It’s strange to write about this, especially for a reading blog but I just haven’t been able to find the time to comfortably sit down and get engrossed in a good book lately. I usually do my leisure reading late at night when the demands of parenthood and work ebb but certain events and commitments of the past few months have left me totally exhausted by the time I crawl into bed.
There are simple pleasures to be found in staying up to read till the wee hours of the morning, a luxury I haven’t had for a while now. The peacefulness of the night with only the sound of pages being turned. I miss how slumber embraces me as my eyes slowly close, blurring the words and sentences on the page and seeing them again as moving images in my mind as I fall asleep holding my book. Dreams that are inspired by my books – I love those ones the best because they show that my subconscious mind has made a connection with what I read.
Once in a while when reading, I head up to the attic tower and push open all the bay windows to give myself a 360° view: the old colonial Government Quarters on one side, the Grand Mosque and its minarets to the left and to the south, the steeple of a Methodist church. There is an abundance of natural light as the cool breeze blows gently into the attic, I pack my favourite pipe and puff away to the accompaniment of thick black coffee, giving the room a wonderfully rich smell of aromatic tobacco and coffee. A small reading lamp with its warm glow is switched on to set the pensive mood. It is a personal ritual I observe to slow time down and add just that much more pleasure to an already consuming passion. Where’s your favourite spot to read a good book? Do you have personal reading ‘rituals’ that you observe?
I may give the impression that I’m religiously meticulous about taking care of my books but the truth is far from it. I have half-read books in my car, shoved into the small space between the front seats and the center console; folded and crumpled inside my office briefcase by files and sandwich boxes and a few at home stacked under magazines and children’s storybooks. Those ones sadly, bear the marks of mischievous little hands holding pens and crayons.
I feign disgust and harangue those who mistreat their books. But I am guilty a hundred times over of the same infractions. In my books, I underline phrases that I fancy (using pen and ink, mind you), draw stars next to memorable paragraphs, dog-ear the top of pages to mark important ‘turning points’ in a book’s plot and the bottom corner to mark the page that I’m currently at. All this is not for a want of proper instruction in the care of books. I have caring parents who read, love and treasure books. I have even experienced an ‘intervention’ of sorts in boarding school when I got singled out for cruel and humiliating punishment (that story another day) after sleuthy work by the school library’s geriatric corps identified me as the culprit behind the folded pages and broken spines. Perhaps as a lesson to other parents with young children, it may be wise to ‘catch them when they’re young’ when it comes to inculcating the habit of reading and taking good care of books. I read somewhere that the time to start is when a child is between 4 and 12 years of age. My parents got me started around 13 so that may be a plausible explanation for my conflicted behaviour towards books!
It’s one thing to want to read but not have the time and another thing altogether trying to want to read. How can you start reading and turn it into a habit?
I’ve written before about my journey as a book reader. I started young and then stopped for many years; distracted by television, computer games and the internet. I call those my ‘lost years’ because of the lost opportunity to read and explore such a wide range of literary works that would no doubt have had a profound and positive effect on my intellectual growth as a teenager. I look back and remember my peers who read widely then and who today enjoy the advantages that come with reading – better analytical and reasoning skills, a richer vocabulary and the one quality that appeals to me the most – the ability to talk about interesting topics in any given situation. So the benefits of reading are unquestionable and I’m glad I realised that not too late in my life. There are ways to make this into a habit and this is how I did it -
1. Start a Reading Blog
I started by blogging about the books I read. And that motivates me to read more because I enjoy writing the reviews afterwards. It gives each book I read more value for money so to speak, because finishing a book isn’t the end of it. It doesn’t mean putting it on a shelf and seeing it collect dust. Penning my thoughts about and responses to what I read brings the book back to life and affords me a second chance to spot the finer details that I may have missed in the first reading.
As you can see here on this site, I have a page called the Monk’s Bookshelf where I list out all the books I’ve acquired or plan to acquire. I’ve made public my commitment to read those titles and by going public, I’m compelled to stick to my goals. It makes me feel accountable and more determined to continue reading.
2. Carry a Book Everywhere
I carry a book with me when I go out especially if I know I will have moments when I will be alone. There is always a book in my car or in my briefcase. I also make it a point to read when I’m at the airport or on the plane. You’ll be surprised at the amount of reading you can accomplish in those situations and that in itself is further motivation to read more.
3. Stop Coming Up with Excuses
One of the most common excuses I hear about not reading is “I can’t find the time!” (yes, I am aware of what I wrote in the first paragraph but read on, read on). My usual response to that is simple and direct. If you have the time to read newspapers, to watch tv, to surf the internet and to check your email, then surely you’ve got time to read. So stop making excuses. The hardest part about reading is picking the book up and being disciplined enough to read the first few pages. But if you are determined enough, there is a point in your reading when your mind stops seeing words and sees images instead. That’s when you know you’re truly reading and enjoying it. You’re in the zone!
