Lights Out (Books)

I am currently reading 7 books for review. I thought it would be a lot of pressure and it is, but it’s a good thing.I used to read 10 books a month. That’s when I was single and I read before going to bed and a lot of evenings after finishing writing for the night. Now I am lucky to read 2 or 3 a month. It’s changed because now I read more magazines and am online more – due to my work – and now it takes me a much longer time to get through a book because I usually only get a couple of pages read before falling asleep or Cosmo, my cat, curling up on it, letting me know it’s time to go to bed.

This bothered me for a long time. It’s like reading is oxygen to my blood and for awhile there, I felt sapped of energy, depleted from not getting my reading in. I even started to feel less intelligent.

I know I am not the only one. My friend Victoria listens to books-on-tape during her long drive into the city for work and I’m sure they help to quell her road rage and need for speed. You should see this girl in traffic.

My Mom too, listens to books-on-tape. Something to have on while she’s ironing or sewing, cleaning or cooking. It relaxes her, like a warm oil massage. A couple of months ago, her little ghetto blaster that she takes room to room with her while she works broke and it was about 10 days before she had a chance to get a new one.

The poor lady was on edge and didn’t know why. She couldn’t relax and was all fidgety. It was like she was a whole different person.

10 days later she got another tape player and all was right with the world. I guess the same thing happens to me when I don’t have time to read.

Now I am reading like a demon, just trying to keep up, taking notes as I go along. But it’s different when they’re for review. It’s like I can’t quite ease into it, I have to pay attention.

But it’s great. I get to read a lot of books I wouldn’t read otherwise and I have found some incredible writers along the way. Not every book I review is something that I would highly recommend, but lately, I have been really excited about the writing talent that is emerging. It makes me want to write – except I can’t. I must go read.

So, I now read a lot, but it isn’t like the old days where I read to escape and learn. Now I am reading for work. But it is still reading and for that I am grateful. And I still manage to squeeze in a couple pages of my own choices before bed. That is, before Cosmo flops down and it’s time to turn out the light.