Autumn Reading

Autumn is an excellent season for reading. It is also an excellent month for apple cider and donuts, but that's another blog post altogether. I like it because I can still read outdoors on occasion, but I don't have to worry about a sunburn, or I can sit by the window and enjoy the season from indoors. I have also found that I have more time with many of my outdoor activities coming to an end.

Recently, I realized that I've been lagging behind my standard reading quota for the year so I decided to try to make a little push until the end of the year. It doesn't really matter that I'm behind, but I've been wanting to find more time to read and this gives me a good excuse.

One thing I started doing was reading during my lunch break at work. I only have a 30 minute lunch break so I can't get all that much read, but it has proven to be a success nonetheless. If nothing else, I find that my lunch break actually feels more like a break. By reading, I can actually escape from the stress of work and let my mind focus on something else. So for I've read Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which was very good, and H.G. Well's The Time Machine, which is a classic, but wasn't my favorite. I just started Joe Haldeman's The Forever War today.

I've also decided to try something new this fall. I read all six volumes of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim graphic novel. I'm not really a comic guy, but I thought the series was fantastic. Will this lead to more comic reading? I'm not sure yet, but I'm open to the possibility.

In addition to The Forever War, I'm also reading God Emperor of Dune, the fourth installment in Frank Herbert's Dune series. I've had the book on my bookshelf since January so I thought it was about time I read it. I typically only read this right before bed, which can be tough. I try to get in about an hour of reading time, but if I'm tired, I'll often doze off before I get that far.

I'm not sure what I should read next though. I've got the fourth and fifth novels in the Wheel of Time series, Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and Stephen King's Wizard and Glass from the Dark Tower saga all sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

But what I am doing here typing? I should be reading!