Reading on the road

WARNING: If you haven't figured it out already by the title, this is going to be a nerdy post about books and my reading habits with a few references to CBC.

8 months ago my night stand would usually have had between 3-5 books on it. Therefore, my Thunder Bay Library account would have 3-5 books checked out and I would also have 3-5 books on hold. That being said, I would often have to be at the library either returning books or picking up books at least once/week.

I didn’t necessarily read all the books I checked out. Sometimes I would only get to sign a book out for a week (as someone else had it on hold) and as a fairly slow reader, I don’t often finish a book in a week.  Sometimes I just got bored with the book. I once read that if you read a book a specific number of pages (100 subtract your age) and the book hasn’t drawn you in, you move on to another book. So although I didn’t read exactly 60 pages (100 – my age) to decide if I was going to keep going, I definitely didn’t try to plough through books that I wasn’t enjoying.

For the list of books I wanted to read, I relied (and still rely) on recommendations from friends, CBCbooks, CBC radio programs and book club. I started out just keeping an excel spreadsheet of the “books I have read” and “books I want to read” but then someone introduced me to the social media site Goodreads and so I let that site take over my database (plus I get to see what my Goodreads friends are both reading and rating which often further adds to my “to read” list).

However, reading on the road (like most everything on the road) has changed my previous routine.

Now I typically use my ereader which takes up way less space than 3-5 books on a nightstand.  Prior to the trip, I received some KOBO gift cards so I used them to purchase some books from my “to read” list. However, because I actually bought the books (and only have a limited number of them), I now feel pressured to actually finish them even if I am not that into them. I also stop at most Little Lending Libraries and have been to a few thrift stores to check out their used book collections as well (especially if the thrift store proceeds go to a cause like a local animal shelter). With limited space, I usually only keep 2 actual books on hand. I never find books on my “to read” list at little lending libraries or thrift stores so the books I do get are kind of hit and miss over whether I enjoy them (although I do have an easier time giving up on them if they aren't good as they were either free or less than $2 – that went to charity).

And surprisingly, I am not reading as much as I was before the trip (I initially thought I would be reading at least a book a week). And maybe it is not surprising because now I am trying to get through a book that I am not always loving. I also think I am doing more writing than reading.  And not that I am a "writer" but I have a journal where I write daily on where we are and what we have been doing. And then of course the blog posts (which I have been tending to write the majority - I think because I like it!). And then keeping in touch with family and friends with emails rather than texts as I no longer have a cell phone (and my emails tend to be a lot longer than my texts were).

However, looking back on my Goodreads "read" books, I have read some good books on the road.  So if you aren't on Goodreads to have seen what I have rated a 4 or 5 recently, here are a few I have enjoyed on this trip:

Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives with Memory Loss (by Jann Arden)

I am (and have always been) a huge fan of Jann Arden. Initially it was her music that drew me in (I Would Die For You, Insenstive) and then after seeing her perform live, it was her humour and honest storytelling on stage. Now add to that her ability to share her life through writing probably as a way to not only deal with what she is/was going through with but also to help other people relate to the challenges and feel that they are not alone in the challenge.

Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid (by Jessica Alexander)

This book gave me a whole new perspective on where my money is going if I am donating to a charitable organization. But since it is told from one person’s perspective and her experience,it kept the book flowing really nicely because you were following a personal story (and she told it quite well).

The Ghost Keeper (by Natalie Morrill)

This was a good little lending library find. A heartbreaking but beautifully told historical fiction book about a Jewish family in Austria in World War 2.