I don't really. But once, a good friend of mine, when her husband asked if I'd read anything recently, interjected, "Sarah haaates reading." So now I laugh about that all the time. See, even though I don't hate reading, I really don't do a lot of it. I like to think that I don't have time, but really, I just choose to do other stuff with my free time: cooking, shopping, and more TV than I like to admit.
Most of the reading I did this year was while on an airplane, usually after trying to find the worst item in the Sky Mall catalog. Considering how many hours we spend on flights and in airport lobbies, it's embarrassing how few books I read. Ready for it? Four. Maybe four and a half if you count the one that took me two years to read - yeah, I started in 2012. Plus, two were in January, so that means it took me eleven months for the other two. Five months per book? Like I said, a little embarrassing, but Psych was not going to watch itself. Want to know what they were? Without further ado, here is my meager book list for the year:
1. The Sibling Effect, Jeffery Kluger
This book was just up my alley. The book looks at the effect sibling relationships, birth order, and family dynamics can have. Entertaining antidotes are mixed in with scientific findings and theories. It was impossible not to compare what I read to my own family dynamics and have a few "That's why my sister is the way she is" revelations. I was rather sad when this book ended, partially because it was so enjoyable and partially because I had nothing else to do in the middle of an eight hour car ride in South Africa.
2. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
A friend and the nurse at the travel clinic (where I had to get FOUR shots) recommended this book, so I figured I should give it a chance. None of what I read were "new" books, so this is probably all old news anyways. It's a historical tale about a man and his twin brother who are raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the time Emperor Selassie was overthrown. The main character is a doctor, so that should have been a sign this might not have been a good book for me. I can barely stand to get a shot without holding someone's hand, so I definitely skipped a few of the scenes that were too graphic for this weak stomach and sheltered heart to handle. (I think I got the recommendation in the first place because I said something to the nurse like, "I'm really not good with shots and made my mom hold my hand last time even though I'm almost 30 and she's not here so can you just keep talking to me so I'm distracted?" all in one breath. And then we talked about books.) So, too much medical detail for me, but I'm glad I didn't quit though because I started during our trip to Africa and was about halfway through once we reached Ethopia. Experiencing the place I was already familiar with through Verghese's descriptions was AMAZING. I was able to explain cultural practices to Jason as we explored Addis based on what I absorbed from the book. Hopefully he didn't get too tired of me repeating, "That's in my book!"
2. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
The half book I read was False Economy by Alan Beattie, but I actually can't even remember if I finished it so it doesn't get a picture. I'm an economist and while it was interesting at the time, it wasn't interesting enough to remember now, so that's probably telling you something. You have to really like economics to like this book is what it's saying. Also it's saying I need to read more interesting books. Sounds like I have my New Year's Resolution.
Looks like you read more books than me this year!
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