Goodreads emailed me last week, reminding me how far behind I am in this year’s reading challenge. I’m unlikely to catch up, but I should try to read something. I even bought a book last month. Yet the dust on my kindle would make you think I unearthed it from an archeological dig.
I like reading with its long, deep, and slow process of mentally processing a story or topic. I especially love taking in books via an eReader like my kindle. Books are super simple. Words! Text! And of course, ideas or events with people at the center. I like words; I write them. So what's my reason for depriving myself of a good read?
Well, reading takes time. And I've been spending my time on other things. One is...reading! But not books. I've been reading blogs, news articles, posts, and social media. That's all short and medium stuff that adds up and robs me of long-form reading time.
I've also endeavored to read through The Book of Books (The Bible) in a year. That's not short-form! But I confess: I'm about a month behind, or around 42% through. Now my goal is just to reach 50% — talk about lowering the bar, eh?
Also, I've been gaming. That's been my biggest past-time I think. I'm talking about long console RPGs, not casual phone games. Xenoblade 1 and 3, Tears of the Kingdom, and the never-ending Animal Crossing. Yep. Nintendo!
There's also watching. I've enjoyed a few movies here and there and have consumed quite a bit of YouTube videos. There's entertainment, sure, but also educational stuff.
Lastly, of course, I've been web-surfing, blogging, and social-networking.
That's the short of it. All these things pile on the clock. At some point I've got to get back into reading a good book. I have a few at the top of my to-read list, which helps. I know that, eventually, my kindle will grace my hands once again as I re-embrace the wonderful magic of reading.