On my Facebook page, I recently posted Pusheen’s (my favorite Internet cat) resolutions. They include explore more, play more, snack more and sleep more. Yeah, Pusheen likes to eat and sleep the most. As for me, I am a restless sleeper; most nights I find myself tossing and turning. I also honestly don’t snack as much, but I guess I can allow myself a nibble or two during the day, right?

So what do I want to accomplish in 2020? I always have the same couple of goals, read more and visit more (and new to me) state parks. This past year, Whitewater State Park was our only new one (we need to get out more). We revisited several others and also explored a couple of Scientific and Natural Areas. I do enjoy learning more about these spots, and I’m eager to get out to more, especially ones that are close by. Well, there are more than 160 SNAs in the state, a good reason to go exploring.

I never keep track of the number of books I read in the past year. I know the Goodreads website has an annual reading challenge, and the one for 2020 is already out. And in the past week or so, people on the book-related Facebook pages I belong to have posted the number of books they’ve completed in the year. Some say they’ve read 100 or more. I’ve seen a couple or so that look like they read a book a day. Fortunately, there were a couple of women who said they only read 18 books for the year. I’m down with that. While I enjoy reading and can read fast when I’m into a book, it doesn’t take over my life.

Currently, I“m multi-reading again. I have a couple of physical books checked out of the library, one being “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Della Owens. It was a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club pick. It seemed like everyone and their uncle wanted to read it. I was surprised to find it on the shelf at the library one afternoon. Here’s the description from Amazon: “For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life — until the unthinkable happens.”

I started reading this more than a month ago. It does read fast, but I’ve probably read it a chunk at a time. I’ve been finding myself watching more on Netflix the last few weeks then spending time with a book. It’s an interesting read, although I think some parts of it are hard to believe, and I’m in the home stretch (less than 100 pages to go). I had to see what the hype was all about. I just have to push myself to finish the novel.