I’ll be honest with yaou. I can’t remember, which is strange because there was a time I couldn’t stop reading and I started at an early age too, thanks to my Mum who nurtured and indulged my love for reading. I don’t think there’s a Ladybird Book, Pacesetter, Mills & Boon, Historical Romance and all the popular publications I didn’t read and my love for Books and Novels continued throughout High school right up to University. I remember taking novels along to family gatherings, parties, school picnics and even to church! Reading was my escape, my passion, my comfort. You could say I was a bookworm, except that it wasn’t school work I was reading but Fiction, Biographies, Readers’ Digests, Magazines and frankly anything that had words on it. I learnt many new words and phrases that way and really did well in my Literature and Language Classes. Fast forward to adulthood and I guess I now have Reader’s Block because I haven’t read a book or even novel in months. Perils of growing up I guess. Plus, there’re too many distractions. I’m a slow reader and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I want to enjoy whatever book I’m reading and so I take my time, sometimes reading a paragraph or chapter multiple times before turning the page. I remember friends who would read 300+ page novels in a day or two and I never understood how they did that. I always returned books late to the library and thankfully, was rarely fined. The only times I succumbed to the pressure to join the fast readers’ club was when a certain novel was highly sought-after and I didn’t want to miss the chance to read it but eventually, I decided to just pass up such books or wait until fellow avid readers were done with it so I could enjoy it without any pressure. I also like to read in a quiet environment, which means I can’t listen to music or watch TV and read a book at the same time. If you’re one of those people who can do that, I respect you. With all the Social Media buzz and 24-hour News Cycle on top of our already busy lives, I honestly don’t know how you do it. I’ve been looking through my modest book “collection” with some books I have bought over the years and others I just never returned (apologies to friends and family wondering what happened to their books) and I really want to read again. I think I can make the time and read at least one book a month. Honestly though, I think I might have to go with the Audio Book concept. I could easily listen to five or more books a week if I put my mind to it. All that time I spend waiting in line at the Bank, cleaning the house or even during my evening walks could serve this purpose well. I will let you know how it all goes.