As a point of interest, you may want to know that studies show that the internet and television impact negatively our ability to read in the traditional sense, ie. books. So yes, turns out your annoying mother was right. People who use the internet a lot tend to have lower concentration levels and are unable to read books without having mental interruptions. They tend to “skim” and look for quick information. See this link to the article on how internet use affects humans. So think about it and reduce your use of the internet. Get a book instead, it’s so much better for your brain.
Now back to my problem. I suppose I’ve just solved it by writing about it. In the end, it comes down to better time management. The time it took for me to write this piece, I could’ve read quite a few substantial chapters from any of the 4 books I’m currently reading. Which is another point I’d like to make – don’t get too ambitious about reading many books especially concurrently. In the end, it kills the spirit and takes the fun out of it. Seeing piles of half-read books lying around has that negative effect and I have on occasions felt like giving up. One book at a time.
And one more thing : As I’ve inadvertently demonstrated when I started writing this piece, never under-estimate the power of laziness to come up with excuses for not reading.
So, do I have the time to read? Yes, I do. Admit it, you do too.
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So, so true. Although my problem has never been not wanting to read, I have found myself going on massive book-buying sprees that raise my book-count alarmingly faster than I can read. The only time I used to find was at night – and by that time, I’d be dozing off after barely 5-10 pages. I figured at the rate I was going, I would have to take most of my books with me to the afterlife if I were ever to read them.
So, I have finally disciplined myself and set aside reading time. The time between returning from work and sitting down to dinner – time that was previously spent pfaffing around online – is now spent shut in my room, with instructions to the folks that “I’m not here, I’m wherever my book is taking me”.
I love that phrase you use – ” I’m not here, I’m wherever my book is taking me “. And when I pause to think about it, it captures perfectly the beauty of reading, doesn’t it?
I enjoy my reading midnite too… I try to ‘steal’ some time every nite right before I go to bed to read some of my favourite books.. A lot of time, I sleep with the book after just a short while of reading…but that’s ok, at least I try to read…
What you said is so true- that when you add up all those minutes, you would be surprise how much you could read… I like to carry a book everywhere I go too, I might just quickly steal that 10-15 minutes of waiting time to read some pages. Even though it’s just a short while, but I feel so satisfied able to read, and no time wasted.
In big city like KL, people actually spent lots of time travelling from one destination to another…bus…lrt…monorail..etc. In fact, that is a good time to read… But sad to observe that even in lrt, you can hardly see people reading. Most people prefer to stand in the lrt and playing games or surfing via their mobile phone, SMS etc… Those who manage to grap a seat in the lrt will be dozing off or some even pretending to sleep, so that when there is a senior citizen/pregnant woman who really needs a seat, they would not have to give away their seat. Out of 20 people that who is standing around you, perhaps there is only 2 persons holding and reading book… Some people just stand there doing nothing at all, the whole journey. If you travel by bus, most passengers would be sleeping, and hardly you’d see 1 to 2 souls reading.
Well, perhaps that’s the failure of our education system, do not cultivate enough reading habit among children and teenagers. So, we have to start doing our part by cultivating reading habits among our future generation. I do and I do hope all of us doing it too…
Unlike food, clothes and text messages – what you read stays with you forever. You don’t have to travel to far away places, you can read about them. Some books are so vivid in their descriptions we walk away with memories just as real as if we’ve actually visited those places.
I think teachers, educators, parents need to highlight these to young people, rekindle their sense of wonderment and curiosity so that they will want to pick up books and read them.
i must admit you’ve got quite a flair in writing, despite your profession. well, i’m just happened to be one of your audiences.
i think it is not so much of the act that we’ve ‘mistreat’ the books that we’ve read. to me, more importantly, would be the attitude, of maybe respecting books. i do underline (highlighting with the brightest fluorescent green duh) sometimes i add illustrations, it’s the artistic side of me yearning a chance to put on a show ==” but! i’ve never considered myself as mistreating the book, i say, i’ve aid the books that i read to serve their full purpose.
one thing, to books that i read recently, i could hardly even say i mistreat them. the electronic books allow me to scribble the pages as i like, post numerous sticky notes and maybe add colours and illustrations. the best part, i could just erase all and hand the book’s dignity over once i’ve finished.
i went book shopping the other day, once in a million years i guess, cause …. the books are just TOO expensive. these are the printed editions, the conventional way of reading. and so, for the vampire box set i bought, i could almost offer it on an altar. i’ve finished reading the story some time ago, and the newly bought ornament is for COLLECTION…. therefore, it remains wrapped nicely in plastics and sits on the book shelf, as if to declare on my behalf, here, we READ. could that be another lie?
more so, with my fav app weRead…… ><
and reading is not something ritual, nor do i need a specific spot to read. as spontaneous as i could be, finding a fixed time, selected spot, and making the activity routine, i guess, will just KILL me (anyway, i'm reading e-books). or maybe yes, a cup of nicely brewed coffee to go with it, but it isn't a must, considering the level of bilirubin that i need to keep an eye on.
hence, reading is…… just reading, switch on the screen, tap down the menu, scroll to the page or the point i left earlier on, adjust the font size, maybe, and then…. read…. till the power's off, till i've got another task to attend to, till i realize it's time for me to harvest my plants or rob somebody's banks (lol…).
happy reading.
cheers.
