This summer, I challenged myself to read at least eight books.
Why eight? The summer reading program at my library rewards you with one raffle ticket for every four books you read, and I thought that achieving two entries would be a lot more impressive than earning one lone chance at the grand prize. Confession: I’m not actually sure what the prize is, but I like a good challenge.
You might think reading volumes would be an easy feat for me, as a writer and editor, but think again. To give you some perspective, I read a total of only ten books in 2015. Although I’m a self-proclaimed book lover, I can’t read an entire book in one sitting or even in one day; I need time to digest, time to walk around, time to process. I’m the person who won’t watch a movie all at once either, but instead view it in installments, like a TV series.
Maybe it’s also because I read and write for a living that spending my free time with words doesn’t always feel like free time anymore.
Either way, the challenge was even harder than I thought.
Here’s why.
I’ve become a deliberate reader, and deliberate reading takes time. While I am not yet the person who uses sticky tabs and marginal notes while reading for pleasure, I do need time to ponder.
I always have a large pile of books I intend to read, looming large on my nightstand, encouraging me to read faster so I can get to all of them, but I never do. Even now, none of those are the books I read for the summer reading program. How could I take on The Odyssey in such a short span of time?
The books I did choose to read this summer are as follows: Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass, missed connection and Unrequited, both by Meggie Royer, Ellie’s Story by Bruce Cameron, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, Felicity by Mary Oliver, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, and Land of Enchantment by Leigh Stein.
I really did try my hardest to squeeze in my reading time to accomplish that list. I read the Mary Oliver book on a weekend train ride. I read Ellie’s Story for one of my tutoring students, usually at a table in the back of a crowded library. I read Land of Enchantment late at night before bed, because even though I was tired, I couldn’t put it down.
Even with all the cramming, I wouldn’t say I absorbed nothing from my summer reading plan. I did take away a few things and slowed down where it was important. For example, I didn’t want to speed through the new Harry Potter book; I wanted to revisit my childhood and spend as much time there as I desired, with a “do not disturb” sign hung on my door. That dream didn’t really happen. I actually finished Harry Potter and The Cursed Child in under a week (impressive!).
But this is what I learned most of all about the challenge: it’s not worth it. While I don’t know yet if I won the summer reading raffle (stay tuned), I think I’d forgo the feeling of victory if it meant a more enjoyable reading experience.
If I read something but didn’t remember the content, did I really read it?
