I've purposely slowed down my reading pace (well, it was not entirely voluntary for me to slow down...but that's another story for another time), and I find myself enjoying books - of several genres - more than I have in years. Rather than always chasing the shiny new covers and flashy new novelists of the day, I'm letting one book just lead me naturally to the next one. That doesn't mean that I'm reading one at a time, just that I'm reading fewer total pages per day. And that works wonders for me. It's even, I hope, freed me up to doing shorter...but semi-regular...posting again - good intentions that may go astray, I admit.
So instead of the 120 to 130 books I've read each year for a long time, I'm probably going to read, re-read, and re-re-read maybe 60 or 70 each year for a while. The biggest surprise as I near one-half a year at this new pace, is that my concentration and first-read comprehension levels seem to me to have significantly increased. I can't tell you how often I use to have to go back and read paragraphs, or even whole pages, for a second timebecause I had obliviously slipped into some kind of daydream.
All that said, this is a simple list of what I read in May:
- The Rising Tide - Ann Cleeves
- Expanded Universe - Robert A. Heinlein
- Hell and Back - Craig Johnson
- Justice Corrupted - Ted Cruz
- Tastes Like War - Grace M. Cho
- The Jealousy Man - Jo Nesbø
- The Best American Travel Writing 2012 - Various Writers
Now I'll find out where June carries me.
SO very happy to see you here! And I am really pleased about your reading. That's wonderful. Is your wife doing better?
ReplyDeleteHi, Nan. She's noticeably better now, with more good days than bad ones. Thanks for asking. I hope that all of you are doing well in that beautiful part of the country.
DeleteHi Sam, an interesting post. My problem is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I read too few books. This year I have read 15 books, if that. And though there are no rules I think reading too few books a year is as problematic as reading too many. The best book I read in 2023 was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a true classic,. But the majority of the remaining books were so/so which might not have been the case if by now I had read 20 books instead of the dozen or so I read.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you, Kathy, that either extreme has its own problems. Too many, and I feel as if I'm rushing through them and not absorbing everything I should; too few, and I can't help but wonder what I'm missing at that reading pace - and will never even get to take a look at.
DeleteLooking back over the years, it became kind of obvious to me that my own particular "comfort rate" is right around 60 to 70 books per year. I seem to go on more good streaks with that number where I find myself absolutely loving four or five books in a row. If that happens to me five or six times a year, I feel that I've had a great reading year.
It's good to hear that your wife is doing better, Sam. And it's also good to see that you've found a reading "plan" that better suits you.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me these days that just feeling OK every morning is the most important thing in the world when it comes to setting my mood and attitude for the rest of the day. We've both started seeing a new doctor that is more willing to tackle those things that other doctors so lazily want to write off as "old age." Easy for them to say.
DeleteI didn't realize that you weren't doing so well, either. I'm happy you found a good doc. Like "hens' teeth", methinks. An expression I hear is not that accurate. Apparently hens can have teeth. Never checked mine. haha
DeleteNan, I was really having some difficulty with my feet due to neuropathy even though I don't have diabetes. Can't tell you how tired I got of doctors saying that's incurable and moving on. This new guy has me back on my feet and the symptoms under control. Still have to limit myself, but the relief is amazing.
DeleteI sometimes think I should slow my reading pace a bit...it sometimes feels like I'm going through a lot of books but they're not really going through me, if that makes any sense at all. ;D I do love not reading to a schedule or a list, but just letting books come into my life as they will.
ReplyDeleteLark, I guess we all need to find whatever level we are comfortable with. Over time, I started to fee that more than a few books hadn't "gone through me" either. :-)
DeleteI'm glad to see you posting again, Sam, and have found a reading plan/pace that is working for you. Reading the comments above, I'm also happy to hear your wife is doing better and you have found a doctor who is better able to listen and address your concerns. I was hoping to read Tastes Like War when it was the big library read, but wasn't able to get to it. Maybe the next one...
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn. It's good to be back, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will last longer than my previous attempts to get back to light blogging. So far, so good.
DeleteI did read Tastes Like War during the big library read because my library system made available unlimited copies for that period. It was much different than I expected it to be, a lot sadder but very thought provoking.
I've been trying to read slower but books sometimes grab me and I can't put them down. LOL! In fact I am a bit slower than last year I think even it's only by half a dozen books. And I have plans to read some longer science fiction books in the summer so that will slow me down too. What did you think of Expanded Universe?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love when that happens, Cath. Nothing better than finding a book you can't stop thinking about even when you're not reading it. Total immersion into another world can be a real treat. I liked most of Expanded Universe. There are some good stories that are just pure Heinlein. But much of the book is out-of-date, really, because of Heinlein's nonfiction views on the grave dangers of nuclear energy. He was very much for turning control of all nukes over to a world body such as the UN so that no one country could threaten any other. The pieces reflect on a school of thought that brought back a lot of memories from the Cold War period, so I found them to be compelling in that sense.
DeleteThanks for the kind comments, Tracy. I'm starting to believe that our reading paces are going to change rather naturally over the years without a whole lot of extra effort. For various reasons - many of them associated with health or other aging problems- we adjust without realizing it. In my case, a lot of factors are involved, but I've decided from now on only to read what I WANT to read. When I look back over a month's reading now, I can sometimes see patterns and how one satisfactory read lead me directly to my next choice, and on and on. I finally realize it's about ENJOYING the books, not pleasing others or chasing numbers. I had lost track of that bit of common sense for so long that I had to relearn it.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to see you posting again, Sam- and I reiterate what everyone else has said here. Glad to hear you've got better help with your health. I didn't know you wife was unwell but I'm likewise glad she's doing better. It's so hard when family members are struggling. Sometimes the re-reads and the more carefully paced, in-depth perusal of good books is just what we need- blasting through a lot just to get the pages turned doesn't really leave me feeling fulfilled or having learned anything, after all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, so much Jeane. It's really good to be posting a little and re-connecting with so many avid readers who are are so kind. I hope that this will last for a while now because of the changes of doctors we've made - it's difficult to think about things like this blog when it's a struggle to just get through the day physically. I have a whole lot more understanding now of just what people with chronic pain and suffering go through in their lives, especially folks like Michael J. Fox, for instance.
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