Time to read? Always

A classmate of mine from library school* wrote a post a couple of days ago about being too busy to read, over at her blog, Biblioblond. I was working on a comment in response to her question about where I find time to read in my (at times) hectic schedule, and it got way too long to really be left as a comment, so I figured I’d transcribe it and expand on it here.

There have been many points in my life when I’ve thought that I am too busy to really give reading as much time and consideration as it deserves from an avid reader and (aspiring public) librarian. Especially as a student, I sometimes felt guilty about picking up non-school-related reading when I knew I had required reading to do, or other things that were piling up. My easiest recourse to that is to claim (truthfully) that I use reading as an escape. If I’m feeling stressed, or starting to get antsy/annoyed/depressed/anything but my usually outgoing and optimistic self, there is no cure better than spending 10 minutes, an hour, a day with a good book.

But, of course, there are times when that is just not feasible. The end of school term, or when outside projects are nearing completion and require extra time, or when I’ve taken on too many commitments, just to name a few. In such cases, I have to admit, I feel lucky that I read as much as I do. As an avid bookworm (I read well over 100 books in the 15 weeks I worked in Ottawa, as one example of many), I have a bookshelf full of old favourites to turn to. These are books that are guaranteed enjoyment, especially when I start to feel swamped by other parts of my life.

This is both a good thing and a bad- I get to reread my long-time favourites, often discovering nuances that I never noticed before, noticing subtext that often can directly apply to something that I have recently experienced. It also allows me to direct less of my attention to the reading, as I am already familiar with the characters, plot, etc. and be able to fully immerse myself into the world the author has created without any serious effort. I can get more guaranteed relaxation out of these books than I can out of most new books, no matter how much I may end up enjoying them when I have the time to read.

However, it means that I also fall into the trap of not getting a chance to read some of the great books that are recommended to me. Spending too much time reading Pride and Prejudice or Anne of Green Gables or Harry Potter means that I sometimes miss out on The Immortal Nicholas Flamel or any number of other fantastic books until well after everyone else has finished them and has moved on. (The good part about that is I often don’t have to wait as long to get the books when I request them from the library!)

So, I tend to save the well-worn favourites for really relaxing downtime- like right before bed (unless I’m really engrossed in something different)- and use other kinds of downtime to read new books.

I have a few times of day that work especially well for reading new books: I read on the bus, any time I can, or while waiting at the bus stop. If I’m home alone, I read while cooking/eating meals, while waiting for content to upload to my mp3 player, pretty much any time I don’t have something going on that requires my hands/eyes.

I also borrow a lot of audiobooks from the library, buy them, or download free ones when I can. This means I can still experience the story while doing activities that otherwise preclude reading- while driving, washing dishes, dusting/cleaning, raking leaves (and with the yard I have to rake, trust me, it’s well worth the time!), standing in a crowded bus, walking to or from work/school/bus/metro or any one of a myriad of other tasks. Now, I wouldn’t exactly promote listening to some really in-depth book that requires all of your attention while driving, as that’s not safe. But there are audiobooks out there that are ideal for (especially long) car rides.

While I haven’t found audiobooks to be the ideal format for all books- some are just easier for me to digest when I have the actual written word in front of me, like really technical books, or ones with lots of details that are important for the further understanding of later chapters- there are a lot of them that are great. I’ve found that biographies and fiction works are especially good. And some of the people who narrate the books are fascinating and engaging to listen to- Edward Hermann, for example, narrated a recent Einstein biography, and Lynn Redgrave narrated Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart.

If I’m really busy, or end up with very little of the right kind of time, sometimes it takes a long time to get through a book. For example, I started reading Wikinomics (I know, I know, it’s old news now, but I am still finding int interesting) a couple of weeks ago, and have had to renew it once already because I haven’t had time to sit down and read a lot in the last little while. But, in the end, no matter how long it takes to get through a book, I’ve always found the time spent to be worthwhile.

In essence, my answer to Amanda’s questions (Do you always make time to read a good book even when you’ve got lots of other commitments? When and where do you find time to read?) is that, if it’s important to you, you will always make time to read, even if it’s just a little at a time. And there is always time to read. No matter how busy you are.

*well, she’s a second year student now, and we never actually had classes together, but we were both pretty involved in the school’s student activities.