As Mr. Forager & I go through our belongings, deciding what goes with us and what stays behind, one of the hardest things to part with have been books. Even as my family was packing up our Florida storage, it was so difficult to say “don’t ship it” to my books. But it feels like we have less and less time for reading these days. In fact, when I came upon these crystallized book sculptures by San Francisco artist Alexis Arnold, they reminded me of what my own mind feels like sometimes, having grown frozen from under-utilization!
Reading stimulates the brain in ways other activities just don’t provide. If you’re like me, you actually feel differently when reading a book than you do when reading online or even a magazine. I feel like my mind is more engaged, more completely consumed than I do with any other type of reading.
But for some reason, I just haven’t been compelled to pick up a book lately. I’ve been known to devour books within a few days time. Lately, though, in the evenings, normally prime reading time, I find myself reaching for my iPad instead, using the time to catch up on blogs or social media. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a super comfy reading spot in this apartment. Or maybe it’s because we only have overhead lighting ( which I hate! ), so there isn’t a cozy, makes-me-want-to-curl-up-and-read atmosphere.
These are all just excuses. I am now adding an item to my to-do list: READ. Not blogs, not social media. A real live, smells like musty paper book. I will do it! Soon.
Want to see more of Alexi Arnold’s work? Check out her website. Anyone else suffering from book withdrawal?