Monique Polak

Can you read a book without a pencil between your fingers? Not me. When we're at the beach or on a hike, my husband always thinks it's strange that I can't read a book without a pencil.

I guess I can't read without a pencil because for me, reading and writing are so closely entwined. When I read something really good, I underline it, and later, I often go back and record what it is that struck me. And sometimes when I am reading another author, I get ideas for my own work!

Yesterday, I started reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Seattle author Sherman Alexie . I heard Alexie interviewed on CBC last week and I decided I had to read his YA book. It's closely based on his own experience growing up on an American Indian reservation. Here's an example of a line I underlined last night. The narrator is talking about his parents, both of whom are alcoholics: "They dreamed about being something other than poor,  but they never got the chance to be anything because nobody paid attention to their dreams." I love that line because it's so sad and so true, and so simply and directly put. Reading that makes me think to myself, "Ahh, that's the kind of beautiful sentence I want to write, too."

All's well at my end of the computer -- as I hope it is at yours. I'm gearing up for my double launch this week in Montreal. We've stocked up on wine, but I still need to buy lots of cheese. And because both my new books have dogs in them, I'm going to pick up a basket of dog biscuits for the dog owners at the event. Talk to you later in the week. If you're reading a good book, keep that pencil handy!!