So I’ll be the first to admit I’m reading less now than I used to. But I still love to read. I’m just having to find new ways to do it. Settling down for a deep dive into a book means I’m ignoring basic chores to keep the house together, getting kids through the day, and so forth. In fact, I’ve been getting more into audio books lately for one very specific reason- It’s much easier to read and do something else (loading the dishwasher, folding laundry, taking a walk, driving on errands) while reading with an audiobook than with a physical book. And I say this as a person who used to worry my mom by reading while walking. (Actually way back when I had that internship, I read a physical book during the walk. And I didn’t get run over or run into any trees! See Mom? I can do it!) (Do not read a paper book and drive. Please.) Another interesting thing I discovered while reading/listening to the Akata Witch series by Nnedi Okorafor is that the audiobooks help my immersion when listening to books from cultures I’m not as familiar with.
Currently our family library is pretty significant. I’m actually kind of trying to slow its growth (though I find myself reluctant to cull it). Our physical library, or at least the kid’s books and most of the more modern fiction section is pictured below:
I get my books everywhere I can. My husband and I give each other and our children books as gifts, I find them at bookshops and thrift stores, I really love library used book sales (you’ll notice a lot of library labels on the spines), and more.
However, I have discovered as time passes that I’m more selective in which novels I’ll pick up. I need to be sure I’ll actually like a book before I invest the time to read it. Often this means that I usually only branch out to new books and authors when recommended repeatedly from reliable sources. There are some authors I’ll read anything they write- you may notice from the above pictures that this includes Terry Pratchett, Brandon Sanderson, and a few other authors. But often when I’m looking into new books, I’ll check them out on my library app (Go check out Libby if you haven’t, it’s amazing) (also- Support public libraries!) and may or may not get around to reading them depending on my enthusiasm. And if they don’t hold my attention, I’ll drop them and not finish. And even those I do finish I’ll probably never come back to or look for more in the series if I find myself kicked out of the story to say “But wait why would they do that?” Looking at you, book I read recently that had me questioning whether the main character was actually the expert they claimed to be. I mean, I’m no expert, but your choices seem dumb to me with even a cursory knowledge of the subject.
I want to say this isn’t something I used to do, that I’d read anything I could get my hands on, but as I think back, even in elementary/grade school I’d be picky about what I read based on how I felt looking at covers and more. I never got around to Goosebumps or Animorphs or some of the other really popular series that were around when I was young.
The problem is this leaves me with fewer and fewer books that I get enthusiastic to read. I guess what I’m saying is: Send me book recommendations! I want something I’m just really excited to experience.
Intellectual Property of Elizabeth Doman
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