In the winter, some animals go into deep hibernation. For them, the entire world slows down, even down to their heartbeat. And, with sub-zero temperatures, icy roads, flu season, and the general post-holiday blues, I earnestly envy the animals. At this time of year, when the days are supposedly getting shorter but the darkness still wraps around me like a cocoon, there's nothing I'd like more than to curl up by a fire with a plateful of chocolate chip cookies and a good long book.
Though I can't actually stay home--alas! alack!--I do indulge in the 'good long book' portion of this fantasy. And, if I can't slow down my metabolism like a bear, I can at least read about times that were set in a slower era.
Therefore, to ease my craving for a classic, to enjoy the slower pace of a "simpler life" of days of yore, and also to experience a sort of springtime in the depths of the tundra, I've started The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. (I admit I had no idea how much I longed for the Great Outdoors until I started reading it yesterday. The opening scene describes an English countryside, evoking mental images of babbling brooks, singing birds, and the rare color green.)
And, because I also have wanted to participate in more Reading Challenges this year, I've decided to start there, solidly grounded in the classics. So, in order to start from a familiar spot (in the hopes of venturing forward into the unfamiliar), I'm going back to the Back to the Classics (2015) Reading Challenge, which I participated in during 2013.
Which I will be sure to do. Once I have hunted down that plate of chocolate chip cookies.
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