Back to School: Reading, Writing, and Blogging

No surprise, I'm enjoying The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith. Mma Ramotswe and her entourage are such pleasant company. Their antics and adventures are simply wonderful! Maybe I sound like a real dork when I say that but these stories are just so much fun to read. I brought the book in my car yesterday afternoon to read there while I waited for my daughter after school. I arrived at school early to ensure myself a parking spot so I had a good half hour or so to read. It was a great use of time--I kept myself entertained with a book instead of waiting impatiently, or stressing out over the lack of last-minute parking. I'll try to get to school early to get a good spot and wait and read whenever possible. Although yesterday was stiflingly hot and humid out, I didn't notice it too much in the car, as I was thoroughly engaged in the story. This pastime will be even nicer once the weather cools off.

I am on a quest of sorts, for writing tools. Yesterday I unearthed The Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers by Naomi Epel from my son's cluttered room (it was a gift I gave him but he'll never look at it), and I recently ordered a book called Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to help keep the ideas flowing, and since I compose mostly at the computer, to keep my fingers "on fire" at the keyboard. Many writers say reading a lot of books helps your writing, which I already do. (I should keep a list of everything I read but that seems too "organized". I guess in a way this blog IS my reading list anyway. I have a new account on Shelfari which features my summer reading, though unfortunately I did not know how to title the list as such. I thought about putting my shelf on this blog, but it didn't fit well.) I read some other blogs but try NOT to get too influenced by the ways and styles of others. Interestingly, when I do read other lit blogs I find, fairly often, that we are talking about the same themes, although each in our own way.