Heart of the Matter

Dear Diary,

I finally got back in my groove. My reading groove that is! I find it rather pathetic that the book that has been displayed under my "Book Club" for months now, the same book that is sitting behind the playroom couch, has only had a chapter or two read out of it.

I found a book on sale at Target by the author I have grown to love. The only book left of her collection that I haven't read. I started it on vacation and while I didn't have a lot of spare time to myself, it managed to reel me in and make we want to finish it. I got obsessed, as I always do with her books, and I finished it quickly. Being a fast reader is a benefit when you are trying to do it between laundry, diaper changes, meals and following through with the kid's demands.

I found myself saying something that I wish someone could say about me - "I hope she never quits writing." She hasn't written a book I haven't loved. I think what I like about her is that she is so real. The books aren't anything special. They don't fascinate me, teach me a valuable lesson, or even contain subject matter that can be compared to my life. Most of her stories involve career driven women with cheating husbands or backstabbing best friends who shouldn't have been your friend in the first place. BUT, I cant seem to put her books down.

The main characters are always honest and relatable. They reveal small pieces of their lives that are beyond true, and I find myself constantly in awe at how right they always are. The reason I like her books so much is because I'd like to think that she writes in the way I would write if I was to write a book. Her sarcasm, the realness of her characters, and the vulnerability of the women in their relationships with friends, with men, and with their everyday life never leaves me bored or unsatisfied.  

I have always wanted to write a book. I even took creative writing courses in college, not because they counted towards my major, but simply because I had credit hours to fill up and instead of taking Camping 101, I decided to take something I actually cared about. I spent more time working on my writing classes than I did on my own major courses and the feedback I got from my writing teachers meant more to me than acing my senior portfolio, which probably should have told me something.

Besides not knowing where to start, having no clue how the process works or even having the spare time to devote to the task, I think confidence has kept me from even attempting to write more than a blog post here and there. I know I am nowhere near as good as an Emily Giffin, but I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have someone say, "I hope she never quits writing," and be talking about me. Maybe some day...

Until then I will wait patiently for Emily to write more books and for other authors to fill in the gaps as I hope to get back in my reading groove. There are many more books sitting on shelves that are just waiting to be read. I'll get to them eventually!

Sincerely Yours,