Friday, February 3, 2017

Book Blogger Hop No. 82: Reading or Housework?


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,
hosted by Billy @


For more information, and 
to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.


This Week's Question

Read or Clean? Read or Bake?
Read or Make Dinner?
What would be your choice?

(Submitted  by Elizabeth @ 



My Answer

This is a matter for deep pondering, yes, indeed..... Oh, of course not! Any hardcore reader worth their salt will immediately reply that reading tops ANY OTHER activity! That includes blogging, although I dearly love writing posts and commenting on other bloggers' posts, as well. Reading is just out of this world! Therefore, it simply cannot be compared with any other mundane, routine, BORING everyday activity. True, the activities mentioned in today's question are a necessary part of daily life. However, they are nowhere near as interesting, addictive, enjoyable, or downright riveting as reading is! They can, therefore, be put off as much as humanly possible. (Says me!)

Okay, so I do realize that there are other bloggers out there who enjoy baking as a hobby. I can understand that. I'm not at all interested in baking as a hobby, but hey, there's something for everyone in this world! I can see how others would enjoy it. But cleaning? Making dinner? How prosaic!  How very ordinary and uninspiring! (Some well-known chefs might take exception to my observation that making dinner is a prosaic activity, but oh, well.....)

Of course, I would never let dust pile up on furniture to the point that someone could draw a face on a table top, for example. Lol. But I'm not such a "neat freak" that I am DRIVEN to have everything "spic and span" before I allow myself to sit down and prepare to immerse my eager brain in a great book. Oh, ABSOLUTELY not!! 

As for baking and making dinner, well, these are activities related to the stomach, and I for one do not like to go hungry, especially when my brain cells are munching away on an engrossing plot! However, I don't need to bake in order to feed myself (or my hubby). I can do just fine with some frying, and the microwave comes in VERY handy. So, making dinner is a necssary "evil" for me. When a plot that has me living in a fantasy land is suddenly interrupted by grumblings in my tummy, well, I really have no choice, do I? Lol. I MUST leave Hogwarts or Middle-Earth, or wherever else I might be, and see about satisfying those hunger cravings!

And now back to cleaning. I wouldn't mind this so much if only I could wave a wand, as they do in Harry Potter's world, and everything would just clean itself! Lol. Alas, that is just not possible in our kind of reality....

Three household chores not mentioned in the question above are doing the laundry, doing the dishes, and ironing. The last two are also boring, routine activities. Doing the laundry, though, can actually be highly enjoyable, because one can sit beside the washer and dryer while they do the work for you. therefore, you are able to REALLY get into a book while you wait for your loads to be done. Lol.

Seeing as how I can't get rid of these ridiculously BORING activities, I will always do my best to procrastinate on doing them as long as possible, while I bask in the glow of a terrific read! Barring the whole house falling down around my ears, I think I can get along just fine in literary worlds, while the housework can just.....WAIT.  (The alternative solution is to just very sweetly say to hubby, "Oh, darling, can you help me out with the dusting while I just finish this one chapter?")

   

What are your thoughts on
this topic?
Please leave a comment!
If you're participating in this meme,
I'll go comment on your 
own BBH post.
If not, I will then comment on one 
of your blog posts!
Thanks for visiting!!! 








12 comments:

  1. Hilarious post Post Maria!

    I do like to cook. Though I was always a reader there may have been a point about 15 years ago when I was more interested in cooking then I was in reading. Now reading easily wins. There have been days when I decided not to make complicated foods because the time expended would cut into my reading time.

    As for housework, yard work or any chores, there is little question.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Brian!

      Thanks for the good word! I tried to make it funny, as the topic lends itself very well to that. Reading is definitely MUCH preferable to household chores, lol. Of course, they do have to get done, which is a royal pain in the royal behind, haha!

      How nice that you enjoy cooking! I really don't. However, I remember, several years ago, that I tried to become a vegetarian. This lasted only six months, though. The first time I got a whiff of meat cooking, as I was walking past a restaurant one day, that was the end of my vegetarian diet!

