The Day I Shared My Secrets

So yeah, I read a lot.  And one of the things I'm often asked is how do I read so much?  I have a full-time job and a family, and somehow I'm still at over 90 books read this year.  The truth is that I don't actually know how I fit them all in myself, but here's what I've noticed about my own reading habits.

1. I start and end my day by reading.  I'm the slowest person to wake up in the world, but I typically fall asleep with my book in bed or my Kindle in hand (or under my pillow, and yes, once on my face, but that hurt and woke me up).  When I wake up, typically I don't want to move, so I set my alarm a little earlier than I actually need to be out of bed, and I slowly accept my fate with a few quick pages.

2. I tend to do routine things while reading.  I'm the only one awake when I get up.  So I can brush out my hair or pull on some pants and socks while knocking out a paragraph or two.  This works throughout my day.  I can fold laundry and read at the same time.  It doesn't take my full attention to put two purple socks together.  There is a semi-famous (around my friends and family that is) picture of me reading and washing dishes at the same time.  Sure, there are some things you have to look at to do right, like scrub a pot or put on mascara (darn you, makeup!).  But something routine like rinsing a plate?  The movements are mechanical, so why not get a short paragraph in?

3. I've learned to read in short increments.  Sometimes I get my 30 minute lunch break to read.  Sometimes I get 5 minutes and then a student walks in to talk to me.  My daughter wants to read books all on her own, and then she wants me to build a city with her out of blocks.  Sometimes there's nobody in the workroom while I'm making copies, and then someone walks in and says hi.  I get in paragraphs when I can.  It's like exercise.  It adds up.  But along with that...

4. I have come to terms with mid-chapter pauses.  No, I take that back.  I'm learning to embrace mid-chapter pauses, which sounds crazy.  Who wants to stop in the middle of a page?  But the thing is, I have a job and a kid and a husband.  When 6:45 rolls around and I have to leave for work, or my daughter needs me to color with her, it is my job to put the book down, even if Miss Marple has only just arrived on the scene.  This used to bug me (not the coloring, but the sense of incompleteness), but here's the little advantage that I think it gives me: when I come back to the book later, I'm starting in the middle of the action.  I feel like my reading paces itself more quickly because I'm eager to return to that cliffhanger I left for myself.

5. I always have a book on my Kindle.  This is actually how I often end up reading multiple books at once.  I actually don't like reading multiple at once because it slows my reading pace per book down, especially when the two books are similar.  But having a book lined up on Kindle means that I always have a book I can access on my phone - even if I forget my book.

Those are the first five I've noticed, but definitely going to keep track and keep adding tips!