The Graveyard Apartment

An email that this digital library book will be returned soon motivated me to start this book. I am the type of reader who reads multiple books at once. I was also reading Aimee Bender's Girl in A Flammable Skirt and Brenda Novak's Until You Loved Me me when I got the email that The Graveyard Apartment will be returned in 2 days which made me realize I needed to abandon other books to read this one.

Then there was the issue that if the day I had left was on the weekend I would have finished a suspenseful 334 page book easily within 2 hours. But during the work day its more challenging.

My Fit Bit has been a huge help for my lifestyle where I am gone for about 10 hours a day on an average work day. On the days where I just can't get to the pool or gym it motivates me to take advantage of my lunch break, spend most of my 15 minute break taking a walk and taking advantage of any other chance I have for a short walk.

What does this have to do with reading? I have learned to incorporate short walks into the course of my day when I do not have a block of time to swim or hit the treadmill. I realize that I can apply the same mentality to the commitment to read a full book during the work day.

I had two things to my advantage. For starters the haunted house plot is one I love. Shirley Jackson's Haunting of the Hill House and Stephen King's The Shining would definitely be included on my list of favorites. And I would describe the Graveyard Apartment as an urban Japanese version of the movie Poltergeist. A suspenseful plot I love really helps.

The second thing I have to my advantage is that I take the train to work and I do a lot of reading in my commute. However reading on a deadline made me more mindful of not taking too much time to check my email, my Facebook account and doing window shopping on Amazon. I just spent my time reading.

I generally try to have at least one break in my work day where I am not on my phone. But reading on my kindle app on a deadline is an exception. I usually make sure to get one 15-20 minute walk in during the day but skipping it for one day in favor of making sure to finish a book seems like an exception. When I am actually eating on my lunch I eat faster if I am not multitasking but today seems like a day where I can slow down to read and eat.

The biggest challenge was at the end of the work day when I boarded a crowded bus. I did not have the space to try to read and even if I did it takes all my energy to maintain my balance trying to stand during public transportation. I tried not to glare in envy at people reading books in their seats. I got off the bus a few blocks early I enjoyed the walk. I am not the type of person who can walk and read a book very well. I like to focus in my movements and surroundings.

But once I got a chance to sit down I finally finished this book. It was worth the reading marathon. Reading the book was already the reward. Nothing is more escapist than a psychologically thrilling haunted apartment. But when I heard a random noise in my apartment my imagination went wild.