Top Ten Tuesday is hosted each week by That Artsy Reader Girl
Normally I prefer to write about specific books but this topic caught my eye. It’s something I hadn’t really thought about in awhile.
How has my reading life changed or how have my reading habits changed?
- I read fewer books. Over the past couple of years my reading consumption has slowed. I know I still read more than the average American but there has definitely been a drop for me. It’s partially about time and partially about being pickier.
- I am choosier about what I read. When I first started reviewing books, I would read almost anything. Or I would at least give it a try. Now that I have so many books that I know I want to read, it’s hard to give time to cold requests.
- I have no problem DNFing. I used to feel bad about “Did Not Finishing” books but I have gotten over it. There are so many books out there – I can’t spend my time slogging through one I hate. This isn’t fifth grade anymore.
- I like to learn about the authors. In days past, an author was an afterthought for me. I might have used their name to find their other books, if I liked one, but I wasn’t much interested beyond that. Now I like to know who they are, where they live, how they grew up. I also enjoy how places like Twitter have made favorite authors accessible and human.
- I get jealous. As a writer myself I often find myself greatly enjoying a book but also being annoyed that I didn’t write it. I mean this as a sincere compliment.
- I’ve stopped buying bookmarks. I love bookmarks, I really do. For a while I would craft my own, with bits of ribbon. But I never seem to have one when I need it, when I’m falling asleep at night. A receipt or the book flap always seems to serve.
- I read to learn and to enjoy. It’s amazing I became an English major because I hated the books we read in school. And I hated how they were taught. When I got to college, I was finally shown it was ok to study and write about things like Gothic literature. Now, when I find a topic I love, I read endlessly about it, and without guilt.
- I allow myself to reread. The flip side of always being surrounded by books is that the possibilities can feel overwhelming and there is a need to always be reading something new. I now allow myself the joy of rereading an old favorite now and again.
- I make time to read. Life gets in the way a lot of the time, but I notice that when I only have time to read for ten minutes before falling asleep at night, I’m much crankier. Set aside time to read.
- Read anywhere, but find a cozy place if you can. I always have my iPad, loaded with books, so I can read anywhere. But I’ve found that nothing can beat sitting in a comfy chair with a purring cat on your legs while you read.