Pregnancy Hibernation and Reading Slump Problems

I went through this too a lesser degree when I was pregnant with The Toddler. Back then it was mostly just a reading slump, since I was working and hibernating wasn't an option. The reading slump was...Extensive. The only things I wanted to read were The Cat Who... books, Spiderwick, and Redwall, and that is literally all I read for over two years. TWO YEARS.

This time I'm in full on hibernation mode and I can feel the slump coming. I'm 200 pages in to A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas and I just can't seem to get into it but I picked up The Cat Who Robbed a Bank and I can't seem to put it down. I'm avoiding leaving the house unless it involves a drive-thru or a bookstore, even though we just bought a new (to us) car so that I'm not stuck at home all day. It's like I just want to be home, and be comfortable, and cozy, and not have to deal with people.

I don't know is pregnancy hibernation is actually a thing or not, but it's pretty real for me. We've had someone at our house almost constantly since we moved in, it seems, and I'm to the point where I just can't stand it anymore. I want to be alone and not have anyone here for anything for like a week, I need some recharging time and I need it fast. But I've also got some reading goals to achieve this year and I do not want another two year reading slump. I need a plan to keep myself from falling into that 'comfort reading' thing that led to the slump last time.

So the plan is as follows, and I'm making this up as I go along so bear with me;

1. Stay home - No leaving the house except grocery shopping and doctors appointments.

2. Read the 'comfort reading books' - That's right. I'm going to read them.

3. Limit the 'comfort reading' - I can easily read one Cat Who... book a day. I can read 3 Cat Who books, then I have to read one other book.

My reading will be slow for a while, and interspersed with lots of Cat Who books. I've read the whole series more times than I can count, and I will probably read them 2-3 times in the next few months but I'm okay with that. So that's the plan for now! Happy reading!

What I'm Reading Right Now, A Mini Review of Mary Boleyn, and How to Recharge an Introvert

From celebuzz.com

This last week was full of cold, wintry, weather and showings of our house. As such I didn't get a whole lot of reading time. I did get kicked out of my house so strangers could be paraded through it and forced to spend a lot of time with people, people who I don't normally mind, but as an introvert it was very very draining. So here are the books I didn't have time to finish, and the one that I did.

from Goodreads.com

Mary Boleyn; The Mistress of Kings by Alison Weir - Finished!
This one is a library book, so though I'm not able to count it for the RMSC it's been on my TBR list for a long time. Like since it came out, and I'm so glad I finally read it. I've written about my love of The Other Boleyn Girl many times before, and I was surprised to see it mentioned in this book! Of course Ms. Weir was pointing out where the book differed from what Mary's life and character were actually like, and explaining how historical fiction like The Other Boleyn Girl had helped to build the myth of Mary Boleyn into something she probably wasn't, but still...

I loved getting to see what Mary was actually like through her letters and read her family's view of her decisions and what her life was actually like, which is very different from the story in The Other Boleyn Girl. There was only one point that I disagreed with, not even really disagreed, I just thought the author used a very modern train of thought in her interpretation of Mary's thoughts about being separated from her daughter. Other than that I found it very well argued, and loved the book as a whole.

Rating; 5 brightly colored Tudor Roses

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley  and Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson- Still reading
I didn't have a ton of time to devote to reading this week so I didn't make any progress with either of these. I'm thinking I'm going to focus on The Relic Master and get through it so I can read more of the Malazan series without being distracted.

from instyle.com

So the last week has worn out my 'dealing with people' reserves. Sunday I was going to hibernate, but I knew that if I was going to do that I would need to do it completely alone, and that was not going to happen. The Husband already had plans for the day so I'd have The Toddler. I would also have the car, and since we only have one that's a pretty big deal! So I did something that very rarely happens; I went out. Just me and The Toddler. And to be honest I love getting to spend time doing things with her outside the house. We spend so much of our time cooped up here, with no car and nothing but a liquor store within walking distance. Going out with her was refreshing. We went to the bookstore! And we had lunch! And we went to the library! So it was a whole day of me, and my baby, and books. I couldn't have asked for anything better than that. I didn't talk to anyone but The Toddler, and cashiers. I didn't have to sit and listen to anyone explain how labor unions started in the industrial revolution, I didn't have to pretend shopping for crap I don't want or need for hours on end is fun, I just got to relax. Going out doesn't always to the trick, and I'm still not looking forward to the showings tomorrow, when I have to vacate my house again, but this week it was exactly what I needed. And I got new books!

Yes, it's the show cover of Outlander. It was cheaper than the normal
cover and I gave in.