days as a kid when the Bookmobile would stop in our neighborhood (a 1.5 mile bike ride away that is) and I can still remember the summer I read The Hobbit trilogy - sigh...

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  12. Our human found that as you grow older, there are so much to read, so many things to do but not enough time. Purrs!

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  13. As with anything I do or don't do... I love to sew but if it's a fabric I hate you can not make me finish it. I love to read but if it's a book I hate you can not make me finish it. And so on...

    My first and fondest memory of reading... I had somehow acquired a paperback book, a summer read. I don't even recall the book or author. But living in a house with 2 parents, 2 grandparents and 8 kids, makes it difficult to carve out any space and time that was private. Reading books tucked inside my bottom bunk bed were my escape to worlds beyond and I loved them for that! I had books stashed on the support boards and all along the side rails!

    Have an absolutely marvelous day!

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  14. Oh yes yes yes!!!! As a child and also suffering from debilitating anxiety, books were my haven in a stormy world. In books you create a new world full of adventure and excitement and which somehow makes the real world easier to bear! I have to read, but like others have said, so much other stuff to do. So I read when I go to bed and sometimes it lasts well into the night!

    Austin is currently reading the Complete Oxford English Dictionary, all twenty volumes, for some reason!!

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  15. My mom alway´s have a book on the bedside table.
    Her all time favourite book is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
    Have an easy reading sunday :)

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  16. My hubby and I LOVE to read too. We have tonnes of books, literally and it's all over the house. We buy book as much as we buy our normal food ration ;)

    I love stories too

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  17. My Mommeh LOVES reading, too! She can't wait for her reading time every day, even though she doesn't read great works just fun stuff. Right now she's reading "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.

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  18. I have a bit of a book fetish. I can't borrow books from the library...I HAVE to buy them (or be given them)because they become part of me. We have many bookshelves stuffed with books....I LOVE THEM!
    As a child I can remember going to the library every Saturday with my Dad.I asked what I could choose...he said anything I wanted...I skipped the childrens' section and only read 'grown up' books. Other children were reading about hopping bunnies and I was reading about Mayan culture.
    Jane x

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  19. I love to read...always have ever since I was a child. I remember going to the library once a week and checking out books...the highlight of the week. Now with work and other things taking up my time, I don't find that I read as much as I would like. But I recently bought a kindle and am getting back into it. I usually don't read anything heavy...mostly best sellers, fun stuff...it's my escape. And I love reading all the blogs too! ;)

    Sue

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  20. I could not live without reading. I read every day, including on the toilet. ;) When I was a kid, I would sit on the couch with the TV on and a book on my hand. I think I used books as a way to tune out a lot of the awful stuff that happened to me as a child.

    I always have a stack of books on my nightstand, and we have books littering our house. In fact, we've run out of bookshelves and are going to have to have more built. I love everything about books and will never give them up.

    My next goal is to start writing books (I'm working on my writing) because when I was a child, I planned to be a writer, and I know it's what I was put on earth to do. :)

    SO yeah, I'm a book fan. :))

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  21. I love to read, no I HAVE to read!! I get crazy without a book and always have a pile of TBR books. I started young and was always in the library! Books are my escape and my refuge. I completely understand how you feel.

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  22. I come from a family of readers! At each of our homes the bookcases are full and there are stacks of them everywhere. When I go to peoples homes that are spotless I always wonder where's the books?
    I grew up as the child of my parents middle age.(Mom calls me the caboose, I say accident.) The other 4 kids were years ahead of me and I essentially was a "only", no real solid memories of brothers & sisters. No kids my age in the neighborhood and a loner at school, books were and still are my best friends. -L

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  23. I "heart" books! when I was a teenager, my refuge was the library. I begged a nearby, out-of-town library to give me a card so I had even more books to enjoy. the only thing is, I tend to read fast and forget titles I've read...so I often buy duplicates :) I finally broke down and got a nook - love that I can keep track of what I've all ready bought and read, lol! have a great week!

    ~C

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  24. Reading a thesaurus for fun... That explains a lot.

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  25. Our Mum is a reader - she reads every day and her Dad used to say if she hadn't got a book she'd read plain paper! Her favourite book of all times is "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame (from Scotland) which is a children's book about the adventures of the animals living on a river bank (Ratty and mole are the good guys and Toad of Toad Hall is the baddie!!. Many adults read it too.

