So, I have this unyielding passion for reading. When I was in pre-school, I remember how badly I wished I could read -- my Mom would read to me each day, but I wanted desperately to know how to do it myself. Once I was in Kindergarten, we started learning how to read -- and man, was I ever stoked. I couldn't wait to read on my own, and like the dweeb that I am, I raced through the reading assignments we were given.
Once I figured it out, the proverbial floodgates opened. I'd read for hours each day -- American Girl books, Nancy Drew novels, Boxcar Kids, Babysitter's Club...anything I could get my hands on, I read. I became a total pain in the butt for my parents, too: I recall pushing back many a bedtime so I could keep reading, and then secretly reading under the covers with the help of a flashlight. (And Mom, you were probably right about that giving me astigmatism. My bad!) I also remember times when I was feeling particularly manipulative - so when prompted by my parents to do something other than read (and I had to have been reading for hours upon hours for them to say this), I'd raise an eyebrow and coolly say "That's fine; I'll just go watch TV instead."
That usually got them to back off and let me keep reading.
Since I finished grad school, one of my greatest pleasures has been the fact that I can, once again, read for fun. I don't have to pick up academic literature, and I can devour as much historical fiction (Phillippa Gregory and Michelle Moran: can we hang out? Call me!), non-fiction (Rebecca Skloot, Elizabeth Gilbert, Nick Kristof, and Daniel Pink: I lurve you guys), and comedy (David Sedaris, no one has the power to make me simultaneously guffaw and weep like you do) as I want. I've been known to get all giddy at the mere prospect of going to the library and checking out new books to read.
So, with all that back story, I practically jumped out of my "My, this is remarkably ergonomic; are we sure this is government property?" desk chair when a colleague told me about GoodReads.com. It's like Pandora (also awesome), but with books: you rate what you've read so far, and it gives you recommendations based on what you liked (Julie & Julia, you'll always hold a special place in my heart) and didn't like (The Virgin Blue, I'll never forgive you for traumatizing me the way you did).
The good part: this makes me want to do a happy dance. I can finally keep track of all the things I want to read, without emailing myself random missives like "NPR gave (insert book title here) a good review" that then get lost in the ether of my inbox!
The bad part: between this and Pinterest, I might never again see the light of day. Those two sites might just combine forces to ensure that I never leave my laptop. Addiction City, here I come. Leave the light on for me, would ya?
I'm a bit of a reading freak myself. I'm currently reading "Anything" by Michael Baron.
ReplyDeleteI officially own a Nook, which makes carrying around ten books at once a whole lot lighter. :]