Thursday, March 8, 2012

How do you find the time to read?

It's Literary Blog hop time, hosted by The Blue Bookcase. This month they ask:

How do you find time to read? What's you're reading style? Where do you think reading literature should rank in society's priorities?

First up, how do you find time to read? 
Since graduating college the majority of my reading has happened on public transportation. Commuting is not my favorite thing but at least it gives me a nice, (mostly) uninterrupted stretch of reading time. Plus a good book is a wonderful way to pretend I'm not squished between people of questionable hygiene in some metal tube. When I wasn't regularly commuting I had to work harder to find time to read, but that just meant reading instead of watching TV or playing on the internet or whatever else I could be doing. But I don't force myself to read. I don't want it to be a chore and if I'm not in the mood, I don't beat myself up over it.

What's your reading style? 
Umm left to right, typically.
If C-C at the Blue Bookcase hadn't already answered, I probably would have left my response at that cos I wasn't really sure what it's asking. I'm still not entirely sure. I don't like to write in books so I'm not making notes or underlining passages. At least not in physical books. I underline in my Kindle. I read for enjoyment, so I'm not normally reading something with a certain criticism style in mind or investigating every detail for a hidden meaning. I majored in English so I think I may just do some of that because it's what I spent all that time training to do, but it's not a conscious decision before picking up a book. It doesn't mean I'm just reading to escape, or I won't give deeper thought to things. It's just not my primary intention.

Where do you think reading literature should rank in society's priorities?
This is an odd question. Are we counting things like stable economy, effective government, etc as part of society's priorities? Cos if so, while I LOVE reading, it's going to come near the bottom of that list. I want to make sure I'm alive and well and safe enough to do all that reading I want to do. However, if we're talking about our society's (and I mean the society of people who have an internet connection, the times, the means, the resources to read a book blog) entertainment priorities, then I think reading literature is up there. I love reading because it lets me look at the world in so many different ways, from so many different point of views and I think seeing the world in different ways is important for the individual and for society as a whole. Or else you grow stagnant and boring. And while I may enjoy some realty TV (damn you Hoarders), reading is still a priority. Which is why I normally read WHILE watching Hoarders. Multitasking, people.

So what do you think? How do you find time to read? What's your reading style? Where does reading lit fall in terms of society's priorities?