I like to read. It’s a habit picked up since my primary school days and continued through secondary school and college. It was only after I joined the work force and later became a mother, that reading was put on the back burner.
Occasionally when I did manage to pick up the odd book or two, I got into trouble. If the book is unputdownable, I’m done for. I have got to finish the book NOW. Even if it means serving Maggi Mee to the kids or letting the laundry languish in the washing machine.
So I read sparingly, fearful that the lack of discipline will rear its ugly head and mess up priorities. Then someone reminded me that as a writer, I must read and voraciously too. That woke me up. Since then I’ve returned to my first love.
In 2007, I set a target of reading 20 books a year. I ended up reading 25 books plus another three which I couldn’t finish. Last year, I didn’t manage such a good haul but I met the target of 20 books.
These included The Gift of Rain and Evening is the Whole Day. Both books have snared rave reviews in the press and The Gift of Rain was long-listed for The Booker. I enjoyed Tan Twan Eng’s debut novel and could see it being turned into a movie, a tear jerker at that. I cried four times while reading the book. My only grouse is that the first part of the book had too many references to Aikido, the martial art practised by the protagonist. It slowed down the pace considerably. My daughter couldn’t get through the first part. Though I told her to persevere and that she’ll be rewarded when she comes to the second part, she’s still not convinced to give it another shot.
Evening is the Whole Day is too literary for my taste. Preeta Samarasan really has a way with words but after a while the wonderful descriptions couldn’t compensate for the plodding turn of events.
I also read three of Cecilia Ahern’s books, taken from my daughter’s collection : If You Could See Me Now, PS I Love You and Rosie Dunne. Rosie Who? For the life of me I couldn’t remember a thing of what I read in this book. That’s how forgettable it is. The other two are slightly better.
I only read one classic in 2008 : Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It was a yellow, warped copy I picked up from the second-hand book bin and worth more than the money I paid for. It deserves its classic tag. Go read it if you haven’t. Janet Tay wrote about it and other little books with a big punch in The Star.
Here’s to another 20 books this year, maybe more.
i loves to read too! when i got my hand on a good book .. i won’t be able to put it down , which means few nights of sleepless nights in which all of this nights i would be reading until i fell asleep .. and the next day when i woke up and if i got nothing to do .. i reached for the book the first thing .. i read it when i eat , i bring it everywhere i go , even read in the toilet when i doing my business(LOL) ..
sometime i wonder whether this is a bad habit or not.. hehe
Hi Elaine, I do what you do too, right down to bringing the book into the toilet. If it is a bad habit, you know what they say about bad habits being hard to break
I aimed for 12 books last year, one book a month. I ended up reading more than 12 books, but only a fraction of that was from the monthly list I’d set out to read. Some of the read books were ebooks in my PDA.
This year, I’m aiming for a book every 2 weeks or so (very ambitious). For now, I have 3 partly-finished books from last year that I want to finish before starting on new books. Meanwhile, I’ve already finished one ebook. Looks like ebooks are easier to finish? It was a mystery featuring some canine detectives. Pulp reading …
Wishing you a happy writing and reading year, Lydia!
Hi Chet, pulp fiction is easier to race through, ya? I hope you’ll achieve your reading and writing target. I think I have to make mine 24 a year, two books a month.
i love to read too, but i never had time to do so. academic text books always come in the way. haih.
but your entry inspires me, i want to read more, and i think i can slot some times for other fiction/non-fiction books. i want to aim for 6 books this year, 1 book for every 2 months. should be good enough, since i only managed to read 3 books in 2008.
happy reading, lydia!
Jazlin, good on you. Six books sound like an achievable target, and it’s double what you read n 2008. Here’s an idea, carry a book with you always, so when you’re waiting for someone or something (bus, train), you can read to while away the time.
good luck, lydia! i’ve slowed down to a snail’s pace and am finding i have to put some non-fiction into my diet or i get literary constipation!
we all have different tastes, but it’s good that you are willing to try a wide range of books
i aim for a book a week but my reading is constantly interrupted by other things i have to look at
Bib, ‘literary constipation’ – that’s a nice one. A book a week sounds reasonable for you, but if I were to target that number, I probably have to learn speed reading first.
Lydia: I cram reading into my lifestyle no matter where. Yes even sitting on the ‘throne’. Waiting in the car. Waiting for friends at cafes. Advert time on TV (helps if you mute the Astro during the long commercial breaks).Have books all over. Have ebooks in your pen drive and in the PC. Slot 20 mins per day to read a real book. Of course it helps that i can read on car journeys without feeling sick. I have not kept count of the number of books I read in 2008 but it’s a mix of business books, fiction and histories.
Maya, sounds like you’re a book addict! It’s great how you slot reading into pockets of time. I wish I could read in a moving vehicle without getting dizzy.
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