Ariel Boyer: Author and Random Book Enthusiast
I am a schizophrenic reader. Topics of interest are often inconsistent and
based solely on the mood of the day. At
times, the entire focus of reading is for the gain of knowledge, such as when
my son was diagnosed with an obscure endocrine condition and I researched as
much information as was available. When
reading is for pleasure, I cover a broad spectrum, from Dan Brown to Janet
Evanovich, Christianity to Buddhism, irreverent fiction to snarky autobiographies. In the last year, my book list has included
“Pagan Christianity”, “Arguing with Myselves” (an autobiography by a
ventriloquist), and “Assassination Vacation”.
My nightly devotion is often immediately followed by mindless comic
strip collection books.
As a young reader, and life-long
insomniac, I could stay awake all night devouring a good book. High school reading, on the other hand, was
torture due to a mild case of dyslexia. Required
reading never went well because of the strict timeline and the fact that more
often than not the chosen book was of little to no interest to me. Not a fan of the classics, “Watership Down”,
for example, was particularly difficult as I simply could not get into a book
that used a group of bunnies to illustrate the hardships of communism. As an adult college student, required reading
is still difficult, but I have usually chosen the subject, making task less
painful.
The chaos that is my life does
not easily lend itself to quiet time for reading or writing. Time dedicated to such activities is usually
restricted to times of waiting for the next demand of schedule – waiting rooms
at doctors’ offices, waiting for my children to finish practice, waiting to
fall asleep during an insomniac attack – or when anticipated and planned, such
as a long bath or on the deck by the fire.
As a writer, I stick to the
adage “write what you know”. I do not so
much journal as vent, not so much memoir as decompress. Most of my writing is personal interpretation
of life events, composed with a dash of humor and a pinch of wit. Though, sometimes I shake up the recipe by
substituting a dash of frustration and pinch of spite. I do not consider myself to be especially
creative or unique in idea, so fictional writing has never been of
interest. Life, however, fascinates me,
and provides more than ample stranger-than-fiction material.
Blogging is the outlet for my
observations, vents and frustrations, and revelations to be unleashed to the
curious reading world. It is also
incredibly therapeutic, as it lets me work through and organize the thoughts
swimming around in my head. When a
situation seems to be getting the better of me, constantly nagging and refusing
to quiet in my thoughts, blogging lets my mind sort through the jumble and
reach some semblance of closure.
Generally, I enjoy reading on my
own terms, and writing provides therapy more versatile and less costly than
seeing a psychiatrist.
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