The Perfect Spot

I am a creature of habit. I gravitate toward the same spots. Perhaps it's because I have warm, fuzzy associations with those places, or perhaps it's because I've finally molded the seat to the contours of my bum. Either way, two posts at the start of this week made me think about my special reading spots through the years. The first was the fabulous "Summer Reading" post right here on Fantastic Spatula. The next came one day later on Beyond Her Book, a Publishers Weekly blog, that asked, "What's your favorite reading spot?"

In my early years, one of my favorite reading spots was in the swing on Grandma's front porch. I was small enough to lie on the seat with my feet propped against the chains. A little push on the chain would start the swing swaying, not enough to cause motion sickness, but just enough to get a slight air movement against my sticky skin. Oh, and in the late evening, sun slanted over my right shoulder and hit the page, making it golden.

Each major life change brought a new location to read. In college I curled up in the UVA gardens, my own hortus conclusus as I enjoyed Chaucer, Donne, and Beroul. Now there are special places in our home: Adam's grandfather's recliner; the sofa stacked with pillows and a throw my in-laws gave me a couple Christmases ago; the armchair in our office that gets perfect morning sun; and our bed. This bed is a thing of beauty. We were fortunate enough to design the bed and get it handcrafted by a talented woodworker back in Halifax. When we gawked at the completed bed in his shop, he pointed out that the headboard is wide enough to fit hardbacks. We didn't even ask for that feature! It's a joy to find another bibliophile who understands the importance of crawling between the sheets with a good book and reading until you have just enough energy to raise your hand and slide the book away for the night.

Maybe these spots are special because they ground me in places of family and familiarity as my mind wanders through the adventures I read. Or maybe it's just about the comfy bum.

What do you think? Do you have special spots for reading? If so, why do you think they're significant to you? 

Your Magic

A couple weeks ago I didn't have a chance to read many blogs, but I've made it up this past week, and I wanted to share with you some of the posts that brought me joy this summer. Some are whimsical, others question the nature of creativity and the artistic gift.  I hope you enjoy.

I love the serendipity of the Wide World of Blog.  In June, R. at the Creamy Middles and author Lena Roy posted the same quote (one I needed to read) from Emile Zola: 

The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.

Lena's follow-up post, "Anyone Can Cook, Er, Write...If They Want To," addresses what she believes is the artist's gift and the importance of craft, perseverance, and old-fashioned hard work.  It's great motivation during rewrites.

Leila over at Write Am I posted an adorable shot of her new editor.  This is one editor I wouldn't mind peering over my shoulder as I work.  She also shared the terrific news of finding a publisher for her novel!

Here at Fantastic Spatula we celebrated with Kemp over her Shameless Self Promotion.

We have graphic artists on staff here at Fantastic Spatula, and I know others of you have the same bug, so check out the interview with the artist behind the jacket for Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver and Linger. I'd love to see an interview with the artist for Lena's Edges, which The Hiding Spot named Cover of the Week on May 24.

Finally, I'm giddy for Sarah and Michelle of Slushbusters as they blog about their time at the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop.

Thank you all.

What's put a smile on your face lately?