Andrea Reads America got a makeover

I have another blog. It’s called Andrea Reads America, and it chronicles my reading tour of the United States. Until yesterday, I had abandoned it.

I didn’t like spending time there anymore. The blog’s theme was outdated, the look was stale, and the thought of overhauling the site overwhelmed me. I finished reading the state of Iowa in March — five months ago — but I felt so blah about Andrea Reads America‘s look, I didn’t even want to visit the site, much less write for it. I was uninspired to publish an Iowa writeup.

Which means I also stopped my reading project.

It’s funny how invisible obstacles build up in your psyche like that. I wasn’t conscious of the fact that my site’s look blocked me from continuing my reading tour of the US. But as the Iowa book summaries gathered dust in my composition book, without making progress towards the keyboard and the screen, I wandered away from reading America.

I’ve read a couple of excellent books in the interim — it has not been a complete loss to have abandoned the project. But after finishing a few good books outside of Andrea Reads America, I started wandering aimlessly in my reading. I’ve become indecisive about selecting novels. I’ll pick something up, and put it down. Pick something else up, put it down.

A couple of days ago, I started missing my reading project. I needed direction. And after reading a few sailing books, I longed for land: for the prairies of the central US.

I didn’t feel good about starting with Kansas while the Iowa writeup still lingered, though. And I didn’t feel good about publishing the Iowa writeup with my site looking the way it did. So Friday night, I finally overhauled Andrea Reads America. I gave it a new theme, Libretto.

It’s simple. I like it.

Yesterday, after giving Andrea Reads America a makeover, I took my laptop and my dusty notes to my chair under the dogwood tree, and I unblocked myself.  I wrote my Iowa post.

And now? I’m on the prairies, reading Kansas.

Also of note: I discovered when I was writing the Iowa post that we have wifi under the tree!