My newest obsession.

Posted on June 12, 2008

Ellen recommended the book Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet for our book club.  I started reading it last week because it is a long book (weighing in at almost 1,000 pages) and I wanted to make sure I finished it before book club for this upcoming Monday.  I LOVED IT.  It has really been a long time since I was this “captured” by a book.  And I do mean captured.  I ignored Chloe, stopped cleaning my house, laundry piled up, and ceased grocery shopping.  I finished the book in three days.  Like an addict (or obsessive compulsive personality, take your pick) I started reading the second in the series, The World Without End. Ellen warned me that the books were very similar, but that is what I wanted, and I was not disappointed.  It is equally as captivating as the first book.  Poor Chloe and John, I have been reading for two days and I am on page 640, I suspect Chloe is going to have to fend for herself at least one more day so I can finish the book.

I have to admit, this is one of the reason I don’t read as much as I would like to.  If I find a good book, I become entranced and enmeshed and I cannot pull myself out of it.  The first author I really remember having this effect on me was Ann Rice when I was in high school.  I couldn’t put her books down and I read almost everything she wrote.  When I walked away from one of her books, my internal dialog took on her voice, if that makes any sense at all.  Its almost scary.

I also get to a point where I really don’t want to do anything else, and like I said, I ignore everything just so I can read.  This is bad when you are a mom.  I keep trying to pull myself away and play with Chloe, but the minute she gets distracted with something else, I am back in my book.  At least when the TV is on, I can play with her and have that as background noise.  Its hard to play and read at the same time.  Her nap time is completely taken up with reading, so I don’t do any of the chores I usually save until she is sleeping.  I think there is a third book in this series, but I may have to wait and read it later, I need time to recuperate!