I started out this New Year devouring several new books in a row. The conclusion of 2014 was crazy busy for me, and I purposely built in some downtime in January and February to recharge, renew and spend some time on my continuing education in photography.
Part of the renewal process for me is taking a step back and doing something that is just “me” for a little bit. So, while I’ve spent a great deal of time the early part of this year on workshops and tutorials for photography, I am also trying to devote some time to my other favorite hobby—reading.
The nice thing is that reading is free! I am probably one of the only people around who still frequents the library. In all seriousness, I end up going there about twice a week to pick up holds. As much as I would like to spend hours browsing through the shelves and finding the perfect novel, I have a toddler in tow, so time is of the essence. I go online weekly and add different books to my hold list. Then the librarian emails me when they become available and I just go pick them up. I live in a relatively small town, but we are in partnership with many other local libraries and if you make an online request they will ship the book to your local library within a few days. Sometimes it is hard to resist the lure of just purchasing a novel that I really, really want to dig into on my e-reader…but most of the time I can shut off the temptation and wait a few days. In our society where everything is about instant gratification (and trust me, I’m not complaining..I love DVR as much as the next guy!), it is an interesting feeling have to patiently await the arrival of my entertainment.
Anyway, I know this isn’t particularly photography related, but another one of my New Years plans was to start blogging more in general on this site and given that I spend the majority of my limited free time doing photography related pursuits or reading, I thought this might be applicable.
Right now I’m obsessed with Australian author Liane Moriarty. I’ve read “The Hypnotist’s Love Story,” “What Alice Forgot,” “The Husband’s Secret,” “Three Wishes,” and “Big Little Lies.” Right now I’ve just started her book “The Last Anniversary.” I’d definitely classify her books as chic-lit as they are quite a breezy read. However, she does have a way of meshing together deep wisdom and the stark, often harsh realities of life that makes you feel a little bit deeper for having read her books.
I also love a good memoir—“Jeneration X” is a quick and funny one I went through lately. And then I have some serious tomes as well, including “Survival Lessons” by Alice Hoffman.
I typically use Amazon reviews or Goodreads to discern my next bit of material, but I’m always taking suggestions. So my lovely readers, if you have any tips for what to add next to my list feel free to comment. You can also follow me on Goodreads.
One of the most frequent questions I get is how I have time to read with a 3 year old about. The thing is that I often read while he is in the room with me. My son is an only child and he is still struggling with playing independently. He always wants me around—and while I am encouraging him to play solo, he seems to find me and lure me back into his games. Instead of just ignoring him all the time, I will stay in the playroom with him and read quietly and unobtrusively in the corner. He seems to feel comforted by my presence and plays happily and for longer stretches without me having to intervene. I consider that a win-win. Plus, I like to convince myself that having my nose in a book is a good modeling experience as opposed to playing on an iPhone.
I’m a big believer that we always make time for the things in life that we prioritize and so I am glad to have some cozy winter downtown for my personal hobbies. Here’s looking toward the spring, warm weather and trading in my paperbacks for being outside in the sunshine taking photos again.
H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.