Reading and Reading and Reading

The best part of going to Bahamas was time to read. I haven't had too many books on my shelf lately. While I was doing my writing class, I didn't have time to read for fun because I was spending all my free time writing. I've missed having a book to look forward to.

Because Book Club is next week, I got online to buy the next months' books, and then found some others I was interested in. Took "The Rent Collector" and "Little Fires Everywhere" with me on the plane.

Susan from Dan's office lent me a book we had talked about in Hawaii. "The Wife Between Us." Read that before we left.

In the airport I saw a book a friend was telling me about, "Educated," so I bought that too. I read "The Rent Collector" on Friday on the plane out to Bahamas and finished it that day. I read "Educated" while we were in the Bahamas each evening after everyone went to bed and finished it the day we left. Then read "Little Fires Everywhere" Tuesday on the plane home and finished it that night when we got back.

I don't think I read especially fast, but I don't read slow. Courtney asked if I read every word or skim. Every word, of course. Otherwise it would be cheating and I couldn't really say I'd "read it," could I? And I don't like to skim because I enjoy them to much. The point isn't to read a lot. The point is to fall into the author's world and enjoy it for a while. I'd prefer to read over watch a movie on a plane. To me, the minute the plane takes off, I'm on vacation because I can read for as long as I want with no interruptions.

I keep up with what books I've read on Goodreads. I love keeping track, reading reviews and checking ratings of new books I'm interested in. I find Goodreads rating system is pretty reliable for most books I like. I generally only read over 4 stars and am always satisfied. If it's an author I love or comes recommended by someone I trust, I'll read something over 3 stars. There are a few authors who are rated highly that I don't like. But I know who they are so I steer clear.

I'm a horrible reviewer. I try to write a review mainly to remind myself what I liked or didn't like about a book. But even though it's just me and my computer... And even though I like to write... When it comes to summarizing or describing what I liked about a book, I get tongue-tied. I feel like I'm in show-and-tell with the EY kids at Crestwood Hills Co-op Preschool. I raise my hand and say, "I liked it." But can't get much more than that out with clarity!