Maybe it's the creative spirit in me, but I can get so immersed in a good book or a good song. I've always been that way, even as a kid. I remember in middle and high school, getting a new cd and listening to my favorite song over and over, not because I liked the song or wanted to sing it, but because it was so emotionally gripping that it felt like therapy to hear it. It's the same way with reading. If I'm reading a really good book, towards the end I always have this bittersweet anxiety because I want to know what happens but at the same time I'm already dreading parting with the characters.
I love, love, love to read but especially over the past few years it was one of those things that I could never seem to fit into a day. As a tired new mom, was I really going to spare precious moments of sleep to stay up later and read a book? When could I find time to do that when I was already up late pumping, washing bottles, and packing meals for the next day? Although with a child things are still ever-changing, this toddler stage we are now in has made it a lot easier than the infant stage to find some spare moments for me in a day.
Back at the beginning of the year, I decided that I was going to read more. I started putting a book in my Medela tote bag to read during my 30 minute pumping sessions and it was so much more fulfilling than "window shopping" on the internet every day. That sort of kick-started my want to read more, and I decided that instead of listening to the radio on the way to and from work [I have about a 35-45 minute commute each way] I was going to give audiobooks a try. I was hesitant at first because I remember my dad reading books on tape when I was a little kid because he had over an hour commute each way out into Amish country in Pennsylvania, and thinking it was soooo boring. Monotoned, robotic voices were my impression of audiobooks. But, I scoured Amazon and bought my first one, Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a good Sophie Kinsella book. I loved it and when I finished that book I immediately wanted to start another one. However, buying all of these audiobooks is not cheap. With a little research, I found out that our local library actually has a really large selection, especially between all of their branches. Free to get a library card, free to listen to audiobooks :)
So that's what I've been doing, and I have read 17 books so far this year, a couple on my Kindle but most audiobooks. It makes me feel very accomplished and also is pretty exciting when I test out a new author and find a love of their books. Technically I guess you could say that I'm listening to books instead of reading them, but I think the intention is still there and it certainly activates the mind and imagination more than terrible radio with commercials and ads every five seconds.
Find my Goodreads page through my Pages of Penrose tab and friend me so that we can follow along with each other!
