Snuggle Up With a Good Book

One of my favorite hobbies has always been reading. In elementary school, I spent my lunch period hanging out with the school librarian. Usually we chatted about the newest books she got in or whatever book I was currently reading. But sometimes she would let me sit in the extra chair behind the circulation desk and give me a small stack of books to check in for her.

Not going to lie, but as a kid I felt powerful wielding the book scanner and getting the chance to do something most kids weren't allowed to. Also, I was a nosy kid and wanted to see what other people in my school were reading at the time.

A love for reading throughout my school years

By middle school, I was told that my reading level was at the college level, and I was known to check out books way higher than my grade level. I was supposed to be in the higher reading classes for my school, but there was a screw-up in the system, so I was put in the regular reading classes. Since I would speed through assigned reading, teachers usually allowed me to read other books in class. In high school and college, I kept up with my reading by majoring in English, so we read a lot of books every semester.

Before being diagnosed, I would sometimes be found asleep on the floor of our living room with a book laying open (or closed if it tipped over while I was asleep). As a kid, losing my page and having to find where I was wasn't much of an issue, since I could remember where I left off. Now it's a mixed bag.

Trying to find my page again after falling asleep

If it was a college textbook that I lost my spot in, when I woke up the page number for the assigned reading would be erased from my memories. Then I had to log in and look up what page we were assigned on the website. It was a pretty tedious situation, so after a bunch of times having to go back and forth to find the assigned reading, I started writing it down on a piece of scrap paper to have on the side while I read. Then, if I dozed off, I at least would know what section I was supposed to be reading if the book closed on me.

If it's a regular book that I'm reading for fun, finding my page gets a bit harder. Sometimes I don't remember what I've read, so some pages don't feel familiar even though I did read it. This causes me to reread parts and get confused about if I'm farther in the book or not. I've spoiled a book this way by thinking I was further in the book than I actually was and reading a major plot point! It's a bit disappointing to be spoiled when the book is good.

Reminding myself that reading isn't a race

Although, I won't say reading is always that simple to me. In my experience, it does feel painful to read a few pages and doze off without trying to. Even as an English degree graduate, I struggle to finish books due to continuously falling asleep around the same chapter.

I try not to get too caught up in feeling bad about not being able to finish a book or only being able to get through a few pages at a time. When I start to get in my head about taking so long to read, I remind myself that reading isn't a race, and I can take my time even if it takes me a few months to get through a book. Or, I can always ask teachers for more time to work through a reading! The other good thing is some libraries today are usually fine-free, so I don't have to worry about having to pay when I take months getting through a book!

What I'm reading now

As of this fall, I'm plowing through a few pieces such as, "You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon and The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. (I usually switch between 3 or 4 books at once). I'm also excited for Alice Wong's new book, Disability Intimacy.

What's a book you're reading currently? I love hearing what people are reading to add to my already excessively long book list!