Reading

What makes you happy? When I was younger I would really look forward to an evening spent in a neighborhood bar. As I got older and especially when I stopped drinking that particular delight faded away. Nowadays, I think the one thing I enjoy most of all is reading. I’ve got a collection of favorite books that I will reach for and read again and again. This, too, is different than when I was younger. In those days I would read a book once and that was an end to it: I had read the book. Nowadays, I get an urge that comes over me to snag one of my favorites off of the shelf and read it.

I’ve even got a set of books, The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, where I will sometimes grab one at random and read just enough until I am satisfied. Not even the whole book and not even from the first in the series. Sometimes not even from the beginning of the book. I’ll start reading from wherever the book opens for me. Just dipping in and out again.

I think that’s sort of interesting. Something else that has happened, though, with my reading habits as I’ve gotten older. The books I read before and I begin reading again? Sometimes I can’t remember what’s going to happen, so, in a sense it’s sort of like reading the book for the first time.

I’m going to dip back into the last Harry Potter book. There’s enough time before I need to get ready for work that I can get a bit more read. The way I’ve been going with it I think I’ll have it finished tonight. Good book. I’m sorry to see it be the last one. Of course, I can always start reading them from the beginning again.