Creating Makes Me Happy!

The Reader, by Mary Cassatt

When you live in the Pacific Northwest and the weather beings to turn, as it is now, you have to enjoy indoor activities.  For me, that is reading.  When I joined, and then coordinated, the local book club it was a great way to jump into reading for pleasure.  While I was teaching I just didn't have the energy during the school year.  Reading 2-3 books over the summer was an accomplishment.

But now, I'm averaging around 15-20 books a year.  In my opinion, that is awesome.

Not only do I love to read, but I also love to write, but, alas, I'm not really a storyteller (unless I'm blogging.)  Settings, characters, and, especially, plots elude me. When I read books by someone such as Fannie Flagg with her full-bodied characters I sigh and wish I could write like that.  So far it hasn't happened.  But I can write about what others write, and that concept helped give birth to my book review blog Read. Reflect. Review. nearly 2 years ago.

What a joy it has been to have that blog.  It gives my reading purpose beyond personal enjoyment.  And, even though I'm not one to count "hits" and "likes," it has been flattering to get at least 1-2 followers after each new post goes up.

Today was a milestone on that blog. I put up my 40th post. So I decided to mark the occasion by adding 2 new sections:  a list of books by author's last name, and an alphabetized list of the books on the site. I think it makes the site easier to navigate.

We all need a hobby of some sort--something that we can do for pure pleasure and without any outside pressure.  For me it is reading and maintaining my 2 blogs.  They bring me extreme joy and a sense of satisfaction in the creativity that goes into how they look and what they express.

The comments and feedback I get on both sites (usually in person or on Facebook) means a lot, but I assure you that I would continue to blog anyway . Creating makes me happy.

I invite you to continue to visit here at Keeping Up With Kristie and my book review blog as we soon move into the new year. Thanks for stopping by!