For the Love of Reading

In addition to watching way too much television at night, I have also picked up another hobby of mine.

Reading.

Well, maybe it isn't actually a hobby, but a past time?

Regardless, I'm reading again, and I'm loving it.

The interest was revitalized by the Twilight Series of books.  I literally read through those faster than I could turn the pages. It was just the thing I needed to pull back in to the world of books. I read the whole set twice, right after each other and then started on the Harry Potter books.

It used to be that I never left the house without a book to read, and I'd often have more than one book on the go.  A small mass bound paperback to take with me when I was out and about, theme or genre didn't matter.  A fiction book.  And I always have a non-fiction historical book at arms length.

Why so many books at a time?

Have you ever read historical non-fiction?  It can tend to get a little dry.  So when I get sick of reading about which ever royal, president, prime minister or other notable person the book is about, instead of just putting the book away, I start reading fiction to ease my brain a bit.  And then after a few nights, I typically go back to the history book, rotating between the two of them for a few weeks until both or done.

It used to only take one week for me to read two books of average length simultaneously. Now I fall asleep too quickly.  Kids do that to you.

I have been consistently adding to a list on my CrackBerry books that I want to read.  And the list is starting to get long. So long in fact my husband it thinking about suspending the use of my debit card and blocking Amazon and Chapters from my computer.

Luckily he hates the computer and wouldn't know how to block sites anyway.  The debit card thing though, that could happen...

I have actually had so much fun reading that I was thinking of joining a book club.

A club where readers go to be with other readers and talk about characters and life experiences and drink wine.

But I don't like being told what to read. 

Or how long I have to read it. 

And I don't really like analyzing books so much it isn't even the same book I read in the first place.

So no book club for me.

It'll just be me and my book list for the next... well, I've got no time line.  Reading should be about escapism and connecting with characters.  It shouldn't feel like homework! So no rules!

Here is my book list to date.  They are in no particular order.  Books marked with a double asterisk are ones I have read already, but want to read again.I'm a sucker for reading books over and over again.

*Emma -Jane Austen
*Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum (this is a HUGE book) - William Shawcross
*Harry Potter books 4-7 (I will admit that I stopped half way through the fourth book and then the movies came out, and I never went back). - JK Rowling
*PS I Love You - Cecilia Ahern
*Twenty Something - Sophie Kinsella
*Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - Ree Drummond
*The Land Girls - Angela Huth
*The Stone Angel - Margaret Lawrence
*My Life in France - Julia Child
*The Ideal Wife - Gemma Townsend
**Bridget Jone's Diary - Helen Fielding
**The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding
*The Last of the Crazy People - Timothy Findley
*Diana - Andrew Morton (I'm on a Brit kick)
*Pride and Prejudiced - Jane Austen
*Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend - Christopher Moore
*The Host - Stephanie Meyer
*The first Sookie Stackhouse book, I can't remember the name or author right now.

Can you believe I have NEVER read a Jane Austen book?  I didn't realize this until yesterday when I was reading though my list.  I wonder if I've been missing anything...

I'm currently reading The Kings Speech by Mark Logue and just finished reading Mini Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella.  She cracks me up she does.  So much so that I have been banned from reading her in bed at night because my husband needs his beauty sleep. 

The King hasn't been cracking me up so much, but if you like bio-history books, you'll love this one.  So good. 

I should probably number the list.  Next time.

Do you have any books you could recommend?  I'm up for suggestions! 

Cheers!
Bookworm