Any Time, Any Place, Any Method

DebbieOhi.com/printready
Please see photo credit at the
bottom of this post.

How do you read?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about my struggle to balance reading time and writing time. Recently, I found that adding audio books to my reading methodology increased the number of books I get through, despite the fact that I have a less-than-ten-minute commute.

I'm particular about my audio books, though. I've yet to download a novel on audiobook, and haven't listened to one since we borrowed one of the Harry Potter books on CD from the library as family entertainment for a drive to the beach years ago. Instead, I choose non-fiction works because they lend themselves to short drives. I listen to a small section and have time to absorb the information before I listen to the next bit. I look for unabridged versions, preferably read by the author.

Still, as a visual person, I miss the charts and graphs that come with the actual books and I find myself trying to locate them in other places (thank you, Google images). It's possible that some of the books have already come with these things, and I simply need to do a little more research to figure out where to access them.

Despite the fact that I've been an inveterate sing-along-with-the-radio traveler since I was a teenager, I've nonetheless found that I enjoy these bite-sized book visits. Depending on the depth and intensity of the work, sometimes ten minutes is enough. Other times, the car ride whets my appetite for more of the same or just more reading once I reach my destination. Though I can't indulge in this when I arrive at work, I can easily continue playing the book when I arrive home, letting the chapter finish as I unpack my stuff, settle in and get ready for whatever I need to do next.

congerdesign via Pixabay

But audiobooks aren't my only technological reading indulgence. When I travel, I swear by my Kindle because I can load a whole library onto a small device and read in public (in a waiting room, on the beach, on a train or airplane) without needing headphones or earbuds. My Kindle, like my Audible account, allows me to sample books. Not every one makes the cut and, I must admit, I have a collection of samples that have piled up from a few binge-browsing Amazon visits.

And then there are books -- actual paper and print between two covers, glorious books. I buy far fewer than I used to because trying to find homes for them can be as challenging as balancing reading time and writing time. My usual strategy when I have a finite amount of space in which to store something is one in-one out (getting rid of an old book for every one I bring in). This works to an extent but, when I've loved a book, it's not going anywhere except on my book shelf, even it it will collect dust there. I recently joined the Next Big Idea Club, and now, each season, two hardcover books I didn't even know I wanted show up on my doorstep, tipping the acquisition side of the scale.

I've tried telling myself I can't get any new books until I read the ones I have, but then I need a book for class. Or for the beach. Or because it's Tuesday.

Hi. My name is Lisa, and I'm a bookaholic.

Clearly, it doesn't matter what form they come in and I'm not even loyal to a particular genre (although, like everyone else, I have preferences). My love of books, begun when I was a child, fed through jobs in bookstores and teaching and my own writing, means the pile of books I want to read will always be taller than I am. In human terms, that's not saying much, but a five foot stack of books is a pretty impressive tower, one that doesn't even include the ones I've downloaded to my Kindle and my phone.

How about you? How do you read?

congerdesign via Pixabay

Photo credit ("Reading Makes My Heart Dance," top of page):

And the fine print below the photo at the top of the page says: Image based on the RUBY ROSE books, written by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (HarperCollins). For educational and personal use. For more free, print-ready material, see DebbieOhi.com/printready.

And Lisa says: If you don't already follow Debbie Ridpath Ohi on Twitter, you really should.