grumpy

As a member of a book club (actually two book clubs) I do try to read the book(s) each month. It is not a drain on my time – I consider it moments well spent as it keeps me thinking about things outside my small little world.

Sometimes the books we choose do not “speak to me.” Even so, I try my best to finish them, so I can join in the discussion with the bigger picture in mind. And sometimes if I keep reading, things do get better. As long as a book has a good ending, I feel better about the commitment I have made to read it.

Just yesterday I finished our current read. It was partly historical fiction, my favorite genre, and I did learn some things about people and places that I had no clue about, so I will give it that. But in the long run,  these disturbing events and characters were not ones I wanted to know more about. I had to make myself finish. And it was a long book, so that took quite a while. And all along the way I kept thinking of the better ways I could be spending that time.

As I get older I may be becoming even more of a Pollyanna and wishing for only good in the world. But there are enough frightening  and disturbing events covered in the news. Is it too much to ask for the books I read – and the time that I invest- to be more uplifting?

Hopefully I can get my grumpies out and we can have a positive discussion about this at our book club meeting next week!