Tag: Reading

Writing

Leisure Time

Alexandra Diane
Bloganuary writing prompt
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?
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When I read today’s prompt, I laughed. What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time? And I asked myself, what leisure time? The time when I am watching my daughter play softball, or when I chase my smallest around the baseball park while his older brother is on the field with his dad practicing. Or is it when I am helping my husband cook, cleaning up after he cooks, or picking up the house after the kids go to bed? Maybe they meant that small window where parents fit in with their attention to each other and this thing called hobbies.

Although there is something that I sneak away to do. My husband doesn’t mind. He knows the moment I have a book to entertain myself with and he has time to play video games uninterrupted. I love disappearing in the pages of a good book. I bring my kindle everywhere, taking any chance I can get to escape into a different world. Sometimes I need it because I have to reset my way of thinking. When I am having trouble diffusing my frustrations, I pull out my book and separate myself from the problems at hand. 

I will sacrifice a long, hot shower to have five more minutes to read. Sleep will be lost as one more chapter is gained. I don’t know why books have been my place of solace when I cannot produce images in my mind. I would think that movies or tv shows would captivate me more. But sometimes I’ve turned off what I am watching and read a book that I’m not really into. Maybe it’s because the written word dives deeper than a film/tv show could ever do. I love the details and inner works of the characters. Finding out what drives them and relating them to myself. I see myself in a relationship that is supposed to only exist in a fancy novel.

So what do I enjoy doing most in my leisure time…. Reading, without a doubt reading. 

Bloganuary

What Brings Me Joy

Alexandra Diane
Bloganuary writing prompt
List five things you do for fun.
View all responses

In no order here are my top five things

that bring me joy!

1.) Reading: If I have a good book to read, I am lost to the world. I will tell my husband I am going to bed early. Which to him means he gets to play video games and I am immersing myself into a fantasy world. Reading is my escape from reality. Sometimes I need to go on a wild adventure after spending most of my time locked in a classroom. I am just thankful that my classroom has windows and I get to see the sun. It makes work a little more bearable. I fill my Kindle with self-published authors and love getting fantasy and paranormal recommendations. Bonus points if they are KU and indie authors.

2.) Writing: My favorite thing I do is write. Now, it can be a challenge to find time to write. However, when I can seek time away for myself, I love putting my thoughts on the page. Sometimes those thoughts are a jumbled mess, but as long as I get my thoughts out, I am happy. 

3.) Being outside: My best friend calls me a flower because I need sunshine to keep me happy. I don’t really care what I am doing outside as long as the sun is shining. When I was younger, this meant going to the beach and surfing. In college, it was day drinking in the sand, and now as a parent I spend most of my time outside at a baseball or softball field. Now, with the tiniest one being able to run around and climb things, it means we will be returning to parks. There is just something about sunshine that fills my soul with happiness. I really want a nice patio set so I can read outside burning the sunsets or sneak away and write. But I will take my sunshine however I can get it.

4.) Watching TV/ Movies: Surprise! The TV production teacher likes watching TV/Movies. Right now I enjoy TV shows over movies. I appreciate watching character arcs develop slowly over seasons as opposed to being rushed over a two-hour film. However, when watching movies I love looking for tiny details and beautiful cinematography.  

5.) Spending time with my family: I am a needy human and if I could crawl into my husband’s skin and live there, I would. I love spending time with him and my kids. Watching kids learn and grow, being there for tears and meltdowns. It can be exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In my twenties I traveled a lot. But all I could think about was being able to do this with my family and share these moments with my future kids. Now my kids are here and we are exploring our state, going on road trips, and just sharing the positive aspects of life. We want them to grow up to be well adjusted humans. I’m not sure how that’s going to work out but they will have the love for traveling and family connection. 

Lent

Day 34: Between the pages of a book is a wonderful place to be

Alexandra Diane

It’s funny what the love for a good book will do for your mood. I usually know within a few pages if I’ll enjoy the book, and because of Kindle Unlimited, I’ve certainly read some books that I may never have taken the chance on if I had to fork over ten bucks. It’s probably why I keep my book on Kindle Unlimited. It allows readers to take a chance on my book. While my blog gets pretty regular views, that doesn’t mean that readers will like my fictional writing.

However, I know the last book I read probably should have joined the very few DNF pile. It took me three months to force myself through the 350-page book. Usually, I’ll finish that in a night or two, depending on how much sleep I’m willing to sacrifice. However, this book made me look at my Kindle and sigh. Reading this book felt more like homework than being enjoyable. The plot was something that interested me, the angelic world and the human world intermixing. But the author’s writing style was not my favorite. I love dialogue and there was nearly none. I managed to get through a rushed romance that was very hard to believe and the dialogue was quite stiff. It took a sleepless night to finish it.

Stil unable to still my mind, I started reading another book. Not by the same author, but another indie author. I had forgotten what the story was even about because I added it to my Kindle library so long ago. When I started the book, the clock read midnight and the next time I looked at my phone it was nearly 4am and I was halfway done with my new book. Begrudgingly, I fell asleep. I could have stayed awake until the sunrose but I wouldn’t have been in the best spirits as a mom or a teacher. For the last few days, the characters have haunted me. I haven’t wanted to watch tv I’ve only wanted to read. I love the feeling of diving into a fictitious world and never wanting to leave.

My husband knows when I am reading a good book. If I don’t have a good book, we’ll stay up after the kids have gone to bed and watch a few episodes of whatever show we are binge watching. However, if i have a book to read, I have a not-so-subtle cue for him.

Either while we are cleaning up dishes or settling down after putting the kids to bed, I’ll say. “You should play a game tonight. I think I’m going to go to bed early.”

“Uhhu, you aren’t going to sleep.” He’ll tease. “You’re going to read. Why don’t you just say that?”

I’ll just give him a big smile, to which he’ll head into his office shaking his head. “I always know when you have a new book. It’s the only time you’ll ever suggest that I play video games.”

I love my husband, and how well he knows me. I don’t always have to say things and he’ll just know. However, what has surprised me the most about him is how much he loves to read books. I’ve dated other men who read, but it was magazines or articles mostly for knowledge, not entertainment. Sometime in January, we were talking, and out of nowhere, he talked about different tropes within the books he read or shows we watched. I just stared at him and in mid-sentence he stopped talking and asked me, “What?”

“Did you just say tropes?” I could feel myself flush. I don’t know why him saying that word suddenly made him even more attractive.

“Yes,” he laughed at him. “Why you think because I was in the army that I don’t know why tropes are?”

“I mean, not the army, but more of the fact that you skated by your senior year of high school because everyone knew you were going to war.” I teased him. “I just never expected to hear you, or well anyone bring that up.”

As much as I love reading, movies, and tv, I never really had someone in my life before to discuss them at a deeper level. It’s just been wonderful to share that enjoyment with someone else.