I am in school for eight to ten months out of the calendar year. Usually I am enrolled in four courses, and as an English major, my coursework involves a large amount of reading. Books that I read for school are usually books that I would be unlikely to pick up and read at my own leisure. Rather, I am reading them for the sole reason of participating in discussion in class or writing a paper and by extension, to eventually receive a good grade in the class. During the school year, I do not read for pleasure whatsoever. After already reading so many materials for class, I find it difficult to pick up a book that I actually enjoy for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I am mentally exhausted from the amount of reading that I've already done. Most of it is quite dense and requires actually taking a step back from the reading itself to process the information. It is taxing to pick up a book after that, whether I love it or not. I find myself getting distracted and having to read a sentence a couple of times in order to take it in; I often get sleepy. The second reason I tend to avoid reading during the school year is because, though it is not likely, if I do get engaged in a book, I will read it until it is finished, which usually takes me to around four or five in the morning. This disrupts my day and usually my entire week. During the months that I am out of school, the amount that I read increases dramatically. I love having a book in my hand and when there is no coursework to worry about it is nice to detach myself from technology and stare at pages instead of a screen.
I tend to read in a variety of places. The majority of my academic reading is done in my bedroom, usually sitting at my desk or on my bed. During the summer months, I also read for pleasure in my bedroom. When I read, I prefer silence and my bedroom is a good place to get the quiet I need to enjoy my book. If I can hear conversations or television shows, I will most likely get distracted and the book will be put away. My second favorite place to read in my home is my backyard. It’s something of an oasis with couches, a fire pit and a giant cabana. I love to head outside, put my feet up, and enjoy my book in the sunshine. I find I read for longer periods of time when I am in the backyard, possibly because I am a little more isolated from my family, giving them less of a reason or opportunity to interrupt.
When I think about my reading habits now versus when I was younger, they have drastically changed. Prior to university, there were few people that saw me without a book in my hand. I was constantly reading anything that I could get my hands on, whether that meant convincing my parents to take me to the library or a bookstore yet again or borrowing books from my older cousins. The gigantic bookshelf that we have in our basement is proof, as it is overflowing with all the books we own, save for a few favorites that I keep in my room. It saddens me to say that I have not touched that bookshelf in months.
Both time and space have affected my reading in different ways. When I was younger, it did not matter if I had two minutes or twenty – I would still pick up a book. Now, I do not bother reading unless I have ample time to spend with a book. Space has also played a part in this change. I could read anywhere, no matter what was going on around me. Today, I only read when I am completely alone, without anything going on around me. These differences have helped me come to one conclusion. I find it much more difficult to sink into a book than I used to. It is hard to get properly engaged in a book and to give it my undivided attention. I am not completely sure why this is but I believe it has something to do with university and the fact that I am constantly reading for a purpose other than enjoying myself.
Overall, my reading habits have greatly changed over the last few years. I am not completely happy with this change, as I would really like to make more time for reading for fun. It is something that I really enjoyed prior to university and something that I can hopefully get back to after graduation.