Hi Faith,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on reading.
Some of my most prized collections have pen scribblings inside them and that for some reason, adds to their preciousness. Those notes I make serve to remind me of what went through my mind at that particular time. So in the end, those books become not just a reservoir of knowledge but also of my personal memories. I effectively capture in time my mind’s responses to the things I read.
E-books are something I have tried but cannot (or rather will not) accept. I’m just like that. The same goes with computer word processing. I have a tendency to print everything once I reach a number of pages because I am unable to read text on the screen.
I did a quick google search to see if there was a reason for this and sure enough, there is. You may want to know that that “screen reading” makes you read in a shallower and less focused way. Anyway – the link is here if you are curious to learn more: http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Screen-ReadingPrint/8551/
Happy reading!
i understand your point. i do come across some of my friends that couldn’t read from screen or rather not. nonetheless, i beg to differ that screen reading makes us read in a shallower and less focused way. the claim is just too flimsy.
i think reading in any form doesn’t really matter. this is because from a linguist’s point of view, reading process is NOT just the engagement of the eyes with ‘text’, but rather an interactive process BETWEEN the readers’ prior knowledge and the ‘text’. therefore, what is more important here is the interactivity that creates the vivid image (maybe because the reader had been to similar beach the writer was describing), sync emotions (both the reader and the writer went through similar experience of losing a close family member) or the extension of the body of knowledge (the writer provided some input that was comprehensive to the reader and build upon what the reader had known).
reading from screen could not make any reading process become more artificial. the argument being, because “Books don’t have tools to help readers make up that fictive world, and so they do it more with their own minds”. i think this is debatable. many of the e-books are just plain text. if reading experience is perceived as how the readers immersed themselves in the fictive world they create when reading, then i guess printed books sometimes “disturb” or gets in the way too, as books often do come with illustrations, foot notes, diagrams – an effort from the author trying to shape the fictive world the readers are constructing into what he//she intended.
i wonder if there is ANY scientific evidence that reading digitally can actually affect a reader’s reading experience to become more artificial, shallow and superficial. of course, i can’t deny that there are some physical disturbances when i am engaged in reading from screen for too long, such as problems like blurred vision (relaxed iris muscles), itchy and irritated eyes. and the best practice is to cut down the number of hours i actually ‘stare’ intently on screen (whatever, laptop, smartphone, e-reader…).
to me, it’s just a question of preference. you get used to it, you adjust and you adapt. that’s all.
Where’s your favourite spot to read a good book? Do you have personal reading ‘rituals’ that you observe?
>>On the bed, with the right temperature and a mug of hot drink (milk preferably) at the side. I remembered sneaking a torchlight and a book into the bedroom just so I can read before sleeping, as mom didn’t want us kids to read on the bed. I am paying the price (spectacles), but seriously? I don’t mind. Thanks to my persistence, I have that habit of reading till this point of time.
How can you start reading and turn it into a habit?
>> Truth be told? Not sure how to address this question. You either love reading or would rather do something else other than reading. If the habit needs to be cultivated (and it’s a rather sad fact to know of, since there’s so many good books to read), one should start small. Small, as in reading lighter materials e.g. magazines (Readers’ Digest). Then proceed to short stories, fiction, non-fiction, etc.
I like how my parents taught me the value of reading since young by buying magazines e.g. Kuntum, Mickey Mouse (classic cartoon magazine, not sure if it’s still around) etc. Before I knew it, I was flipping through Borneo Post and pestering them to subscribe to the magazines. I think I should thank my parents for this.
guys, I am also another person who cannot read ebook. I need to print everything out in order to be able to read them and enjoy them. Well, I think it’s just individual’s preference
After such a prolong hiatus, it’s wonderful to read your thoughts and views again, like Lazarus revive from death! LOL.
I used to be anal about dog-eared books, but not anymore. I have been collecting used books and aspire to re-read classics and underline and highlight them and write down thoughts so that I could truly “own” the book. Most of my readings are done amidst the fear of damaging or respecting a book that made the book on my hand seems distant. If you know what I mean…?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. In different phases of our lives, one activity may dominate our entire lives and it is important to do it well, because it is important. Say for example, I’m trying to type you a decent comment on this post, and I have stuffed bears thrown on my back and shrieking of complaints about insects in the house from my toddlers, should I be excused for not reading? Absolutely!!
Glad to have you back.
Thanks for the comments, JoV, and a very warm welcome to you as an official contributor to the Readingmonk.com!
I hope to see your reviews up soon. Tell your friends about it too.
i ‘read’ audio books now! so i can multitask (driving + reading books)
he he
beautiful, thoughtful write-up this – why no article for myconsti?
Ha-ha, Munirah.
“Why no article for MyConsti?” is one of the scariest phrases to read in the egroup. *Shudder*