Earlier this August, I prepared to take a vacation with my
family.
We are very fortunate. My husband’s family has a beautiful
house in the Berkshires. We planned a 10-day trip there.
On the vacation agenda was hiking, an activity the entire
family enjoys. We planned to take trips to the beach, have a museum day, a
family movie night and meals cooked on the grill. We mapped out a nice balance
of activities and relaxation.
In addition, I wanted to spend a substantial amount of time
sitting and reading. I wanted to bring a stack of books with me on vacation.
My plans included reading some of many books, rather than packing
and finishing two or three books.
About a week before the vacation, I set out to assemble my
stack of books.
There were two books from the library that I had already
started and was enjoying. I renewed those books. I packed them for my vacation.
One of the books was a gift from a friend who works in
publishing. She is a book matchmaker for me. She is excellent at this. In addition,
the book she sent me was something that she may have thought I needed to read because of some of my
behaviors while her children and mine attended the same elementary school.
I know how to take a hint. I added that book to the reusable
shopping bag I had designated for the stack.
I then consulted my Books
to Read list. I ordered the rest of my stack from Amazon Prime.
Ordering all of these books was a splurge. Most of the time
I reserve books at the library. Some of the books on my list would be so
popular that I would need to wait a long time. Vacation time is like a special
treat. I wanted my books to feel that way too.
I fashioned my order to be a mix of books I really wanted to
read. I included some fiction and nonfiction. Since I was spending money on the
books and helping to keep the publishing industry afloat, I was savvy. I
ordered one book that the other three members of my family would want to read
when I am finished.
Two of the books I ordered would be books I would want to
keep and place on the shelf I have designated as my personal reference library.
One of the books had no real rhyme or reason other than an
intriguing review I read. This one book,
purchased in hardcover – was an
impulse item.
Once we arrived at our vacation locale, I unpacked the stack
and arranged it fetchingly on a dresser in the bedroom.
The next morning, I carried the stack to the living room.
Over the course of the vacation, the stack resided on the screened porch, the
dining room table, the coffee table and the bedroom. One or two of the books
would accompany me on vacation jaunts.
I thought about the best way of approaching my stack. An icebreaker
was in order.
I began by reading five pages of each of the books. Once I
read five pages of each book, I could read more of each book, more of only one
book, or a mix. This is a construct I
found extremely appealing. That is why I continued to do that for the duration
of the vacation. That is why I adapted this plan once I arrived back home.
I loved reading my five pages, then adding that book to the
bottom of the stack. I loved rotating the books. I loved the sculptural quality
of the stack. It was like a horn of plenty, only with books.
Near the end of our vacation, some extended family members
vacationed with us at the country house. It did not take long for the other
vacationers to notice the stack. The stack makes quite a statement. The stack
is a conversation opener.
One vacationing family member asked if she could look at the
books in the stack. I discovered that I liked nothing better than have a family
member who is also a friend leaf through my stacked books.
The stack led to many conversations about the books - whether
certain books were as extraordinary as people said they were, what advice given
in books was good and which authors had their heads up their asses when it came
to certain topics.
It was also nice to discuss which book reviewers had true
understanding of a book and which clearly had their heads up their asses.
It was fun to hold forth on which writers were the real deal,
which books were difficult to put down and which books could be a little slow
going if I had to read more than five pages a day.
I finished two books in the stack while on vacation. The
stack is now residing on the coffee table of my apartment. I have added two
more books to the stack because I have discovered I like having a large stack. I
like reading many books at once.
I am planning to spend a three-day weekend at the country
house. I look forward to assembling the
Labor Day weekend stack. Watch this space for future stacks.
1) How To Raise An Adult by
Julie Lythcott-Haims
3) Go Set A Watchman by
Harper Lee
4) I Know How She Does It by
Laura Vanderkam
5) How To Be A Friend To A Friend Who’s Sick by Letty Cottin Pogrebin
6) Signs Of Life by
Natalie Taylor
7) The Rosie Effect by
Graeme Simsion
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