Cooler Weather - A Great Time to Read

Shani & Nikki watching me read Henry James

The beginning of October here on the Florida Panhandle and somebody turned off the heat. I'm talking 50s and 60s, which is pretty chilly for Florida this time of year. Normally it's warm temps through mid November. Shorts, sleeveless-Ts and bare feet kind of weather. Only yesterday morning the weather took a decided dip and it's long pants, socks and sweatshirt weather. A decidedly chilly breeze is blowing, making it too cold to sit out on the patio. I'm hoping this is just for a few days. I'm already wanting the warmer weather back.

On the other hand, cooler weather means lots more time to read. And since I'm a book-aholic, I jump at any chance to snuggle into a comfy chair and read. I'm still making my way through literary classics I missed in years past, or old favorites I want to read again. So right now I'm on a Henry James kick. Back in High School I read the requisite Turn of the Screw and Daisy Miller. At 15, when I was sick at home for two months with mono, I read James' Portrait of a Lady. Through the years, that book has remained one of my favorites.

Well, now I've set out to read all of Henry James' novels. In the last few weeks I've read Washington Square, The American, The Europeans, Daisy Miller, Roderick Hudson and Louisa Pallant. This morning I'm going to start The Bostonians. I never realized how much I'd enjoy reading Henry James. His books are addictive, which is saying a lot for an avid reader like me. I can't finish one without delving into the next one minutes later. Maybe if I'd read these books when I was younger I wouldn't have enjoyed them as much? I don't know. I must say these are great reads for this time in my life. His stories are all about character and place. He wrote as if he were painting a picture. So maybe that's why I'm enjoying them so much?

As I said, I'd love to have the warmer weather back. Then I'd sit out on the patio and read Henry James. In the meantime, I'll curl up in my recliner, or lounge on the couch, and enjoy his books just as much as if I was reading them outside.