The addiction of reading
When I was a child my parents used to complain that my brother and I never read, then in our early teens they complained we read too much. There is no pleasing parents, especially if they are right.
I have an addictive relationship to reading, I have to force myself to stop and put a good book aside. My husband often just turns off the lights when he wants to sleep, there is no point waiting for me to finish.
Over the years I have taught myself a bit of self-control and I try to pace myself. When I was a teen I could read through the night, in my twenties I taught myself how to read while walking and now in my thirties (hmm, okay, late thirties) I have had to pace myself.
With kids I have taken full advantage of my skill of being able to dive into a book for a few minutes at the time. I also read very fast, which sometimes is a negative since I get to the end of a good book in no time at all.
You must think I am an incredible intellectual, ploughing through the literary world. Alas, no. I may not read chick-lit, instead I have a weak spot for historical fiction and fantasy (that is Lord of the Rings and such).
Have you seen the True Blood tv-series? Well, I read the books and before the series became a favourite among late night tv-watchers and I used to have to hide my books. I had to put up with my friends' sneers and asking me why I read that vampire trash? Now they rave about the series.
The best Christmas present I got last year was a voucher for Amazon. Just the thought of being able to splash out that money on new books made me salivate. I held on to my precious voucher for months and did only recently use it to buy books that I had waited for. You can't (I am sure you won't) understand or believe the delight I felt when those brown cardboard boxes with my books arrived.
This is the problem with the litterature I read, it all comes in series and I spend years waiting for the next book and the continuation of the story. Trying to be thrifty I also wait another 8-12 months for the book to come out in paper back, for less than half the price. To broaden my book choices, I have joined my local library book club. I get to read a lot of good books, but there are still the unfinished stories ticking away in the background.
Books are still my cheap travel ticket and I love escaping to other worlds, other times, and other places. I guess that is what addiction is always about, escapism. When you have kids, you also need to find the cheapest, most uncomplicated and practical escapes you can.
I have an addictive relationship to reading, I have to force myself to stop and put a good book aside. My husband often just turns off the lights when he wants to sleep, there is no point waiting for me to finish.
Over the years I have taught myself a bit of self-control and I try to pace myself. When I was a teen I could read through the night, in my twenties I taught myself how to read while walking and now in my thirties (hmm, okay, late thirties) I have had to pace myself.
With kids I have taken full advantage of my skill of being able to dive into a book for a few minutes at the time. I also read very fast, which sometimes is a negative since I get to the end of a good book in no time at all.
You must think I am an incredible intellectual, ploughing through the literary world. Alas, no. I may not read chick-lit, instead I have a weak spot for historical fiction and fantasy (that is Lord of the Rings and such).
Have you seen the True Blood tv-series? Well, I read the books and before the series became a favourite among late night tv-watchers and I used to have to hide my books. I had to put up with my friends' sneers and asking me why I read that vampire trash? Now they rave about the series.
The best Christmas present I got last year was a voucher for Amazon. Just the thought of being able to splash out that money on new books made me salivate. I held on to my precious voucher for months and did only recently use it to buy books that I had waited for. You can't (I am sure you won't) understand or believe the delight I felt when those brown cardboard boxes with my books arrived.
This is the problem with the litterature I read, it all comes in series and I spend years waiting for the next book and the continuation of the story. Trying to be thrifty I also wait another 8-12 months for the book to come out in paper back, for less than half the price. To broaden my book choices, I have joined my local library book club. I get to read a lot of good books, but there are still the unfinished stories ticking away in the background.
Books are still my cheap travel ticket and I love escaping to other worlds, other times, and other places. I guess that is what addiction is always about, escapism. When you have kids, you also need to find the cheapest, most uncomplicated and practical escapes you can.
