Reading

Reading is probably the most consistent activity I engage in. I spend more time at it than I do eating or drinking or exercising but not as much time as when I'm sleeping or working full-time. I probably read more than I do housework--which I've always wanted to change but I just can't seem to (I don't live in filth-it's just that I need to pick up after myself better and dust more!). 

I read so many books that I oftentimes forget I've read a particular one and start reading it again a year or so later. And that's okay because you find new things in a book the second or third or fourth time around. 

I'm currently reading "Girl in the Dark" by Anna Lindsey. The author has a disease which forces her to spend most of her time in a windows-blacked-out bedroom. Can you imagine what that is like? Lindsey takes us through her days and her thoughts and feelings. She also talks about the onset of the disease and her relationships with people. She was a writer before the onset of the disease and she's quite good at narrative non-fiction. In her dark room, she plays books on tapes and word games in her head most of the time. I'm only a third of the way in and will probably finish the book by tomorrow morning because it's not that substantial. 

Anyway, though, I feel so fortunate that I enjoy reading as much as I do. It's mostly free--stuff from the library, stuff on the computer--and it is soul-satisfying in ways that other activities are not. That said, I cannot live on reading alone; I know when it's time to put down the book or magazine or computer and go to the YMCA or clean my kitchen or go walk the dog. 

Questions for you:

What do you get out of reading?

Who are your favorite authors? favorite subjects?

Have you ever read a book and thought, "How could someone be that great a writer?" If so, explain.

Happy Reading!