I am going through reading withdrawal

Murphy making snowballs on the deck of the ferry
Somewhere near Juneau, Alaska

At the beginning of the year I was zooming through books, but then administrative and extracurricular activities got in the way. I am in the middle of "A Jury of their Own," "Praying for Sheetrock," "Brave New World" and "Ptolemy's Gate," but can't seem to find time to finish any of them.

This Saturday I am leaving for Alaska. I will drive to Washington, take the ferry up to Haines and then drive the rest of the way. I'll be there for about 2.5 months living in a cabin outside of Fairbanks doing research for my sabbatical. In the evenings and weekends I will hang out with my family, do a little snowshoeing, skiing and dog sledding. Most importantly, I will have time to read. I started packing last week and the first item was a huge plastic bin of books. I also have several audible books ready to listen to on the long drive. I am finally caught up in the blog for the reading for 2010, but I will be behind again in 10 days when I arrive in Fairbanks.

The ferry from Bellingham to Haines takes three days. I did this 7 years ago, and then the book of choice for the ferry ride was "Anna Karenina." This time I have chosen "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner. My sister says that it is a rough book to get into but worth the read. I think I will be able to focus on the reading while spending some quiet time in my bunk on the ferry. I also have two reading guides with me to help. My sister is "ketching" the ferry at Ketchikan so I hope I can finish by then so we can discuss it.