I am not an especially fast reader but I am a devoted one. There have actually been times in my life that I struggled to read – distracted by other things, too tired, and exhausted after my time as an English major at Ohio University – but I never forgot my drive to read.

It has been a bit of a journey for me but has always been important in my life.

When I was quite small, before I could even read, my mother budgeted for a Little Golden Book every time we went to the grocery store. We would start at the Little Golden Book rack so I could pick out a new one. I would sit in the cart, looking at the pictures while she shopped and she would read it to me when we got home. This was quite smart, a distraction that kept me from requesting things not in the budget and instilling in me excitement over new books.

Scholastic book fairs and the monthly flyer we could order from at school were the only good things about school by my estimation. I was shy and typically panicked when called on in class. To this day, most of my classmates probably remember me as an imbecile but I was an imbecile with a decent home library.

An only child living in the country, books were my friends in the absence of other kids. They kept me company, inspired my imagination, and made me curious about writing.

Actually, they made me curious about everything.

As an English major, I read constantly. It was nothing to consume a novel, a Shakespearean tragedy, and fifteen or twenty short stories in a single week. Unfortunately, required reading and all the necessary writing left no time for fun reading. My brain felt bruised long after graduation.

This is actually how I discovered Harry Potter one Winter break. This was back when OU was still on quarters and break lasted from Thanksgiving until January. I devoured those books because they provided the ultimate escape from reality,

After graduation, I gradually began reading for fun again but found myself in ruts that lasted years where I did little more than sit still and hold the book. It was like a worry stone or maybe just a good old fashioned security blanket.

Many years have passed. I still experience periods when I can’t calm my mind enough to read but have been doing well for the last several years. Covid was great for me because I had plenty of time to read and the only adventures available were through the pages of books.

I use the library some and am a huge supporter of libraries. In Ohio, libraries are free to use and anyone can have a library card. Books and audiobooks for all tastes, periodicals, local history materials, events and even items are available to borrow for FREE.

What a gift! I’m glad to see my tax dollars paying for something society needs.

But I mostly prefer to own my books. I like to be the first person to crack open a book and learn its secrets. They’re like little friends waiting to share something special.

I like their cover art and the way they smell. I like the feel of paper in my hands and the weight of it in my bag. I almost always have a book in my bag or beside me on the couch, at the kitchen table or on the front seat of the car.

And that’s how I’m able to read so much. It’s not that I speed read. It’s that I’m an opportunist who prioritizes reading. Doctors’ offices are great places to read while you wait. In the car before an appointment, while eating lunch at my desk, on the porch after work, as I drift off to sleep in bed – these are great reading opportunities.

Entire days will pass without ever seeing the TV turned on in my house. Sometimes I turn on M.A.S.H. reruns in the evenings because I know it all by heart and it’s great noise in the house. It’s also easy background noise for reading

I used to be really fussy about selecting my next book. I’m a mood reader, after all. But it could take me days to choose my next read. These days, I tend to pick up something I’ve been looking forward to and jump right in. If it doesn’t resonate in the first few pages, it typically goes back to the stack of favor of something else.

I’ll come back to it another day.

I also like to switch up my genres. Since I read historical fiction, literary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, Appalachian fiction, nonfiction, self help and even fantasy, I can change genres to make sure every book is different than the last and feels fresh. It’s a form of palette cleansing.

Thanks to these habits, I guarantee that reading is part of my every day.

My goal this year is to read 100 books. Will I make it? Who knows and who cares? Meeting the goal isn’t the point at all. Neither is speeding through books so I can.

The point is to keep myself immersed in new worlds and with characters who teach me things and tell me stories. The goal simply keeps me reading and that’s all that matters.

I hit the clearance jackpot at Half Price Books last weekend, bringing home a large bag of books I am eager to read for just $3 each. Honestly, I’ve run out of shelf space again but I don’t care. I like to be surrounded by books – someone put imagination and clarity into their ideas so they could be bound up in pretty covers for others to enjoy.

Why wouldn’t I want them around?

I tend to think of my bookshelves like a wine cellar. You bring home a bottle of wine for the perfect occasion. I do the same with my books.

I will read them when the time is right.

There are some I revisit occasionally. Others I may never revisit in their entirety but will flip through them and read excerpts. They’re all here if I need them. Good friends, they are.

I’m at 59 books for the year and it’s only June so I’m a little ahead of schedule. I’m adventuring a lot less this year to pay for my bathroom remodel so there’s more reading time.

I’ve enjoyed most everything I’ve read this year and that’s the whole point. I’ve DNF’d a few – that’s reader talk for “Did Not Finish.” Every book isn’t for everyone so I pass on the ones I know I won’t want to revisit later.

People act like reading and physical books are dead but I beg to differ. There are lots of bookish events, literary festivals, Facebook groups, and bookstores packed with folks happy to browse and talk books.

I saw a literal fight break out in a readers group on Facebook the other day over audio books. The question was whether audio books count as reading. When I say fight, I mean that if we were in the same room, there would have been a switch blade and some hair pulling involved.

Yikes.

Do audiobooks count? Once again, does it really matter? When I consume a book via audiobook, I always clarify that I listened to it. I do think there’s a difference between reading words on a page and listening to someone tell you a story. When my mother read to me and I listened, I wasn’t reading.

But the consumption of books and ideas is the most amazing thing in the world, if you ask me. And if you prefer to listen or need to listen instead of hold the book, I think that’s terrific. Do that.

No need for a fistfight in the girls’ room.

And I hope that if you are a reader you are also a person who shares book recommendations with friends and, especially with non-readers who need a reason to get excited enough about a story to read or listen for themselves.

It’s never too late to get excited about reading!

So I’ll keep pushing through my endlessly growing stacks. At the rate I’m going, I have enough unread books to keep me entertained for the better part of three years.

But don’t worry. I still brake for bookstores and will continue offering a safe space for all those homeless, friendless books on the shelves.

Are you a reader? Tell me about your preferences when it comes to books and reading! This is a judgment free zone (unless you dog ear) and all are welcome. There will be no fistfights over audiobooks on my watch!