March Goal: A Review

I completed my March goal; I finished the five books I set out to read. My current position provides me a glorious, hour-long break for lunch. And because I do not have (or want) coworker friends, I spend my lunch time reading in the huge atrium at the National Portrait Gallery, a location that makes my little heart happy on the coldest of winter days; Barnes & Noble; or on a random bench on the rare warm-enough days. I also recently discovered a quaint court house–optimal for dining–inside my work-local Panera. And last, there is a neat zen garden across the street from my office. The downside to this otherwise neat spot is the the lingering smells of cigarette smoke, which is a scent that doesn't exactly scream "hang out here for lunch." And sadly this is an area where smokers congregate, despite the plethora of signs citing this area is NOT for puffing.

So when I am not walking around scouting new spots for dining and linger, I’m reading.

And these were my five picks for March:

1. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett – This was by far the best book I read this month. It’s a memoir, of course, detailing Lindhout’s time in captivity in Somalia.
2. Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom – My parents have encouraged me to read this for oh about the last nine years, around the time I began reading for pleasure, no longer feeling it was a miserable chore. After forcing my way through Albom’s Five Years in Heaven during my freshman year of college, I had no desire to pick up this book. Well, I finally did. And happily so. I would not give this book glowing reviews but it is short enough to enjoy; it felt like a meaningful, long blog post. The words were wise. And the story of time Albom spent with his dying college professor, Morrie Schwartz, made me want to live a kinder, slower life.
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth – I had high hopes for this book after the rumored comparisons to Hunger Games. This book was a total disappointment. I am not sure why I finished reading. I am not even sure I will see the movie.  
4. Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast, and Lasting Weight Loss by Jillian Michaels – I was sorely disappointed. There were very few new tips. And the “secrets” were repetitive, really repetitive.
5. The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life by Melanie Shankle – I have followed Shankle at The Big Mama Blog for almost two years now. This is her second book. And while this book is much like her first – Sparkly Green Earring – in that it’s essentially a series of blog posts strung together in a book, I found the content worth reading. It’s easy and light and happy; I laughed often (and nearly cried once or twice). Her tales made me appreciate companionship and the challenge it can sometimes be to share your life with someone else. 

In addition to my lunch hour, I was also aided by winter. Until yesterday afternoon, it was still very much winter in the mid-Atlantic. So I read and weep and hoped for Spring. (It just might be here!)

And finally, I have yet to indulged in a day of solitude nor have I really started learning the Arabic alphabet--my personal and spiritual goals for the year. I have allotted time for these activities in April; it seems adding this to the calendar might in fact be the only way I am successful.

April is upon us, may it be sunny.