Will Read for Money

I have read the fist 6 books in the Sweep series for a total of 1126 pages since Sunday. It is a teen paranormal series about witches. I have been reading a lot of teen books lately because I had a dream that I was writing a series myself. I love the idea that I dreamed about and decided that research was needed. I wanted to know if the idea had been done all ready so I started Google-ing and reading. So far it looks like it hasn’t. I think I’ll have to get to writing. I do have an awful lot of time on my hands. I may be spending a lot of time at Starbucks then…typing with my headphones on and drinking a chai latte. Well, not so much the latte…those cost money, which means I might be one of “those” people. You know, those people, the ones that take up a table and don’t buy anything. I wonder if it makes a difference that it is inside a Barnes and Noble. Hmmmmm.

Today I decided to keep a list from this point on of the books that I read. Wish I would have started this earlier. I can’t even imagine how long the list would be. It would probably boggle my mind and a few others. It would be so awesome if I could get paid for reading books. I would be happy and rich. I’ve had a secret longing, like forever or pretty much since I was a kid. I would love to own a book store. Not a big one but one that specialized in children’s books or had quirky books in it. I don’t think this is something that could be done nowadays because of box book stores or online bookstores. I always imagined it would be in an old building in a historic district with potted plants outside with window flower boxes and twinkle lights in the windows.

There was a brief period of time when I was a kid that my Dad worked in a book store. At least I think it was a bookstore…I need to confirm that memory but I do remember lots of books, boxes of books, and the smell of books. Anyway, the store was freezing and my Dad would always bring his red plaid thermos filled with coffee to the store. My Dad was a crazy coffee drinker. He used to take the lid cup from the thermos and make me a cup of coffee (mostly milk and sugar). This was Kathi and Dad time and boy did I thing that I was so grown up drinking that coffee with my Dad. The coffee thing never stuck but I still love the smell of it. It reminds me of my Dad. It gives me the warm fuzzies.

I still think it would be brilliant to get paid to read. Or maybe I will write that book series and get paid to do that.

Tea for an Elephant

Anyone that knows me even a wee bit knows that I heart Harry Potter…like a lot…like a lot a lot. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is now on my list of “go to” books. Also on that list are The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time Series (or its proper name the “Time Quintet”), The Power of One, anything by Jane Austen, The Princess Bride, and a few others. See, I don’t mind rereading books that I love. It is like visiting an old friend. Books are a constant. The world that exists in them is always there when you pick them up. It’s one of the reasons I love the book The Neverending Story. I love the idea behind that. That the story still goes on after you close the book. You become the story within the story. That I can pick it back up and be flying on the back of Falkor fighting the Nothing. I am one of those quirky people that have read The Chronicles of Narnia in the order of publication and also in chronological order. I own three separate copies of those books. I’m such a dork.

When it comes to Harry Potter every time a new book was going to come out I would read the book before it leading up to the release of the new book. So that means, in theory, I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone seven times…um, yeah, in theory. In actuality, I read it many more times than that. For you see I also reread the books when each of the movies came out. Not to mention the times that it was a slow month for new book releases and I read them again. There is something so magical about those books.

When it came to the movies, of course, they will never be the same. I mean how could they be?  But you know what? I loved them. I think they are pretty awesome. Some were better than others but still I love them. The first one is my favorite and I know a LOT of people will disagree with me on that. Here is why. There is the great reveal of a whole new world, not just to Harry but to me too. It’s the first time Harry finds out he is different in a whole other way. He finds out about magic. Diagon Alley…just the way I pictured it. It’s all a wonder and still innocent. New friends are being made and they are the people who become his family…people who love him.

When I went to Edinburgh, Scotland in January of 2010, I went with a single purpose in mind. Ok, I went because it was part of my job but I knew exactly what I was going to do when I got there and I wasn’t interviewing college students. I was going to go The Elephant House café. It is one of the cafés that J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in. In the back of the café there is a sitting room with a wall of windows. This room has an amazing view of Edinburgh Castle. I wanted to go sit, drink tea, eat a shortbread cookie the shape of an elephant, and write. Lucky for me, I got to do that. I went twice. The first time was with people from work who were also HUGE Harry Potter fans just like me. We even decided to assign characters from HP to ourselves and our co-workers back home…and that is all I am going to say about that activity. I managed to sneak back to the café later in the trip. Both times I got to drink tea (Darjeeling/Oolong), eat a most delicious elephant cookie, and look out at Edinburgh Castle. Dipping that Elephant cookie into my tea thinking maybe I should read the tea leaves at the end but why borrow trouble just in case I had the grim. I tried to picture myself as J.K. wondering if she ever would have imagined that she would go from unemployment to unimagined riches while sitting in that café. Magic. It is hard to explain the euphoria that existed for me at that moment even if it was the second time I had that feeling while in Scotland. A sense of rightness, of home, and déjà vu for it is a magical country.

So here I sit in Elkton, VA, drinking tea, eating a Walker’s shortbread cookie, and writing about J. K. Rowling…funny, right?

Write side of happy tonight.