I get through one or more books a week, depending on length. I never go a day without reading something, even if it's just a few pages. Often I get lost in a novel or become fascinated by a true life story or historical account, and end up reading all through the evening and during the day on weekends. What are your reading habits?
Most of my life, I had trouble getting to sleep at night, so much of my reading would be done after I had gone to bed, but before I fell asleep. Lately however, I don't last more than a few minutes after I go to bed. Of course, this is nearly always after midnight, and sometimes not long before sunrise so I am not concerned about it. These days, I read out of necessity, while researching something for a site that I'm building, or for a client, or I read in restaurants. Often, I'll go to a restaurant rather than eating at home because it's easier to read in a restaurant than it is with the distractions at home.
I have always loved to read. It is my way of traveling to places I may never get to or participate in a lifestyle that is now history or one that I think would be nice but not one I would really ever get to do. Reading a book now is not something I get to do because of time spent working on the computer for so many hours developing my business. I like all sorts of books, romance, adventure, history and technical books are all in my collection. And many cookbooks, I like to look at the pictures every now and then I will cook a meal I find in the book.
I am usually an avid reader - like you I seldom go a day without opening a book. I read 3-4 fiction books a week, and skim through at least a dozen non-fiction books a month. However, for some reason, the past 6-8 months I just haven't been able to get into it. It's actually kind of distressing, as reading has always been such an important aspect in my life. I'm sure the "dry spell" will pass. I have to say, this is one of the things that I'm most proud of - that I instilled a love of reading in my son. He reads completely different things than I do, but reading is a huge part of his life, too. I have to smile when I go to his house, and he has a wall of full bookshelves and he complains that he needs to buy a new bookshelf.
When I was young I used to read a lot of books but as technology has taken over my life I find myself doing most of my reading online, and my books get neglected. I'm really not happy about that as I still have passion for books and buy a lot of them, but most just sit around unread waiting for the day when I can find the time for them. When I do start reading a book I usually seem to come across another one that looks more interesting and move on, leaving the first one unfinished. Then at a later date I'll come back to it and need to start from the beginning again. My Mom's the opposite. She's never used a computer, though she will occasionally ask me to Google something for her, and then she'll sit and read whatever page I open for her. She's not too keen on TV either, though she does watch a bit. But when she starts reading a book, she usually finishes it. She often accuses me of being addicted to the internet. I won't admit it to her, but I think she may be right.
I have always loved to read, and never really got into watching televiion. I love looking up things on the computer and reading about them, and learning about anything that I develop an interest in. I used to read a lot of fiction books; but it seems like lately, I just don't have either the time or the inclination to read fiction books. I actually have several books stored in the Kindle, and just haven"t gotten around to reading them as of yet. I have bookbub, and they send me lists of books every daay that they think that I will like, and sometimes, I download the books, and eventually, I will probably get them read. I seem to kind of go in spurts, where for a while I want to read, and then I am just tired of it, and don't read for a week.
I love reading but will admit I got out of it for a few years. About a year ago, my daughter gave me a book to read and it all came back to me, how much I once enjoyed a good book. I started all over building up a library of books and began reading on a nightly basis. Then I was given a kindle which I didn't think I would like. I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, I still love the feel of a book in my hands but love the kindle. Its easy to take with me and the supply of books available is limitless.
I very much miss reading just for the fun of it. That's one of the problems of being self employed, especially in the way that I am, that I am always thinking that I could be doing something else instead, or that there are always other things that I need to read for a contract or a website. I love going to restaurants, tipping the waitresses well, and spending some time reading, but then I was single until I was forty-eight. Now that I'm married, my wife gets upset if I go to a restaurant without inviting her but, if we both go, we're talking rather than reading.
I think I've been reading every day of my life since I first learned to read. I can't imagine going to sleep without first having read several pages of whatever book I'm currently reading (and often, rereading!). Though my day job involves a great deal of uninspiring reading (emails, of course, but also official government documents, contracts and the like) and my occasional personal improvement courses means course reading, I always have that fifteen minute to half an hour period before sleep in which I read for pure pleasure. There is always a book next to my pillow (my partner often complains that I've fallen asleep with the e-book jammed between the pillows). I will have to thank my mother for this habit, she was able to read a book a day and even read while watching television. And I'm with Ken, I love going to a restaurant alone and spending the entire time reading.
I have always been the same way, with being up all night. Reading is definitely a great night time activity, seeing as it doesn't require staring at a bright screen which I have read can keep you up on its own. Some nights I can't even get past a page or two without falling asleep I am so tired, other nights I can read 20 pages or more before I drift off. Either way I would say I read more nights of the week than I don't. It seems I spend more hours a day reading something, whether the computer, a magazine, a book, or what have you, than I am not.
I've always done that. I have always had three or four books in progress and, when I am in the mood to read, I will pick whichever seems the most interesting at the time, or whichever is within reach, depending on how lazy or ambitious I am. Once in a while, I'll come across a book that I will read straight through but that's rare.
@Jim Veradyne , it comes as a relief to know that I'm not the only one with this bad habit. To make matters worse, I go to the library regularly but still get tempted to buy books quite often, especially when they're on sale. I bought another one yesterday and immediately gave up on the library book I started reading a few days ago. I'd been undecided whether I wanted to read it anyway, so I may never return to that one.
I loved being read to as a small child and seemed to have the hardest time getting anyone to do it often enough to please me, so I was enthralled when I finally learned to read for myself. I was also an only child and books tended to take the place of best friends at times. It's not quite like that at this time in my life, but something tells me there will be times when books are among my best friends again. Even now, they play a big part in my life. Stories, I call them these days. Not books because I read everything online anymore. It took me longer than most to come around to that, but now I wouldn't go back because you can read online absolutely anywhere with ease. The "stories" even have their own light, which serves to remind me of the times I've read under the covers by flashlight. I read an average of about three a week, with some being nonfiction, but mostly not. I love biblical and historical fiction most, I think. And westerns, of course. Mysteries sometimes. And a smattering of just about everything else. I always read while soaking in a hot bath and in bed before I sleep at night, for certain, catching moments at other times during the day.
That is me I am always reading books. I particularly enjoy taking something out of reading, and learning not only comprehensibly but spiritually as well. The more recent books I have read and enjoyed are non-fiction, I get a kick out of reading knowledgeable experiences and great insights of the past.
When I read a book from the library that I like, I'm tempted to buy it, and often do despite the fact that I seldom have the time or the inclination to read a book twice.