For no other reason than curiosity, I've kept a list of the books I've read since 2006. I think when I started this list I wanted to keep a very detailed record of how long each book took to read, average pages read per day, and how long a book would sit on my shelf before I read it. Now, I just write down what I finish each month.
Having kids really put a dent in my reading time, but with Thomas I tried a new technique that worked so very well: when he woke at night (at 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m, etc.), I'd come to him with love, a light, and a book. Instead of begrudging the time I spent with him, I'd nurse him back to sleep and read. It solved the triple problem of me seething in the dark about how the evening was me time and this baby was cramping my style, of me falling asleep at 9 pm. and being depressed and disorganized the next day, and my impatience at getting up before Thomas was fully asleep again.
It's how I read 61 books last year! It includes Freedom and The Marriage Plot and other real literature, some parenting books, random non-fiction for whatever topic I'm studying, and some mindless drivel. I don't include curriculum/activity books in this list, nor do I include the read-aloud books, although on some days I feel as though my seventh reading of A Fly Went By is worth some note.
Also, sometime in 2010 I completely stopped buying books.* I know this isn't a big deal for many, but for me (and apparently my family - ahem, Kimberly, ahem) it is a big deal. Books are a comfort, a friend, a memory of times past and a promise of future fun. We just didn't have the extra funds nor space for the book collection I'd like. And we really like our librarians.
*Save the very occasional book here or there which I couldn't find at the library. I can think of three off-hand. Kevin still buys a scattering books, especially after he's paid the bills and is making his monthly depression-induced music purchases. This also doesn't include children's books, which we mostly find from the thrift store.
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