Apr 1, 2020

my other reading

Like many of you, I thought I was going to make a large dent in my TBR shelves these weeks, but have found it difficult to maintain focus and enjoy books. Instead I've been reading periodicals.
Three of these we have regular subscriptions to- National Geographic, Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Amazonas. The rest I got free once off CL- two large cloth shopping bags full. I gladly took it because most were exactly the subject matter I enjoy- environment and nature. Audubon, World Wildlife, Nature Conservancy, National Parks, Sierra, Defenders of Wildlife and more. The stack of them all on my bedroom floor is literally more than a foot high. I assumed when I picked these up it would take me years to get through them all- dipping in here and there, between regular books. Now it's kind of my mainstay. For how long I don't know.

They're all relatively recent- I think the oldest issue is from 2016- and it's nice that a lot of them have stories about positive change and progress. Monarch butterfly numbers on the rise. Wolves and cougars repopulating into new areas of the country. Land set aside for wildlife, species protected, operations harming ecosystems altered or shut down. Of course a lot is about things that need to be done, raising alarm for problems around the world. But I am glad to read the positive stories- people do care, and a lot of good is happening out there.

6 comments:

  1. Those look perfect for you!

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  2. It's so strange. No one is reading now. This would be the perfect time for it...

    That being said, that looks like a wonderful collection of magazines!

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  3. I think it's the stress. I keep thinking I'm doing fine- aside from how differnet shopping is, my life has not changed a ton- I'm still doing my gardening and taking care of my kid and cooking for the household- I've been a stay-home mom a long time. I actually feel kinda guilty that I can still enjoy all my normal things whereas for a lot of people this is a huge shock suddenly unable to do the social things they thrive on.... but I've lost the focus for reading somehow. Have four books partly read on my nightstand, but I find myself reading the same paragraph over and over, getting nowhere. Mind wandering. Magazine articles work so much better for me right now. I've read all the fishkeeping ones and caught up on my backlog of Nat Geo's, now starting in on stack of Audubon. Good stuff. Especially when it's warm enough to sit in the garden.

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  4. I feel exactly the same. Working from home is my dream, so I keep thinking I'm fine and not stressed, but maybe I really am. (I do worry about my mother, though happily she lives in rural Maine, so she's doing well.)

    I really miss reading. I keep trying to get back to it, but like you said, my focus just isn't there.

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  5. I hadn't thought of catching up on my periodical reading since I can't seem to focus long on a novel. Thank you for the idea. I keep eyeing those Smithsonian issues on my husband's nightstand . . .

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  6. Smithsonian sounds like a good read right now!

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