I don't sleep I read

I am hanging on to life before motherhood by reading all I can whenever I can. Little escapes to other worlds that take me away from the monotony of laundry, diapers, bottles and spit-up. Not that I don't love my life or being Caleb's Mumma, but there are days when I feel like I'll never sleep through the night again, or sleep in, or eat a meal without simultaneously doing something else, or thinking about something else, or listening to the baby monitor for the inevitable squeaks or moans. Not that I'm complaining, mind you (OK, maybe just a little). But even on the rare occasions when I find myself alone, I am never not thinking about Caleb. Which is wonderful, but also hard. Hello, Motherhood!

However, books do provide some respite and, believe me, I cling to that. Sometimes a paperback bestseller does the job - something I can read on the surface and put down every 5 pages then pick up again with little thought. Other times I return to old favorites - series or characters I have read and re-read until they are as familiar as old friends. Then there are the ones like Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth. Books you can't put down and stay up 'til midnight reading. Characters and places you can hear and envision. Scenes you can practically taste and touch. Books you curse yourself for reading because now you've only gotten 6 hours sleep and this is the day the cat vomits everywhere, the baby just wants to be held, the dust bunnies are waging a war and the lawn desparately needs mowing.

So what do I do? I go to the library, again.