Every April my place of work takes a break, it is supposed to be
Spring Break but since we are in the southern hemisphere it is Fall; therefore,
we call it: Fall Break. It does sound a bit funny- a break to Fall.
Nonetheless, I am grateful for the time off just to breathe and catch up with
myself.
Before the covid virus hit, it was a week when I used to travel with
friends or alone. Despite the fact that many people have travelled this time, I
still do not feel safe in doing so due to health issues and medical
recommendations. All the same, I was struck by a very powerful gut feeling to
have my apartment rewired. I have been living here for nearly 20 years, time
flies, and had never had this done. A highly recommended electrician was hired
and since the electricity needs to be shut off from time to time, I have not
turned on the tv and have been dwelling in books. As a matter of fact, the
silence is very much welcome.
Confession: I buy lots of books. I am not a hoarder because after I
have read them, I donate them. I read a quote the other day that made me laugh.
It read: I am not a book hoarder, I save books. I try to vary the genre,
language (Portuguese and English- reading in the latter is much faster) and for
different ages (I contribute to an online Brazilian magazine on literature on a
monthly basis and my column is about books for children. It has been an amazing
experience so far). I appreciate reading what my students enjoy, what the two
book clubs I belong to read, and also what people I follow on IG recommend.
After reading, as I have mention, I donate them. (Now and then, I buy the
electronic version, although I prefer the paper copy. But sometimes it just
comes down to cost. Unfortunately, I still haven´t found a way to donate these.
It is a shame.) Sometimes to friends, the ones in English that I believe my
students will enjoy go to the school library and the others to an NGO that distributes
them to libraries all over Brazil.
Another confession: The books that
are autographed to me or my favorite authors I keep. I can´t recall whether I
have mentioned in a previous post about how I passed my books on to others. You
see, I always dreamed of having a huge library to show case all of them. I love
libraries and the smell of books make me happy. However, when my dad passed,
his little library was shoved in boxes to be thrown away. Luckily, I saved them
and donated them. But then I started to imagine what will happen to mine when I
pass away. Besides, you read it once and most probably you will not reread
them. Although I have reread a few of them.
Meanwhile, this week, I have
decided to read as much as I can. Yes, I have been buying several books to read
and since I need to stay home to take care of my cats while the electrician is
busily working, I read. Now, it has been embarrassing when I laugh out loud or
cry. But, hey, that´s what reading does - it just fills you up with emotions
that are not to be controlled.
Before I put them in the ‘read
pile’, the ones I really like, I share a post on my social medias. Since I have
been doing this, I have noticed more and more adolescents reading during the
breaks. I know that I am always carrying a different book and whenever I have
some minutes to spare – I read.
Happy Reading 😊
Written: April
20, 2022 
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