addicted.

This weekend I joined The Hunger Games bandwagon. When I was in the Cities, my friends Marlon and Alyssa had the trilogy on their bookshelf and after hearing some people talking about them at work earlier in the week I decided to give them a shot. I've already blown through the first book and am halfway through the second.

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Between cleaning, errands, and going for a run I've been parked on my couch engulfed in the books. It may be kind of strange but when my brain really gets into a book, I kind of lose the outside world. Everything I read turns into a live action movie reel in my head. Before I know it I'm 100 pages in and time has flown by. I also have a really bad habit when I find a book that really interests me after those first 100 pages I skip ahead and read the last page. Then, especially if its a type of cliffhanger, I have an even harder time putting it down and focusing on something else. Any one else out there have weird habits when they read good books?

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During my run tonight I was kind of thinking about the Game is very much like modern day reality tv. How people are chosen to compete for a prize/glory and then one by one picked off until there's last woman/man standing. How we, like the crazy citizens, of the Capitol get so much joy and entertainment out of other people's embarrassment and failure. How after a new episode airs we chat with our friends about, pick at the contestents/"stars", and make bets as to know how long they will last. Then I got disgusted and confused as to how something like that can be entertaining, thrilling to watch, and addictive. (Apologies if you watch reality tv, not meant to pick at people.) I won't lie, I've watched my share of reality tv, but I pick my brain afterwards to try and understand why I did.

It's been a pleasant day without the tv turned on even once.

Rant done.

Bookshelf Finds: Hector and the Search for Happiness

Instead of posting a music or podcast listing tonight I am going to pull a book off of my little bookshelf and share it with you. And I said yesterday that I was going to share the book I am currently reading. It is called:

I love everything about this cover. The typography, colors, illustration.

Gorgeous.

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So far I'm 47 pages into the 165 page long book. It's a pretty quick read. I knock out a couple of the chapters a night before bed. I love the writing style. The author never says where Hector is from but gives descriptive enough words where he could be from anywhere in the U.S. to Europe. I like needing to stretch that part of my imagination.

If you are wondering what this book is about exactly here is a little bit from the back cover: 

"Once upon a time there was a young psychiatrist called Hector who was not very satisfied with himself...And so he decided to take a trip around the world, and everywhere he went he would try to understand what made people happy or unhappy."

As the story progresses Hector records his findings as little one or two sentence "lessons." One that I can really relate to at this point in my life is: Lesson Number 1 -- Making comparisons can spoil your happiness. Without getting into detail, I need to start practicing this. It goes back to this post. I just need to focus on the here and now...And to realize this is what I am doing at this moment in time. It is not forever. 

I will try and post little tidbits from the book here and there. His lessons are very inspiring. 

I don't read very often. Good cover art is usually needed for me to pick it up in the first place. I like books where I can find inspiration about life, lots of design nerdiness, or something that will take my imagination for a ride. When I read a book, I get really into it. It's like a movie going on in my head. My imagination takes over and I see what I'm reading. Does that make sense? ...Or do I sound like a crazy person? Haha. 

There are a couple of other books on my shelf I would like to share with you at some point in the future. Maybe next Tuesday. 

I'm off to revisit the business set for Flower Girl. I worked on them last week and was having a bit of trouble. Need to do a little self critiquing to make sure I wasn't temporarily blind at the time I put them together. If all goes well, I only have one piece left to finish and I can hopefully share tomorrow! 

:)