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  26. I love to read biographies! Now, I´m reading Me, the Ricky Martin´s bio.

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  27. I love reading, too! I'm one of those who will read anything that's in front of me (whether it be a book, or the back of a milk carton). :)

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  28. Even after some of the large tomes that I read for my Masters degree I still have a thrist for reading and must read somethig from a book to an article or even little blurbs it is a must.

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  29. My Human reads ALL.THE.TIME. She just finished a book by Thomas Mallon called Watergate an imaginative take on how it all unfolded through the eyes of (mostly) Fred LaRue, Alice Longworth and Pat Nixon. It was GRRRRRRRRREAT! She just started By Blood but the jury's still out on this one. We'll see. She loves audio books in the car, too. She'll read cereal boxes or junk mail if there's nothing else.

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  30. My favorite book to read even still is the Dictionary. Next to opening an Atlas, it's totally an awesome way to kill many hours (which I don't usually have) doing something so relaxing and stimulating all at the same time.

    xoxo
    That Woman

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  31. My reading is constant while life is happening in between. Truly! I love to read and will read anything anytime, during meals, etc. I knew of someone who read at red lights, but that is the extreme, I know, hehe, but I'm close..

    I was an early reader, too. I spent an entire summer reading from cover to cover the first volume of my set of encyclopedias. Reading has been a refuge, an escape, and a very big part of my life.

    Mom Julie

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  32. We read an insane amount. Publicists send us books by the cartload and we review books at our two blogs (Boomer Muse & Cat Wisdom 101) every Sunday.

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  33. Wow, I feel like I could have written this post myself. I also must read. It's an essential part of my life, and always has been. I too can remember the first time I figured out how to read a book myself--I was four and the book was called Barbarapapa. I still have that book

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  34. I have adored the written word for what seems like forever as well. Didn't read as young as you did, I read at 4. At least I think I did...probably had the book memorized.
    I remember being super impatient with kids at school that could barely read aloud...I couldn't stand to listen to them.

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  35. I love to read too but since blogging I don't have the time I would like. We are on a cruise later this week and every sea day and the days we get back after being ashore will find me on the balcony with a book and a glass of wine.

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  36. I love to read, too. It amazes me when someone says they don't like to read. What?! I remember in first grade the best and biggest word I learned. It was umbrella. The story was Sally and the Big Black Umbrella.

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  37. Ooooooooh yeah!!!! The Dick and Jane books were OK, but when I started reading Nancy Drew that was it,I was hooked! Now I have more books to read than I have life to read them in and I still collect more ;) Still love mysteries (and murder and mayhem) and true life experiences :)
    One reason I had to cut back on blogging. I am away 12 hours a day so my evenings are short ;)
    I want to be on the cruise with Eric & Flynn's Mom !!! Books,balconies,sea and wine...

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  38. Mom and Dad could not stand a day without reading...Mom likes the blog stuff, fiction and some non fiction autobiogs and since she was about 8 years old...Sci fi!! Dad reads fiction, non fiction, sci fi, and lots of stuff about history of WW1 WW2 and military history in general. We are a reading family...I also read, and luvluvluv it!

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  39. I wasn't quite as young as you when I started reading, but like you l boxes I can't imagine a day without reading.

    I have my favorite authors and re-read their books over and over. My family laugh at me because I`ll often pick a book based on it`s thickness...the more pages, the better. (I`ve read some really weird stuff!)

    And I don`t go to sleep without reading for at least a few minutes.

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  40. In spite of being forced to read the depressing books (Charles Dickens) and boring books (Moby Dick, Red Badge of Courage)in high school English, I did read Gone With the Wind as a sophomore and discovered that reading could be fun. It was the start of my lifelong journey. I read strictly for fun and pleasure and don't have to learn anything. From trashy romances to political spy thrillers. Wore out two Kindles, so my husband graciously lent me his Nook. What a guy. Four days later his new tablet came in the mail. And yes, I pull my Nook out at red lights. To read is to live. Favorites are Nora Roberts, Mariah Stewart, Robyn Carr, Dan Brown, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Lee Child, Stieg Larsson. If I find a new author I like, I'll go back and read everything from the beginning.

