I read, I swear, I'm not a Meathead

So honestly I cannot think of any book that I couldn't put down. I know there are books that peeked my interest and that I wanted to continue reading later on, but nothing that made me sit in one position for a number of hours taking me off into some other realm of utter bliss. Books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Reservation Blues, I'm already having a hard time thinking of books so entertaining...oh wait! Epiphany in motion! I remember 2 yes 2 and only 2 books that kept my interest to the point that I read them almost straight through The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and The Virgin Suicides. These two books I picked up on my own, and read through not in one day, but through in a weekend for sure. (And the movie for The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, is a joke. And the new covers for the book are a joke too, the original over was solid red with nothing but the title on it. Best book cover I've ever seen hands down. It is unique and hard to find. So if you do see it I'd suggest buying it. The Virgin Suicides is a great movie, but yet again the book trumps the movie.)

I know my problem to sit still and read stems from my inability to stay focused on something not physically demanding. I do not have ADD, well that's what I'm told, and I can sit in one place for many many many hours. What I can't do, is read a book and stay involved because my eyes get bored. Yes my eyes get bored. I didn't learn to read truly until I was in the 7th grade. I couldn't pick up a book and read it, I had a hell of a time sounding out words, and putting them together to form sentences was out of the question. I focused my world on other more important things at them time: sports. I have the ability to pick up any sporting device and know what to do with it. I lived for sports, I ate, drank, peed and pooped sports when I was younger. This is why I was unable to read, well it's at least my theory of this whole situation.

My mom, bless her heart, would try to get me interested in the written word through soccer practice. Every Friday she would pick me up from practice at Verdugo Park in Glendale, CA with a Berenstain Bear's book in hand. It was a treat specially for me, not my brothers, not my friends, just me! And yet, her push to get me to read fell short because I would not read the words, I would read the illustrations. This is what I did for my elementary school years, reading pictures is so much easier than reading symbols. And in the end, my mother would read the stories of Brother, Sister, Mama, and Papa bear to me.

Now, I read but still find myself losing interest in the word, and focusing more on the picture in my head of the text. I get through the reading by forcing myself. Many times I read a chapter, then go play with my main buddy, Slinky (she's a dog). Then I head back inside read another chapter or two, put the book down and literally run up and down my stairs to work off some of the pent up energy I get from reading. My mind cannot work alone, I work best when I'm physically doing something, and my mind is engaged. I swear, I"M NOT A MEATHEAD! My body holds so much energy that my internal temperature is a degree above normal. 99.5...think about it. My desire to read is great, but my body won't let me without some way of releasing that energy/steam from my system.

I have yet to find a book worth suppressing my energy for a whole day, but I know there's one out there. I'm just waiting for the encounter. It's an epiphany that hasn't happened yet, but that I know will happen. Or at least I hope it happens. Any suggestions?

~L.