We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now into our sixth year!
This month, we are talking about how we read, whether it's the format of the book, where we do our reading, any reading habits we have, etc.
We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.
I came up with this topic when thinking about my reading habits and routines. I think a friend had asked me how I'm able to get any reading done during the week, especially with a job and kids. My kids are teenagers now, so they entertain themselves. However, I was able to get in a lot of reading even when they were little.
After I had my second child, I learned how to multitask books. I had a couple due at the library at the same time, so I decided to read them at the same time, spending different times of day on each of them so as to not get them mixed up. This skill came in handy when I started reading ebooks shortly after CLC took off. I'd spend some parts of my day reading the ebooks and some parts reading print books. The ebooks were originally just on my Kindle for PC, so I could only read those at home. I took a print book to work to read at lunchtime. I also only read print books on Shabbat and Jewish holidays that are observed similarly to Shabbat, since we don't use electronics. I eventually got a Kindle Paperwhite (in 2015) and started changing when I read on that vs. print. Like I would use my Kindle while exercising when I used to read print during that time. (Yes, I read while on the treadmill.)
In 2016, I started listening to audiobooks on my commute to and from work, as well as during the workday if I was doing a mundane task like stuffing envelopes. (My older son thought that was the only thing I did at work.) With this new medium, I was able to read three books at a time! This went on until early 2020, with the pandemic keeping me at home most of the time. I couldn't just sit and listen and I would get more distracted with everyone else in the house. So I basically gave up audiobooks. I miss the experience of reading that way.
As mentioned before, I read during my morning workout. I also read during breakfast and lunch. Sometimes I'll read in the evening if I need to settle my mind or if I'm really absorbed in a book. I also get in about 20 minutes each morning while my youngest is getting ready for school. And I often read a lot during Shabbat each weekend.
I have a system for deciding which books to read next, at least in print: My five book pile (this is the latest one featured at my Bookstagram). Every time I take a book off the pile, I add another one to the bottom. Sometimes I deviate from the pile if I have a library book, something from book club, or something I really have to read right away (such as the T.J. Klune book I got a couple weeks ago). For my Kindle queue, I keep a list in email and continuously re-send it to myself. Sometimes I'll deviate from that list for blog tours or if something else comes up that I need to read right away.
In regard to where and how I read, I'm happiest on this one cozy chair in my living room. (When my daughter isn't "stealing" it from me. 😂) There's a lamp right next to it and a bookshelf on the other side. I usually have a soft blanket and some water or tea. This is usually how I read on Shabbat, since I'm at the kitchen table during the times I read at breakfast and lunch. However, I'll also read over there on weeknights when I'm in the mood. I got my husband back into reading before the pandemic started, so he's been at it for a while now. I'm glad because he doesn't complain when I'm reading on Shabbat and sometimes he'll be the one saying "one more page."
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| My cozy reading nook |
For a very long time, the only way I’d read a book consisted of holding a “real” book in my hands. I’d heard something about this thing called an eReader, but I was a die-hard book fan. I needed to feel the paperback or hardcover in my hands, and if the pages produced that coveted paper smell, even better.
But times change, and with it, I had to compromise a little. So many of the books I review for Chick Lit Central are sent to me in an epub or mobi file. I have a Kindle reader, and I can’t imagine where I’d be without it. I take it everywhere with me. It’s small enough to fit in my purse, so if I’m sitting in a waiting room or in the car or in any situation where I have to wait for someone (or something), I can read whatever I have loaded up on my Kindle.
Where I get the bulk of my reading done is in bed–if I wake up in the middle of the night and have a tough time getting back to sleep, I read. When I’m officially up for the day, I’ll take some time to read, and I almost always get some reading done when I go to bed, too. Holding the Kindle is a lot easier for me to do in bed than balancing an actual book–I do a lot of side lying and turning pages can get a little awkward with a paperback or hardcover.
One of my favorite places to read is outdoors, and although I don’t get to do that as often as I like to, sitting under the gazebo in my backyard is a very relaxing, enjoyable experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s on Kindle or any other form–the fresh air and sounds of the neighborhood and nature adds a nice ambiance to my reading experience.
How do YOU read?
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