Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Recuperating - Book Style



I had surgery two weeks ago. Nothing major and I'm just fine, but my orders were to spend a good amount of time on the couch recuping. I laughed, because, as a writer, that's pretty much what I do all day anyway. Me and my laptop, recuping for the last five years. :)

I had great expectations for these weeks. Mandatory time on my bum, no laundry, no cooking, no running errands or carpooling kids. It was like a prescription for productivity! I was going to come home and write up a storm.

Only it hasn't worked out that way. At first, I blamed it on the anesthesia and pain meds still floating around. Foggy brain. The first few days I slept, and then graduated into reading, and then, as my head cleared, opened the computer.

Nothing.

Still foggy.

So I blogged a little. And read. And when my brain cleared all up and I stopped being tired all the time and my fingers were ready for typing... I still couldn't write. There's stuff in my brain, but it's like a jumbled mess of puzzle pieces. Too much work to put together.

So I read some more.

I've read a lot.

And I've decided I'm not really recuping from surgery. I'm recuping from school.

Some people call it a post-MFA funk. But I don't feel funk-ish. I'm not depressed about school being over (well, not too much). I'm not fearful I'll never write anything again. I'm not totally sapped of inspiration or ideas or motivation. My brain just needs a bit of recuperating... of filling up what was depleted through the intensity of the past two years.

I've been mostly reading books that didn't fit on my reading list - reading whatever strikes my interest. I read A Stolen Life, about the Jaycee Duggard's kidnapping and life in captivity. I followed that with Escape, the also true story about Carolyn Jessop's time in the FDLS and an abusive polygamist marriage and her escape. Cheery stuff, no? 

I kept in my non-fiction trend and read Devil in the White City, which is a book I bought my first residency at the urging of a friend and never found a place to put it on my reading list. So glad I finally got to it! Fascinating story. I've talked so much about it my family feels like they've read it, too.

As a Penn Stater, I've been eager to read the new biography of Paterno that came out right before my thesis was due, and I spent the later part of last week reading that. I don't know what I was expecting about that book, but I was surprised by it. It may be about a football coach, but I took away a lot of lessons about self-motivation and focusing on what is really important in life and career. I actually read this book with a highlighter in my hand. If I were still in college, I would have written these quotes out and hung them above my bed with my other motivational sayings.

I just finished Thirteen Reason's Why, my first fiction since I got home. I'm thinking maybe I'm just too old now for YA books. I want to like them, but I just don't get why people flock to this book and give it such high ratings. I get that it tackles the popular and sensitive topic of suicide, and to an extent bullying (if that's not too general a term for what the main character goes through), but I think there must be much, much better books out there on this. It's a unique and grabby hook, I'll grant you that: suicidal girl leaves behind tapes naming the people who pushed her over the edge, and what they did that caused her to kill herself. But I didn't like the execution of it, and it was painful to finish. I so wanted it to be better.

I'm now reading Gone Girl. I hear it's fantastic. Or totally awful. Depending on who you are. I've been told I have to get to the last chapters to decide for myself. I kinda hate that... that a book can be great until the end, and then have an end totally blow it for you.

I'm also reading Tenth of December, a new book of short stories by George Saunders, in hopes that my brain mush will regenerate into something more akin to a writer's. I'm thinking it's about time to just force myself to write, even badly, just to get in the habit again.

And no, self, blogging doesn't count anymore. :)

What are you reading?

12 comments:

  1. I'd say it's perfectly fine that you're reading a lot right now. You need to refill the creative well for your writing. Surgery, the MFA, and life tends to sap us of creativity.

    I'm reading The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Really good.

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    1. I LOVED that book, Melissa!! So, so loved it! One of those rarely satisfying reads.

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  2. very, very slowly, I'm reading "The Explicit Gospel" by Matt Chandler...can't use a highlighter because Cam loaned it to me! aargh! Need a fiction book to alternate with it!

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    1. I usually have two or three books going. It's a little ADD of me. :) Some books require slow and careful thought, and not all reading time can be slow and careful. If you need some fiction suggestions, I can help. :)

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  3. Your blog, silly. This week: Tim O'Brien's Northern Lights (just finished) and July, July (just started).

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    1. LOL. Tim O'Brien is one of my favorites. He is one of the most eloquent and powerful authors I know. I haven't heard of July, July. I'll have to check that out.

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  4. Take care and enjoy the fact that you can indulge in reading!
    Recent reads for me: SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartmann (loved it); GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS (very good). Now reading GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers, which I like a lot. ;-)

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    1. Kathryn!!! I haven't seen you in forever!! How are you??? I must go see your blog!

      I haven't read ANY of those! Will look them up promptly!

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  5. I'm reading Homeland, by Cory Doctorow. It's a sequel to one of my favorite books of all time, Little Brother. You don't need to read Little Brother, though, to read Homeland. As he always does, he's even released the book as a free download: http://craphound.com/homeland/download/

    Thanks for the comment on my Neil Gaiman post. I actually put up another post if you'd like to read that one. It's actually about writing!

    Paul

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    1. Some of my MFA friends were just chatting on facebook yesterday about Little Brother and how great it is! I hadn't looked into them, but thanks to you, I've downloaded both and will have to read them soon! Thanks for the link!

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  6. Um... I'm reading a book on scholarship applications for students who, er, aren't normally the type of student who gets scholarship opportunities. 'Nuf said, right?

    And I may be in a similar boat to you soon. I think I've reached a point where I'm going to be forced to have foot surgery. I'm dreading it!!

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    1. Oh no!! Foot surgery sounds awful! But... like a good excuse to sit on the couch and get some reading and writing done. :) Sounds like you also need some better reading material!

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