Tomorrow is the last day of May, and as of tomorrow I’ve read 15 books so far this year. I think that’s a new record for me. Denis makes fun of me now that I primarily listen to audiobooks as opposed to physically holding a book in my hand and reading it. But I say that if I know the characters by name and can describe the plot and general themes of the book, then I’m “reading” it even if it’s via my ears, not my eyes. I wouldn’t say the same for movies. I can’t watch the “Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy and say that I’ve read the book – that’s completely different (I did actually read the book a few years ago though). But audiobooks are literally having someone read the book out loud – word for word – and therefore counts as “reading.” And since he NEVER reads he has no room to talk.
It’s a battle he and I will have until the day one of us dies. *lol*
So anyway, last year my count was low because I read two Diana Gabaldon books. She is quite wordy. This year I’ve been putting off the next in her Outlander series, opting to go for books that I know I can get through quickly and not get bogged down by. However, the time arrived and I started listening to her third book, “Voyager,” which is a massive undertaking. The audible download comes in FIVE 8+ hour parts. Yep. One book. About 45 hours of audio. Even Ken Folletts’ “Pillars of the Earth” was only 33 hours.
Instead of listening to the whole thing, I’ve opted to take each of the five parts as it’s own book. And instead of listening to all five in a row, I’ll listen to one part, then listen to something else. Then another part, then something else. This morning I finished Part 1, and so beginning tomorrow I’ll be listening to the last of the Ted Dekker Circle Trilogy that I’ve been listening to in the past month or two. Then I’ll hit up Voyager again.
My hope is to finish Voyager, and four other books, by the end of the summer. I have a couple physical books that I need to read, which I’ll throw into the mix as well (I’ll read those during my lunch breaks at work). So needless to say I’ve got my work cut out for me. Add in the fact that for 5-10 minutes a day the kids and I listen to the audio of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” in the car, and it’s a wonder I can keep any of them straight.
Fifteen books in 5 months. If I continue in that vein I can read 30 in 10 months, and maybe get up to 36 books by the end of the year. THAT would be amazing if I could do that.
Got any book recommendations? I’m always open to new books to read.