Saturday, August 13, 2011

Does your reading change with the seasons?

I know some people read more in the summer. School is out. Vacations are scheduled. The days are longer and life seems to slow down. But soon, summer turns to fall and life gets in the way of our reading time.

Practices, potlucks, meetings, conferences, Lord help me, even snow. Time slips by and before you know it, we're facing Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, spring break, Easter, graduation. Only THEN can we relax with summer and break into the pile of books that has been slowly growing over the past months.

I'm totally the opposite.

I'd much rather read during the dark days of fall and long, chilly nights of winter. What else am I going to do, shovel? (*snortchuckle*)

I find myself wishing I had more time to read in the summer, but I make myself feel better by slowly creating an All-Star TBR list. Not just those token books I've picked up over the years that I think I might one day read. No, the biggies. The ones everyone has talked about all summer. The ones I haven't gotten to read because I'm still trying to get through Game of Thrones there are too many other fun things going on. Barbecues. Swimming in the lake. Getting together with friends. Running outside. Bonfires. Walking the dog. Soaking up the Vitamin D. Mowing the lawn. Weeding the garden. Playing.

I'm biding my time until two things happen. A) I finish GoT [only 320 pages left *facepalm*], and B) I can declare it fall. The sooner those two things happen, the sooner I can tackle my All-Star list, which is suspiciously filled with recent YA novels and one sentimental cozy murder mystery.

I. Cannot. Wait.

I'd write more, but I have an adirondack chair outside, this monster book to get through, and one more hour until my evening begins.

9 comments:

  1. For moms reading slows down in the summer time. :)

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  2. I do read more during summer. The math is really simple. I only have time for 4 out of 5 elements during school:

    1) school
    2) work
    3) reading
    4) writing
    5) social life

    Most of the time #3 takes the hit. When I need a break from writing (or feel like being left alone), I suddenly find reading time!

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  3. Where I live, we only have two seasons: 1) completely unbearable swamp and 2) mildly pleasant swamp. I suppose the level of unbearability can lead to more time spent in beach chairs, and thus more reading time. Some years I actually wish I had some snow to drive me inside to the reading chair, but I'd probably just go outside and try to build a snowman anyway.

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  4. We are super similar! Most months I read from 4-10 books without trying TOO hard, but when summer hits my attention span takes a nose dive or something because I've barely finished 4 books in 3 months. It's horrible and I can't wait for fall so I can get back to it. It's not exactly that I'm too busy, it's that the summer months make me incredibly lazy.

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  5. @Sarah--good point. I imagine the full time job of "Mom" takes away from your reading time!

    @Claudie--makes sense to me! I remember being in school plus working FT plus trying to have a life. I almost never read for fun!

    @Scott--So you're saying it's swampy? ;) Trust me, the romanticism of snow fades quickly away when it comes down in 18 inch deposits.

    @Sommer--4-10 books a MONTH is amazing to me. I will be happy if I get to 10 this year! But I agree, I'm ready for fall (note: I'm *not* wishing away my summer!) just so I can justify sitting inside and reading!

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  6. @TL--Yes, because we need something to balance the beaches I guess. Too bad I can't trade you a few 95 degree/90% humidity days for a week or two of blizzard conditions :)

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  7. @TL- Reading is my go-to "thing" for when I'm stuck or frustrated or listless about my writing. So I read a lot.

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  8. I read whenever. I've never let the seasons dictate when I read or how much I read.

    Although, money sometimes dictates how much I read. :-) Because, let's face it, there aren't any half-priced bookshops or decent libraries in the sticks.

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  9. @Scott--you have yourself a deal! Give me humidity and swampiness and you take 2 weeks of blizzards. No give backs. ;) (What a silly phrase and yet, it reminds me so much of my youth.)

    @Sommer--Geesh. If that was the criteria I used for when I read, I'd be reading all the time. :) I'm winding back up into reading/writing mode though. I think I needed to get the craziness of summer behind me.

    @Linds--Do you have access to inter-library loan? You should be able to get any book sent to your local library. And I'm banning myself from HPB. I have SHELVES of books and should really think about downsizing. Le gasp!

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