Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Sunday Salon: Bed Rest Reading and a New Challenge

The Sunday Salon.com

I did several bookish things while on bed rest this weekend.  I finished the last two hundred pages of Wuthering Heights and watched the latest film rendition of the novel.  I also dipped into American Gothic Tales and read Poe's "The Black Cat" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."  Can I just say that it is intensely funny to me that I read "The Yellow Wallpaper" while on bed rest; if you've read the story then you will totally get the humor!  I also read the first 48 pages of To the Lighthouse.  A fair amount of reading done, but not nearly as much as I had planned.  I watched tons of vapid television, played Barbies with Hope, cuddled with Sam, and spent time talking and visiting with friends and family.  I have another doctor appointment tomorrow; they'll do some more tests and we'll get another ultrasound to check on the baby's heartbeat.

I've thought a lot this weekend, and I'm really going to try to take it a bit easy.  I'm industrious by nature, I love to be up and doing things and I'm going to have to put less pressure on myself to always be busy.  I've also decided to not participate in the 24-hour-readathon.  This was going to be my first year participating, but I know that I would be the type to power through 24 hours because I'm competitive and I don't do things halfway.  Therefore, I think it would be a good idea if I didn't participate.  I need rest and no pressure and I'm working hard to make my figety self chill out.

This week I'm planning on finishing To the Lighthouse, read an essay from Madwoman in the Attic, and begin Sylvia Townsend-Warner's Flint Anchor.  I'm also really excited about digging into The Once Upon a Time Challenge that begins this week and ends June 20th!  I'll be participating in Quest the First, which means I'll be reading 5 books in either fantasy, folklore, fairytale, or mythology.  While on the couch today I began thinking about potential reads for this challenge.  I like to think of this as my pool of potential reads:
  • Fables:  The Dark Ages and Fables:  The Great Fable Crossover by Bill Willingham
  • Avalon by Anya Seton
  • Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorges Borges
  • Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
  • Gasoline and Frightful Fairy Tales by Dame Darcy
  • Anasi Boys by Neil Gaiman
  • Book of Fairy Tales by Angela Carter
  • Crimson or Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
  • Isolde by Rosaline Miles
  • Orcs by Stan Nicholls
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Stop by Carl's blog and sign-up if you're interested.  This is one of my most favorite challenges!

Happy reading, everyone, and keep your fingers crossed that the doctor visit goes well tomorrow!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

fingers crossed for you!

I get all fizzy over this challenge too, but I'm thinking this year perhaps I'm going to go for all bloodthirsty fairytales a la angela carter and some swanky greek plays. Your choices are fantastic - I may have to steal some.

x
Aimee
http://myflutteringheart.blogspot.com

Andi said...

Good for you! It's also REALLY hard for me to slow down, so I know how taxing it can be to just CHILL OUT sometimes. Sending lots of virtual hugs for the doc appointment!

Unknown said...

Good luck - what a cute little widget for your baby's progress. :)

Jodie said...

Lots of great choices for Carl's challenge. Stardust is so cute.