About Categorically Well Read

About Categorically Well Read

As the New Year of 2018 approached, I picked up an old used book, "A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy" and I thought wouldn't it be fun to read a book for each season. I promptly went out and found books for spring, summer, and autumn, a particular talent of mine is finding and buying books.

That thought became a habit and I found myself doing category arcs of books with titles themed around birds, body parts, weather conditions...and by that time I was hooked on reading this way...and the seeds for this website were sown.

This website will undoubtably evolve and grow as I find my way about...figure out what and how I want to write and share. I credit my fledgling meditation practice for this spurt of creativity, the practice seems to have opened up a neural pathway in my brain that is allowing me to finally begin writing. 

A long and winding road has brought me to today, living on my own in Pittsburgh, PA. I am a yoga teacher, a prenatal yoga teacher, I am a childbirth educator, and serve as a Birth Doula. I live in and work out of my studio The Yoga Whole. A lot of my reading is professional-- continuing education--so that I become better at my craft.

I read as a scholarly pursuit. I love learning almost as much as I love reading. I have been a chain reader since I cracked my first book back in the first grade. I often have 3 or 4 titles going at the same time.

What I am not is a speed reader, part of the enjoyment of reading for me is taking my time, and I believe the "Slow Movement" was created with me in mind, as I generally approach everything in life at the pace of a leisurely stroll.

So just as I read for the joy of reading I also want to write that way as well. I don't want to consider this work, neither the reading or the writing.

Categorically Well Read has been germinating in my head for awhile and now in the Spring of 2019 it is finally sprouting. I plan to write about everything I read--be it for enjoyment, continuing education--or just as an indulgent pleasure. 

I will post about categorical reading, the seasons, Paris, royal reading, birth history, wife in the title, the cooking life, books about books...these are the one's that I am using to get this page started. 

I have always been a collector of quotes, ideas, thoughts, writings that inspire me to explore deeper--and the discovery of Post-It note sticky tabs has only made me more prolific in collecting.  

For example, when I read a book that mentions a quote by another author, a certain dinner entree, or another book title-- I will look up the quote, I will give the recipe a try, and read perhaps read that book as well.

My first "A Deeper Look" post provides the perfect example.

I was reading "Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout" and during the course of the book she often mentions Dietrich Bonhoeffer and obliquely mentions one of his quotes. The quote dealt with maintaining a center of mental gravity, which in turn struck my "yoga bone" so I marked it with a sticky tab. 

That notation turned into my first "A Deeper Look" post where I muse about gravitational centers.

Pardon the pun but I very much hope you Abide with Me as find this webpage's own personal center of gravity. 

So you will find the ongoing list of books I am reading, the ongoing arcs of categories I am working through, and where I have paused to take a deeper look.

Elsewhere on this site you will find posts of a more personal nature--the thoughts and processes that go into what I decide to read, cook, teach, and write about.

This site is also home to another of my ancient projects--a 1990's recipe project. Read more in Gourmappetit. 

I believe that Yoga and Childbirth walk hand in hand, I write about this a lot, you can find my articles posted on The Whole Way.

I believe that Yoga is everywhere--I am referring to the aphorisms and not yoga aerobics.  I see Yoga often, especially in the writings of others--intentional or not-- an everyday sort of yoga that is engrained deep into humanity.

I plan to write about everything I read whether it is for enjoyment or continuing education. I am sure my postings will evolve as I go--nothing is more yogic than this: The only constant in life is change.

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Hi! I'm Debbie. Here at Categorically Well-Read I give an extra layer to the reading life. Learn more about me, check out my current category of books, submit your own suggestion, or check out my latest post.