Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less? Why?
When I first read this question, I wondered...My goodness, how can I quantify my reading? Is "reading more" equal to finishing more books? Spending more time reading? Reading fatter books? Finishing more books?
I've always been a voracious and indelicate reader. I'll read almost anything except (and sorry, I don't mean to be a snob here, I just can't get into...) romances (and that says more about me than about the genre, trust me). I go through binges where I'll read nothing but biographies, or nothing but an entire series of paperback mysteries, or the entire works of Barbara Pym (for the 18th time, at least). Other times, I'll read poetry, or go through art books, or read Barbara Walker's stitch dictionaries as if they were cookbooks. (Actually, I don't read cookbooks. I don't cook.) I'll read Wilkie Collins, Stephen King (love his book on writing!), Charles de Lint, Alfred Bester, Louisa May Alcott...
Is this more or less than I read when I was younger? Well, obviously, I have a full-time job, and a full-time house, and a full-time husband... so I have less time to read. That doesn't mean I read less, and it doesn't mean that I don't get as engrossed in a book as I once did. If anything, I appreciate the time I grab for reading, knitting, and writing letters more than when I was young. (I appreciate everything more now, but that's another post.)
I think that's my answer. I can't really quantify whether I read more or less, but I appreciate my reading and time more.
melanie
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4 comments:
I think I enjoyed my reading time more as a child because I didn't have full-time obligations.
That's a great response. I feel I appreciate my reading time more now, but I still long for those summer days as a child when I could lay around and read all day, and not feel guilty about it.
I agree with what cee cee wrote. I know I read a lot more as a child and probably felt less stressed out about finishing books!
Sometimes when there is lot of work needs to be done, I still make time to read escaping from the real world...
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