So I've accepted a job in Florida. I had to come to terms with spending several months apart from my family to make this happen, but I made it over that obstacle. (I will come back for frequent visits and they will come down to see me so it's not like I will never see them.) I will need to fill up my time away with plenty of stuff to keep their absence from my daily life at bay. I'm guessing that reading will be something that I use to keep my mind busy while sitting alone in my apartment. Bring on the reading projects!
I read over my previous reading project post to see what might look like something to pursue in earnest. Reading Proust is a possibility. Malone's Jefferson bio is also a possibility. The book lists are always fun pursuits, but I'm looking for something I can complete in the 9-10 months I will be on my own. Chip away at Book Shelf Zero. Set a number target? I thought I had no shot at getting below 140 by the end of the year. I'm at 160. Twenty books is a possibility once I'm down there in September. That's four months. That's roughly 16 weeks. I will finish a few books before I head down there. That's very doable.
I'm writing like I will have a huge surplus of time to read. I will be working, obviously. Working out is going to be an important way for me to moderate my stress and empty feelings from separation. I may not have the mental energy to read (that has been a huge issue for the last year and a half). I will be talking to my wife and kids. I plan on writing them emails pretty regularly. I expect my weekends will be empty and that's when I will spend more time reading. I worry about what I will do on the weekends that I don't come back to visit. Looking for houses and exploring will take up some of that time. I may visit Disney if I end up getting an annual pass (and they lift the new mask requirements). Reading will be what I can do to fill the empty time.
Easier reading than Proust may be the better choice. Finish Drizzt? That's a 20 something book series. They are pretty short too. I could read one over the weekend with a little effort. That's progress on the SF list so there's double progress. There are plenty of series in that list that I could pick up. That may be the right place to start. Maybe I can transition to heavier fare after I have adjusted to my new job and have learned to live without my wife and kids in my life everyday. That feels like the ticket. Which one? I think I would prefer thin books over big fat ones. That lowers the chance of me picking a fat series like The Sword of Truth or The Outlander. The Vorkosigan Saga looks like it has shorter books. I'm intrigued by The Codex Alera, but they are fat books. Maybe that's not so bad? Drizzt books are short. Mixing a couple of series could be a way to things fresh. I really need a series like the Wheel of Time. That was a fun read. I couldn't put the books down. That's what I need. Something engrossing to keep me distracted from being away from my family. Maybe this Codex series is the way to go. I may just have to get one to check it out...
