Thursday, December 11, 2008

Booking Through Thursday--World Enough and Time

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

I may have been in an enviable position: I used to have exactly the time I wanted to read. The weather was warm, my husband worked a job which involved 15-hour shifts on the weekends, and I'd come home from work, do what needed to be done, grab my book, and head off for an afternoon's reading in the pool. When there was no difference between me and a prune, I'd go back inside the house, do a few more things, grab something to eat and then go back to my book for a couple more hours. I was reading a book per day, or at the least every other day.

Now Denis has a different job. No more 15-hour shifts on the weekends, and we're spending a lot more time together. The pool water is too chilly for me to indulge, and I'm spending more time in the house where I can hear these tiny voices saying, "You really shouldn't be reading, you should be taking care of me!" or "Didn't you say you were going to get me done months ago?" Although I love my husband dearly and I truly enjoy our home, my reading time has been drastically curtailed, and I'm beginning to feel grumpy.

If the Book Fairy tapped me with her wand and I had world enough and time to read, I would dive into my TBR shelves with abandon. Since all reading to me is comfort reading, there isn't one specific genre to which I'd turn. There are mystery series that are calling my name (both familiar and new-to-me ones), a biography of a pirate, a multi-generational historical saga that I've been reading for years, a couple of books about old houses that have been lived in for centuries.... I'd dive in and never look back!

If you'd like to participate in this fun meme, or just read more responses, click on the Booking Through Thursday logo at the top of this post!

9 comments:

  1. Loved your answer. I can relate. When my husband visits his mother and I stay behind, I seem to have so much more time to read!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well said and exactly why I enjoy being home alone sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! Reading a book a day! Where can I find that Book Fairy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. When we go to the beach, I usually read a book a day - it must have something to do with the water.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I usually read two hours over breakfast every morning, taking my time and sitting at the sunniest spot at my neighborhood coffee shop. (It's San Francisco...everyone has their coffee at the cafes). Then I'll slip in some reading time when no students come for office hour. I'll read a bit more at home in the evening since I don't watch much TV.

    When I go on vacation, I might be able to inhale a book every two days!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You went from reader luxury to book deprivation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for visiting my blog! My husband to be is training to be a doctor so I imagine that I will have a few Christmas days that I will spend reading in the future! Hope you have a lovely Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for visiting my blog! I also read a variety of genres. Which pirate's biography is in your TBR pile?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mervi, the biography is A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer by Diana Preston.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!