This week I am reading myself fit.
Though I wish I could report that I have discovered an extreme form of reading that burns calories, I have not. For that, and to annoy the downstairs neighbors, I juggle my kettlebell and do very energetic yoga. This exercise is all about my reading speed and focus.
I read moderately quickly, about a hundred-fifty or more pages an hour, depending on content. Or, I used to. I haven’t kept track recently. I haven’t actually had much time to read recently. Between getting work ready, printing cards, forgetting to settle business with the guy selling my cards (dammit!), and worrying about the dwindling days separating me from Christmas morning gift-giving, I haven’t had time to think about reading—much less do it. I’m not used to this. I usually read all the time, several books at time; I’m an addict. Really, I have to remind myself that it’s irrational to stay awake for forty-eight hours rather than put down the book.. So all of this not-reading was starting to get to me.
I realized that one of my tests for the year is all about reading. Specifically, I am going to gather a pile of classics, hole up in my apartment for a week and see how many of them I can get through. A stockpile of tea and avocados should take care of me physically but what about the rest of me? If this were a physical race I would at least stretch and do timed laps before trying the marathon. My brain deserves no less. So this week is the first of those tests and conditioning exercises. One book every day for one week. Today I’m on book three, Anonymous Rex by Eric Garcia.
Come over to The 29th Street Library and click through my reviews or skip straight to the results at the bottom of each entry. I’m a little below speed but I’m not worried yet. That just means more practice. More license to stay home and read every little thing I can get my hands on.
What happens if you finish a book in, like, a couple of hours?
I mean, how much time do you have allotted to reading each day?
I have been finishing them in a few hours. I’ve also been sticking to page counts of around three hundred or less. This is like a warm-up round.
What do you do for the rest of the day, then?
Most of my days consist of artwork, learning, food, and play, in varying proportions.