What and how do you read?

When ebooks came out, I was NOT sold.  I’m not sure I’m even sold now.  But I’ve discovered something about them.  They’re easy.  In fact my two best friends and I have been sold on ebooks cause you can squeeze in reading time on your phone while holding the baby.  And you can snag moments in the oddest of places when you wouldn’t pull out that pretty hardcover of Night Circus or Discovery of Witches or the new, no doubt, giant Wheel of Time.

Not that big of a revelation is it?

But I have two foster kids, full-time job, and I’m writing a book.  Reading time is a premium.  Once, back when I was free as a bird, I’d read one book all the way through usually in a day or two.

 

Though my shelves are not this pretty, that isn’t nearly enough shelving for the books I’ve kept.  Let alone the ones I got rid of here and there. Maybe I have a problem?

Last year, I probably didn’t read 30 books.  You’d have to know me to know the level of insanity this is.  Ten years ago?  I’d probably read 300-400.  In one year.  That’s right.  This year I’m trying to do better.  Mostly, because I’ve been forced to realize time and again that reading is therapy for me.  Reading, in fact, especially escapist fiction, slows that crazy train down for me.  It’s possible I’ll eventually be able to get off, given enough books and time enough to read them.

Now, this new me, she reads several books at a time.  I read the print book I’m carrying around.  Usually, one of the back log of books I continued to buy without acknowledging it would take me years to get through them with children.  And I read a book on my ereader.  I read it while walking my dogs, while rocking the littlest of the littles, while standing in line at the grocery store with my incredibly irritating three purchases of WIC food.  In every spare moment.  And I listen to another book on CD in my car.  And another book by MP3 during the more boring parts of my work day or doing this dishes or folding clothes.

Right now, I’m actively reading Hearing the Voice of the Lord, Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, Love is a Many Trousered Thing, and Framley Parsonage.  And, my stress level has dropped just since picking up a Georgia Nicolson book this week.

My goal for reading books this year is 50.  I made it on Goodreads on a whim, but you know what?  I’ve already read 12.  I think I might smash that goal into tiny little pieces with all these ways of getting in a few minutes of reading on my smarty-pants phone.

My own book will shortly be available by ebook and print book.  And, though, I may buy enough copies to roll around in, I’ll also have it on my ereader.  Because the sad thing about all these different types of books?

When you’re gonna roll around in them, you need physical copies.

~Amanda

Advertisement