Thoughtful Thursday 3/27

Our quote today is from Stephen King.....

Ahh remember those moments? That first date with the guy that gave you butterflies, the stolen glances at the hottie across the bar, the secret thrill of watching your crush do the simplest things. Mere moments in life that you wish could last longer than they do. It’s the exact same feeling I have about short stories.

It doesn’t matter how nicely the author wrapped up the story, it’s never enough. It’s like that stolen kiss, the one that makes your stomach flip and your knees grow weak. The one that you just can’t get enough of and you dread when it’s over because you know that will be it and you’ll need to move on sooner than you want to.

A kiss, a short story, like Mr. King said, it’s all the same. You start it and it’s good, oh it’s so good, and just when you crave more it’s over. It’s the reason I usually don’t read shorts because I’m left almost always feeling unsatisfied, more so if it’s linked to an actual full length novel I’ve read because I already know the characters and if I’m taking the time to read about them again I’d like it to be more than just 20 or so pages.

But there is also something intoxicating about a certain genre of short stories, like erotica. Those few smutty pages thrown together to give the reader a decent collection of stories to choose from is sometimes just what a girl needs before bed—especially if all she’s getting from that stranger is one hot kiss.

Thoughtful Thursday

I love quotes. Inspirational, humorous, literary, thought-provoking, whatever. I love 'em. So much so that I decided Thursdays on PfP will be dedicated to quotes about books or reading.

This is one of my favourites:

Most of the books I read are fluff reads. Cheap thrills that I can get through quickly, review, post and move on to the next one. None of them are all that thought-provoking or life changing, but more entertaining. Every once in a while though I'll come across a book that does just that and it really hits me. 

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a great example of books that can really hit home, make you think, laugh or cry because they're by real people. People that have went through the same things that you may be going through at that very moment. 

My first experience reading Chicken Soup was for the New Mom's Soul. A family member decided it would be a fantastic baby gift since I loved to read and I was just that, a new mom. I'm not sure when she figured I would have time to read, but that's a different matter. I was one of those women who thought she knew it all because I had read all the books to prepare and "knew" what to expect. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was a hormonal, emotional mess suffering from PPD (something I assured myself I wouldn't get) and needing a break from that little miracle I not to long ago couldn't wait to have in my arms.

My husband took the baby, handed me a book and left us alone. Blissfully alone. I remember grabbing a box of tissues, sobbing into a handful of them and opening that book. Now, of course it didn't fix everything and I wasn't magically cured of my PPD, but the stories got to me because they were written by mom's who, some of them, also didn't have a clue about what they were doing. They were touching and heartwarming and just what a new mom needed to hear.

There are so many of these books out there that you're guaranteed to find one that will get through to you as well.