So, you’re at 354 reviews and it’s only August. How do you ever have time to do anything else? DO you do anything else? If you’re trapped in TK’s basement with nothing but a Kindle, use the word “aardvark” in one of your answers and we’ll mount a rescue operation!
I am most definitely ahead of where I am most years. It’s been a kind of weird year partly because of my participation in CBR 9 but also in general. Having a count going and having some homework to do with each book does change things a little. I was an English major in college and I teach high school English now, so writing down my thoughts and ideas about books as I go isn’t new, but I guess it is new to actually do it in the first time in a few years.
The other thing is that I am almost constantly listening to audiobooks. My girlfriend and I are on a road trip right now and were worried about having to be “constantly entertained” and we decided, no, we’re normal, but we’re seeking out our optimal level of stimulation. I am pretty sure that’s science and not weird. So even while driving, or walking, or doing chores, or walking around the grocery store, I am listening to audiobooks. And I hate hate hate the “normal” speed of them, so I usually crank it up to a faster reading speed.
Lastly, I stress read. I had a pretty bad last school year, and so when CBR started up in January it was literally the last day of my much needed winter vacation and I think I was having something like a panic attack of worry and making my through two or three books on the first day of the year and that kind of set the tone. As I started to look for a new job that added stress and I just kept up the pace because I would come home frustrated or sad from the day and just want to bury myself in a book or the writing of reviews as a positive way to decompress. I do have a new job with some hopefully significant differences that will be more positive, but might mean less reading. But right now I am on summer vacation, so I have stupid amounts of free time.
How many times have you participated in CBR?
This is my first CBR. I am not sure I even really knew about it until late into last year, but I had been having a few recent years of reading more than I used to, so it seemed a good fit.
How do you decide what to tackle next from your To Be Read list/stack?
I tend to pick book based on things like The Millions Most Anticipated Books list or what my friends are reading of Goodreads or allusions/references in other books I read. I might also stumble across a list or an author from a strange source and just pick it up. I do best when I keep my To Read list under ten or so books and just keep refreshing it. For audiobooks, since I use Overdrive for everything, it’s just whatever my local libraries happen to have in stock.
How many chapters do you give a book to hook you before you give up?
I honestly only ever give books a a page or two before I give up on them. It’s less about whether or not something is good (but sometimes it is) and more so about whether or not I am in the headspace to read a particular book. I am probably not going to be reading a long old British novel while also listening to an old long British novel, for example.
Are you an appetizer-orderer, or do you save the room for dessert?
I can’t really eat dairy and dessert is dairy’s domain. I will sometimes order appetizers, but I figure you’re allowed to have one more beer if you don’t order dessert. We’re adults. It’s decided.
Miscellany:
My favorite recent tweet went something like:
God: Ok, so we invented Ants. Next up, Anteater.
Ants: Wait, what.
(Blinks in Morse Code: I am safe, but thanks for asking)
