A Religious View (SOLSC 26/31)

 

I am not religious, but I can appreciate religious art.

We stand together beneath a ceiling, bodies pressed together.  All our eyes are wide — trying to take in as much as possible.  No cameras, no video, just you staring up at a ceiling meant to represent our very creation.  The tilt of our heads is probably a slight revenge from Michelangelo who had to paint this ceiling in the most agonizing positions. 

A voice bellows from above.  It is not God, but it booms all the same: Silence.  Respect the silence.

The voices drop once more, but never for long.  Voices whispering in a hundred languages.  I look up in awe and feel myself tear up.

I am not religious, but I can appreciate religious art, especially when it comes to the Sistine chapel.

When in Rome (SOLSC 25/31)

 

As much as I love postcards, they really don’t do anything the justice of what it looks like in person.  I think that has been most true in Rome.

Everything is so much bigger and brighter in person; everything is SO much more crowded.

I have to squeeze through and it is so easy to lose sight of people.  Luckily, despite my own “short” comings we do have some tall people in our group.

The worst spot yesterday was the Trevi Fountain.  I knew we needed to toss some coins in per the myth, but I almost didn’t because of the small mob of people surrounding it.

But my mom plunged in and I knew to follow.  Before I knew it we were directly in front of Neptune and I was digging some coins out of my purse.

One to return.  Two to find love.  I noticed no one threw in the third for marriage.

After we emerged from the crowd, I muttered: “If I return to Rome, it will be through the airport on my way back to Venice!”

Several Hours Later: A Travel Log from LR to Rome (SOLSC 20/31)

I thought this was the perfect format to track my trip from LR to Rome on March 18 & 19.  I think most of my slices for this trip will be “delayed” between time differences and just finding time to write!

The “And before that” format/ story structure I originally saw on Fran’s blog.

The plane descends from the clouds and it dawns on me that I am touching down in a part of the world with such ancient history that it borders on the mythical. Even though there is a strong smell of cigarettes as I step outside, I am grateful to be off of planes for a week.

And before that I am weaving through an airport line to go through security (again).  I have not slept much or at least to call it sleep would be generous.  I am nervous because I don’t technically have an official boarding pass.  Travel with a big group is stressful!

And before that I happen to pull up the map and see we are flying over St. John’s and I think about how I am still so close to Karen and yet so far.  I go to sleep, dreaming of the places I am going and have yet to seen.

And several hours before that I am writing this from the seat of a plane that will take me to Paris!  We made our connection!  I will not be staying in Paris, but it’s neat that I get to pass through.  I am seated alone — without my group.  We are scattered about the plane, but I have a pretty good seat above the wing and only have to share with one person instead of center aisle.

And before that I am breathing through my nausea as the plane takes off from Atlanta.  I don’t know what changed in the past few years that flying causes me to feel ill.  Luckily, I am able to sit next to my mom and we play a quick game as we pass the quick time in the air.  We’ll have to take off running to make our connection.

And before that I am standing at the kiosk.  I am trying not to panic as I stare at a ticket to only Atlanta.  A mistake?  They assure me it is not.  I will just lean in and trust the process.

And before that I am sliding out of the car and gathering my luggage.  “Check your purse,” mom says.  A helpful reminder because sure enough I spy my passport holder on the seat!  I grab it and off we go.

IMWAYR! Three At Once

Am I the only one that begins multiple books on a staggered schedule and then still somehow winds up finishing them all at the same time?  That's what happened this weekend when I finished not one, not two, but three books!  Okay, so two books and one I decided to bail on, but still that's not too shabby of a reading practice.

Also, apparently this past weekend (Saturday) was National Independent Bookstore Day?  I was lucky enough to find out before it was too late and I made an intentional stop to a semi-local independent bookstore to pick up some new reads and a few stickers (they told me I could have as many stickers as I wanted -- but I restrained myself to only three).

Did I need to buy books?  No, but this seemed like a good excuse to pick some up and support a local business.  For now, these books are being added to my TBR pile.  

Let's get into the books I finished though.  As a reminder, here is my key for books:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

IMWAYR! In Space!

I did not write about what I was reading last Monday.  I chalk that up to focusing on my writing only last week as it was the final week of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  However, this Monday seems like a good day to discuss and update you all on the reading I've been doing.

As a reminder, here is my key for books:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

Finished Reading

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, (👍) I finished this book a few weeks ago and I cannot recommend it highly enough.  It's the story of a refugee family and how they came to live in Oklahoma.  The story blends the real events of Daniel's life, both before and after fleeing his home country, with the fantastical elements of the mythology and stories he grew up hearing.  He makes several references to the 1001 Nights and that analogy certainly holds true to the story telling method being used.  I love how this book captures the feeling of someone sitting by your bed and telling you a story.  It's a rich in detail and beautifully written.  

Currently Reading

After Moses by Michael F. Kane, This sci-fi novel reminds me so much of anime like Cowboy Bebop and tv shows like Firefly.  I love sci-fi that stays close to home and explore how colonies on Mars, Jupiter's moons, and other celestial bodies might look.  The crew of the Sparrow have already endeared themselves to me and I actually enjoy how this novel manages to be episodic in a way that is similar to the two shows I mentioned above.

Bonus?  The author is one from my neck of the woods.  It's always great to get a chance to explore local authors.

2021 Reading Goal: 27/75

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog link co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for kids and young adults.  The original IMWAYR focusing on adult lit was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is currently hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

IMWAYR! Pity Parties and Untrue Stories

I really appreciate the overwhelming support on my last blog for IMWAYR and all of the comments that were left with guidance.  You all were super welcoming.  

I've decided to add one additional layer to my blog posts about reading: a rating system.  I already leave ratings on places like Litsy and Storygraph, so I don't see why it would hurt to continue that here.  I don't want it to be super complicated and of the rating systems I have used I think I prefer Litsy.  It keeps it to four choices: Pick, So-So, Pan, and Bail.  It's simple and I don't have to overthink it like star-ratings or whatever.  I couldn't find the exact symbols in emoji form that they use for their rating...so I improvised:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

Also, continuing from last week, you may also see these emojis pop up from time to time:

🎧 This means I read the audiobook. 💬 This means the book is a graphic novel.

What can I say?  I've really enjoyed using emojis lately...

IMWAYR! An attempt at something new for this blog

Something I have discovered in this month of slicing is that there are OTHER communities and challenges out there to explore through the blogging community.  I know this is probably a silly realization or an obvious one to many of you, but I really had NO idea.  

One of the ones I discovered recently through just random exploration of blogs in the "Slice of Life Story Challenge" community (hosted by Two Writing Teachers) was the "It's Monday! What Are You Reading" community of book bloggers.  I'm still trying to figure out who hosts it and how to "officially" join (if one even CAN officially join), but one aspect of blogging I have not explored enough of is blogging about books and my reading life.  

I read.  A lot.  I set goals for reading, use sites like Litsy and Storygraph to track my reading, participate in various challenges and games related to reading, Book Clubs, I mean you name it and I've probably done it when it comes to reading.  Except blogging and I've never been consistent about sharing what I am reading -- even WITH Litsy and Storygraph making that supposedly easier.

I would like to change that and I believe IMWAYR! is a way to go about that.  However, since this is my first one and because it's already so late -- I'm also probably going to keep this fairly short.  I will be ignoring the little voice asking me about "Am I doing this right?" "Should I include graphics?" "Do I want to start some sort of rating system?"  And address those concerns on a different post.  It's 8 pm where I am -- best to just get this written, up, and shared.  

So, without further ado, let's get into it: WHAT AM I READING?