I don't thrive on the drama

Oh Mark Twain (that's not even your real name, is it?), somehow when I read your book, I feel as if you are insulting my intelligence. Is that your intent? Are you trying to prove how ridiculously uninitiated I am? Because it's already been documented.

I'm not sure why I feel condescended to while reading this book. I'd like to use that as my excuse for being so slow in reading it but I'm pretty sure that'd be a lie. I'm liking Huckleberry Finn of which I've only read 135 pages but shhh-we'll-get-to-that later. Somehow, though, I'm not as far as I should be.

Any why is that, by the way? Why can't I stick to my number of pages a day schedule and finish on time? Why do I start late and procrastinate later until it's July 30th* and I have 145 pages to read in less than 48 hours?

Remember the part in She's Just Not That Into You where the main guy who seems like a Justin tells her that girls thrive on drama and that's why we don't pay phone bills until the last minute? That generally did not make sense to me. Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I like having to spend most of my day reading so I can finish this self imposed goal on time? Don't answer that if the answer you're thinking starts with the letter 'y'.

Because I don't enjoy it. Maybe a little but mostly not. I'm a busy person. I have novels to write and tank tops to knit and early episodes of Smallville to watch, not to mention blogs to write and read and YouTube videos to view... (as an afterthought there's also school, supposedly). I do not have eight hours on the last day of every month to finish listening to Mark Twain make supposed jokes that I don't even understand until I read their endnotes and realize, 'Oh that's ironic commentary on drying your socks on the west side of your house.'**

And yet my tomorrow is going to be filled with just that. Only maybe not eight hours. That's dramatic hyperbole.

*Happy Birthday, Neville.

**Footnote for the Alexs to my Mark Twain: this is a joke. I'm pretty sure Mark never had a comment on that.

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Ridiculously behind

What does it say about me that I'm consistently behind on every book I read for this blog? Is there anyone that wants to analyze this and get back to me? Or maybe I don't want to know. The only book that I actually finished reading a week before the end of the month was A Little Princess and that was the only children's book I've read.

And to complete this blog so it doesn't look like a grand, rhetorical question about my psyche, I will add that I'm mostly enjoying Huckleberry Finn, despite the procrastination. The weird thing is that I like to read before bed but lately that's been hard. I just can't keep my eyes open after 11pm. I suppose this could be seen as a good, healthy thing, but I am behind on my reading.

Note to self: renew efforts!

Princesstry

I loved this book. A Little Princess, I mean or in case you forgot. I almost did. I know we're eleven days into July and I'm like an absent, neglectful parent of this blog and I'd feel sorry for that but I don't see a point to feeling sorry. There's a lot going on and not to say that this isn't important (it is!) but it's not as high up on the list as you might like to believe.

My foot is asleep.

Reading A Little Princess (on one of my friends' list of books, by the by) was the first time in a long time that I read a children's' book that didn't make me feel like a child. Incidentally, I do not read a large amount of children's books but this one brought back something of a Harry Potter feeling. I love coming across an author who doesn't dumb things down for us young 'uns. I really enjoyed A Little Princess and not just because I admired Sara's composure or because of the rounded cast of characters. It was just a good story. Somewhat, anticlimactic at the end, but I dealt with it. Don't we all wish we were the strong, mature type who overcame poverty and adversity and imagined ourselves a better present and had it all turn out lovely in the end?

When you think about it, being a princess is freaking hard. I mean, you've got to be cordial and polite to everyone, no matter who idiotic or vindictive they are. Needless to say, I am filled with respect for Sara. She's going on my list of heroes. It's not a long list but she's on it. I've actually been trying to channel her energy. It's not really working but I think about it sometimes. What Would Sara Do? As I said, being a princess is hard. At least we all have something to aspire to.

A Little Princess is an amazing novel. It's inspiring and well written and not the least bit patronizing. Thank you Frances Hodgson Burnett for writing something meaningful intended for children. It's means a lot.

Next book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I've heard only good things about Mark Twain and I shall not be disappointed. In theory.