      While I was attempting to consume only vegetables, I did do quite a bit of cooking. I had found a small book of Indian (from India) recipes. It was actually published by the Hare Krishna people. You have NO idea how DELICIOUS their food id!! And it's completely meatless. The book is titled "A Higher Taste", and is, of course, available on Amazon and Ebay. I highly recommend it to you!!

      I did enjoy cooking these recipes (I followed them to the letter) back then. And they did take quite a bit of time, too. For some reason, I didn't mind. But now I certainly would! I've become more jealous of my reading time, I guess.....

      As I mentioned in the post, the one chore I can enjoy is doing the laundry, as it mostly involves waiting for the machines to finish cleaning and drying the clothes while I sit next to them, reading my book. Lol. I do have to put the clothes away when they're done, but that's fast and doesn't take much time away from my favorite activity! Lol.

      Hope you have a great weekend, too!! Thanks so much for the SUPER nice comment!!

      Delete
  2. Your answer is making me laugh. You are so creative and so truthful. :)

    Thanks for another wonderful answer, Maria.

    Have a good weekend.

    Happy Hopping!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog Hop Answer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Elizabeth!

      I'm so glad I've made you laugh! I always try to inject some humor into these BBH posts, And this topic lends itself VERY well to that, lol!

      Thanks so much for the compliment!! <3 <3 :) :)

      And you're very welcome for my answer!

      Hope you have a good weekend, Too! Happy Hopping to you, as well!!

      Thanks for such a sweet comment!! <3 <3 :) :)

      Delete
  3. I love tidying but hate cleaning. Still, it has to be done. Luckily hubby makes dinner most nights. I only have to fend for myself when he's working late. Then I go for something simple like toast because I detest cooking meals. The most I'll go in for is the occasional bit of baking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Nicki!

      I don't like either one, lol. Sometimes, when I do decide to tidy up, I will start with a lot of steam, only to have my steam peter out halfway along the way...... :)

      Unfortunately, these things DO have to be done, don't they? Sigh.....

      How wonderful that your hubby cooks dinner most nights. My own hubby does cook lunch, but I make the salad and wash the dishes afterward. Lol.

      Cooking meals can be nice, if it's for a special occasion, and you're following a special recipe. Otherwise.....BOOOOOOORING!!!!

      Baking can let you read a bit, if whatever you're making will be in the oven at least 40 minutes. Of course, most baked things DO have to be in the oven at least that long, and even longer. :)

      I'm glad you, like me, are able to fit in some reading while doing some household chores. With me, it's the laundry. But, we both have to watch through small windows to see if our "product" is ready. Lol. We have that in common! :) :) :)

      Thanks for the interesting comment!! <3 <3 :) :)

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Hi, Ronyell! I think most of us bookworms do, haha!! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!! :)

      Delete
  5. Very well said, Maria! You and I sound a lot alike in this regard. :-) I will say that since I started listening to audio books though, the house cleaning can be somewhat less of a dreary task. I wasn't always able to listen to audiobooks while I clean, and still can't if my daughter and husband are home, but when I'm alone--it's become a must for me.

    I hope you are well and having a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Wendy!

      Listening to audio books sure seems to be a great solution for you! I can see how it would make these boring tasks more tolerable. Lol.

      I've tried audiobooks myself, but only AFTER I've already read the printed book! I did that with The Twilight Saga, since I ADORE those books!!

      If I were to try listening to audiobooks while cleaning, I don't think I'd be able to concentrate very well, unless perhaps I was listening to a nonfiction book.

      In my case, doing the laundry would be the best chore I could "engage" in while listening to an audiobook. After all, the machines are doing all the work! Lol.

      I'm glad you've found a solution that really works for you! After all, NOT reading is definitely not an option!

      Thanks for stopping by, as well as for the nice comment!! <3 :)

      Delete
  6. Lol great post Maria I am such a huge procrastinator for doing my chores that I rather read than do them especially cleaning. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog hop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Katiria!

      OMG!!!! I had not seen this comment! Sorry about that.. :(

      Yeah, I'm a HUGE procrastinator, too, when it comes to chores! So definitely I'd rather be reading!! Lol. We rotally agree!

      Thanks so much for commenting back!! <3. :)

      Delete

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