All those years of mandatory reading, book reports, and novel quizzes really have a way of making reading everything but an enjoyable experience. Towards the end of college I had had enough. I was sick of it. I was sick of being told what to read, when to read it, how to interpret it, and especially that sickening feeling that I got (every time) knowing that finishing the terrible book was only HALF of the work and that no-doubt a book report or some sort of reflection of said book was in my near future.
By the time I graduated just the very thought of reading stressed me out.
Over time I slowly started reintroducing books back into my life, realizing that part of my problem was that I had no idea what kinds of books I event liked to read! For 20 years I would get a list of required reading and painstakingly make my way down the list not even bothering to take into account if I actually liked what I was reading. At the time, they were all the same genre to me: Required.
Fast forward a few years and you would have no idea that I used to be an ex-reader. My iPad, specifically the iBooks app, has made reading infinitely less risky. iBooks allows me to preview books before buying, see how a book is rated among other top sellers, read my books on all my devices (iphone and iphone), but most importantly I can decide if I like a book, an author, and the storyline before committing my (precious) time. I'm in all or nothing kind of girl - and during the first steps in my quest to enjoy reading, I hated that I was buying books that I wasn't sure I was going to like, after all, I didn't even know what I liked!
A few things I've realized during my intervention:
- I have a pension for reading smut (ie: The 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy)
- I like autobiographies
- I've recently become a huge fan of listening to books on tape (yup, that still counts as reading in my book)
- I prefer reading on an eReader vs. a "Real" Book
- Reading makes falling asleep much easier
I've been invited to join a few book clubs in the past few months but have politely declined. Just the thought of mandatory reading and a group discussion gives me hives!
Currently I'm reading:
-
by Andy Cohen
- The 19th Wife, by Davis Ebershoff
I love reading too! It didn't take me as long to realize it though, as I was sneaking in books in college between required stuff when I could. (Which was not very much as it took me a whole semester to finish maybe two books...)
ReplyDeleteBut I love it so much now! How is "The 19th Wife?" I've never heard of it...
The 19th Wife is great! It's about Brigham Young's 19th wife and how she ultimately changed the practice of Mormon polygamy. It was a bit hard to follow in the beginning because there are a few different stories being told. I DEFINITELY recommend it!
ReplyDelete