Sunday Salon: Where I Write About the Sunrise, a New Year, and What I am Reading Now

For the longest time, I was a sunset person. I loved watching the sun set, disappearing over the horizon. If I woke up before the sunrise, it was too early. Of course, responsibilities being what they are (work) and having a cat who believes sleeping in past 5:00 a.m. is a crime, I rarely miss a sunrise. On a day without the morning fog or overcast skies, the sunrise can be quite beautiful. Colors splashed across the sky, sometimes intermixed with clouds, only adding to the array of colors. Shades of orange, yellow, blue, purple, red . . . A mirror image of a sunset, really. But a sunrise signifies the start of a new day rather than the end.

With a sunset, you can watch the sky long after the sun has disappeared. With a sunrise, there comes a point when you have to look away, the sun's light too bright to stand. Most mornings, I'm driving right into the sun, and so it's impossible to miss as it rises. On the mornings I am still cozy at home, I watch it rise from my study window.

If you would have asked me 25 years ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of ever finding such joy in a sunrise. Who gets up that early?! And yet now, I look forward to those few moments each day. It is a quiet opportunity to reflect on the day to come, revel in nature's beauty, and just be.

Tomorrow is the start of the third annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I have taken part every year to varying degrees. It's a whirlwind week of book blogging fun and always overwhelming but never dull.

I turned a year older this past week and the year ahead brings to mind a sunrise. A beginning. An overwhelming brightness as the sun takes flight. In this new year of my life, I will be moving into a new house, having a baby and delving more fully into the world of e-books. Three very ordinary things. And yet for me, they will be life changing.

For the past three months I have been spending time every week reading two pregnancy books (What to Except When You're Expecting and the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy), learning as I go what is happening to my body. I now think of unborn babies in terms of fruit.

Becoming pregnant was my husband's birthday present (okay, so he also got a new laptop). Mine was a nook. I rarely like to talk about what I receive as gifts for any holiday (unless it's books), and so I can't go without mentioning my new e-reader. I'm pretty sure I let out a little squeal when I pulled my nook out of the gift bag. I have already purchased my first e-book, The Passage by Justin Cronin. I am not yet sure when I will actually get to it, however. I am in the middle of the Hunger Games trilogy (reading Catching Fire currently) and have a couple of TLC Tour books to read (if I ever receive one of them in time, that is). Once those are out of the way, I definitely plan to dive in and experience my nook to its fullest--and, of course, lose myself in The Passage. What a perfect addition to the Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) Challenge!

Tomorrow is the first day of the third annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week. It is a whirlwind week filled with book blogging fun and a chance to show our appreciation for blogging and our fellow book bloggers. I am stepping back this year and will be more of an observer than an actual participant. I know, I know. Such a party pooper. I do look forward to following the activities of those of you who are participating! Have fun!

A quick glance outside and I see the sun is full in the sky. It's promising to be a beautiful day. And now, since I desperately need milk, an early run to the grocery store is in order!

What are your plans for today? Are you reading anything you would recommend?

This Week In Reading Mews:

Reading Now:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
It Could be Worse, You Could Be Me by Ariel Leve

Recent Additions to the TBR Room (all paid for by me):
The Passage by Justin Cronin (my very first e-book purchase for my nook!)
Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeld (recent selection from Unbridled's subscription program)
Tears of the Mountain by John Addiego (recent selection from Unbridled's subscription program)

Reviews Posted:
What We Have by Amy Boesky
"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe (Short Story Wednesday)
Dead Politician Society by Robin Spano

Other Posts of Interest:
Readers Imbibing Peril V Challenge
What It's Like to be Married to a Non-Reader: A Guest Post by Author Robin Spano

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© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.