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    1. Based on your favorites list, you might like Daniel Silva. He wrote 2 stand-alone books, then started his Gabriel Allon series. I think his latest was the 12th in the series. He's surpassed Brad Thor as my favorite thriller/spy novel writer, though I still read Brad's new books as soon as they're out. :)

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  41. My family lived in a suburb far from the town library when I was a kid in the late 60s. My dad took the one family car to work, so in the summer my only chance to get new books to read was when the bookmobile made its weekly stop down the street from our house. Better than the ice cream truck! (Well, usually.) One of my very best childhood memories! We moved across the state when I was 13, and our house was finally bike-riding distance from the public library, but I still smile whenever I think about that wonderful bookmobile!

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  42. We read all the time! Target says that absorbing all that knowledge is why his bottom is getting so big, and Au says it keeps his claws nice and sharp. Guido isn't reading yet - he's too young.

    And may we pipe up here and say: we've got a new book out. A romance called Wildcat in Moscow. Come and take a peek? 70% off for 2 days.

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  43. Some of my earliest memories are my dad reading the newspaper to me, but I had a hard time learning because I'm dyslexic. When I was about 7 I started getting bored watching TV & would leave to do other things, especially read. My mom waited for the other kids to get old enough to do that too (I am the oldest) but she was disappointed they never did. I'm always reading something, even if its just a cereal box.

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  44. My mom love reading too ! But in these day, she don't read much because at the end of the day, she was so tired from her brutal work. That's why she doesn't help me much to do blogging. But I guess as long as no one yell out " don't Finnish reading in da toilet " everything should be fine ...tee...heh..heh
    xoxo

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  45. Oh I absolutly canNOT sleep without reading! I dont care if I fall asleep while reading, but I MUST read! It drives me near nuts if I cant get to read kitty blogs half the day too... Honestly, it's a good thing I dont have a job.. lol

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  46. Oh I absolutly canNOT sleep without reading! I dont care if I fall asleep while reading, but I MUST read! It drives me near nuts if I cant get to read kitty blogs half the day too... Honestly, it's a good thing I dont have a job.. lol

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  47. Wow you started reading at three! I don't remember when I began to read, but before internet was available, I read books a lot. Now I read more on internet but still not into e-book yet. I love book in paper form...for now. I may change my mind in future :-)

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  48. No wonder you write so well....people who love to read are almost always good writers. You started to read at THREE! I love to read too!

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  49. Whoa! You guys let your Mom do a Senile Sunday. TW reads the paper and she reads blogs. Doesn't have time for much else. She used to read real books when she was much younger. Mostly she does crossword puzzles for relaxation. She says Xanax is an amazing thing but she's glad she finally was able to kick the habit.

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  50. Meowm loves to read and welove to lay on the books!

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  51. Reading the comments and reading that everybody else is a reader to is quite wonderful! I learned to read at 3 too!
    Nellie's Mommy

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  52. I read way too much.
    Often with more than one book on the go....
    I can remember the first time I read a book and forgot where I was ....♥

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  53. Reading is actually very important~
    Just understand your saying!!!
    Michico also reads while she can!!

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  54. I love to read and do a lot of it. I read anything from labels to books. I do a lot of proof reading for my sister and love it. Hugs

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  55. Oh my gosh, your post could have been written about me. There's a photo of me at age 1.5, sitting on the floor in an empty hallway in a party dress, flipping through a giant book of fairy tales. My grandma's birthday party was going on and I was escaping the scary crowds by reading; I still do that now.

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  56. I didn't start reading till later in life, now I can't wait to get to bed and read, forget about the Husband..lol xx00xx
    Mollie and Alfie

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  57. Ohhhh YES! Mommy sez reading is a COMPLETE Necessity. She's an INFJ and spending all day in a work environment is TOO much without a reading break to detox (she reads on her tablet a LOT at lunch, MOL!)

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  58. Oh my human completely understands! When we moved to the U.S., the humans didn't bring any furniture (they bought everything here) but my human insisted on taking most of her books. 600 kg (1,300+ lb). Of course she keeps buying new ones MOL!
    She could not live without reading either.
    Purrs

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Oh Boy...this is gonna be GREAT!