Do you have a hard time putting an interesting novel down?

[SweetandSimple]

I love to read! Whenever I have a little free time, reading is always my first choice activity.

 

Unfortunately, I have a hard time pacing myself once I begin an enjoyable novel. Sometimes it is because I am having a stressful day and want to escape into the book, and sometimes it is because I just really want to know what's going to happen!

 

I've tried giving myself a "30-minute lunch break "and limiting reading to that time only, but invariably I will find myself picking up the book again while the kids are having a "little break" in the afternoon that then turns into an hour or so. And again at night, once everyone is in bed, I'm tired and just want to read (which wouldn't be a problem except that I am ignoring the dirty dishes and ungraded math assignments, which affects the next day.)

 

At times I've just had to eliminate novels from my life because I don't seem to have the willpower to read responsibly. However, that seems sad to me and takes away one of my joys.

 

Am I the only one? Has anyone come up with a good system that works well for balancing your reading life and real life?

[Guest]

I struggle very much with this. I tend to just use reading time as an award for getting things done, so when I'm in the middle of a great book I bargain with myself to not touch it until _______ school activity or chore is completed. If I waver on that it becomes much harder to resist.

[Luckymama]

Always

 

#BadDecisionsBookClub

[Happy]

One of my great pleasures in life is falling into a good book. So, yes...over the years I've read more than I cleaned or cooked or did other productive things. :) Not really, but it seems that way sometimes.

 

Sometimes I clear an afternoon just for reading. Sometimes I read fiction on the weekends when I have more time. I read at night before bed and occasionally early mornings, too.

 

Usually when I do a 'read for an hour' lunchbreak, I'll read something I've read before. Makes it easier to put down.

 

So no great wisdom. Sometimes you have to be the grown up and put the book down. Sometimes you get to read for hours. What truly frustrates me is having the time to read and finding out the book is not worth the effort or time. Such a let down.

 

[LuvToRead]

Yes!  

 

[Um_2_4]

My entire life!

Mom would hide my current favorite books till my room was picked up or whatever.

We may have taken a week off school when i first discovered the outlander series.

DD10 is just like me ;).

[dirty ethel rackham]

Oh,gosh.  I have always had trouble putting down a good book.  Falling into a book is my favorite thing to do.  Hubby calls it 'The Vortex".  I have been known to pull allnighters reading a good book.  When I emerge, he calls that fuzzy "wish I was still reading" phase "book coma." 

 

This probably won't make you feel any better, but I had to stop reading for pleasure for a period of my life because I just couldn't be a good mom, homeschooler, wife or anything because I would totally forget that I have a life to live when I got into a good book.  Now that my kids are older, I have been reading like crazy.  That was my main form of escapism after my surgery (once I was able to get off narcotic pain meds.) 

[prairiewindmomma]

There are people who don't have this problem?

 

I only read after the kids are in bed or on sick days. I have no self control.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

We may have taken a week off school when i first discovered the outlander series.

 

Ahem. I may or may not be able to tell the same story.

 

I find it nearly impossible to self-regulate reading and always have. Even worse, I get really snarly when someone tries to horn in on my reading time, and that doesn't really work well when you have kids and a house and a job to attend to! Thankfully, my kids are old enough to get it now, but DH, who is not a reader, gets kind of frustrated when dinner's not made and the house is falling apart while I'm buried in a book!

 

OP, the only things that have helped me are wireless headphones and five different audiobook sources. I almost never have time to sit down and read anymore, but I have Bluetooth headphones that allow me to walk around and do just about anything while immersed in good books (including most of the Outlander books, which are read by, IMO, the all-time best audiobook reader). I'm very much looking forward to someday having the time and freedom to read actual books again, but for now, I'm pretty satisfied. I do try to read at bedtime, but I've been working on Jane Eyre for months now and still haven't finished because I keep falling asleep!

[SweetandSimple]

Well, darn! I'm glad that I'm not alone :laugh:, but I was hoping that someone would have some wonderful idea to increase my willpower somehow.

 

I have been pondering the idea of putting the current novel into my husband's car before he leaves for work each day. That would help with the daytime at least! Maybe I could promise myself a guilt-free reading period before bed if I work really hard during the day.

[SweetandSimple]

 

OP, the only things that have helped me are wireless headphones and five different audiobook sources. I almost never have time to sit down and read anymore, but I have Bluetooth headphones that allow me to walk around and do just about anything while immersed in good books (including most of the Outlander books, which are read by, IMO, the all-time best audiobook reader). I'm very much looking forward to someday having the time and freedom to read actual books again, but for now, I'm pretty satisfied. I do try to read at bedtime, but I've been working on Jane Eyre for months now and still haven't finished because I keep falling asleep!

 

That's a great idea! Maybe then I would actually look forward to the dishes...

[Liz CA]

Yes, all the time. Good reading time for me is right before falling asleep.

[Anne in CA]

Audio books don't work for me the same way they do for dh. Dh always has one going, while he works, drives places, ect. 

[ScoutTN]

Of course!

And Dd is just like me in this. So the next generation of novel readers is well launched here.

 

Reading at night is necessary for me to go to sleep most nights. Unwind.

 

No wisdom for the self control issues. ;)

[Um_2_4]

I do read a lot on my kindle while I sit by the youngest to get him to fall asleep. Problem with that is I tend to fall asleep myself, so I usually web browse more to keep myself awake.

 

I like audiobooks, but I maybe I need to get some bluetooth headphones. I find the regular ones hard to wear while sweeping/mopping. I shop by myself every Sunday morning and listen to an audiobook while driving around on errands.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

That's a great idea! Maybe then I would actually look forward to the dishes...

 

Yep. All the time I spend cooking, cleaning, decluttering, laundry, gardening, etc. is vastly improved by a good book. I can even listen while working. Most of my work is fairly simple data entry-type stuff. In fact, I actually have better focus if I'm listening to an audiobook because the work is so mindless that my mind starts to wander and distract itself unless I have something to occupy it, and I start making silly mistakes.

 

Audio books don't work for me the same way they do for dh. Dh always has one going, while he works, drives places, ect. 

 

DH has the same problem, although he's found that podcasts fit the bill for him. He's not a reader in general though. I've also found that I have to listen to "lighter" books than I would if I was reading a physical book. That's the only real drawback for me--I really want to start working on more classics, but I need real reading time for those. Although I did OK with Jane Austen on audio... But there have been plenty of novels and nonfiction books that I've really enjoyed, thankfully.

 

I like audiobooks, but I maybe I need to get some bluetooth headphones. I find the regular ones hard to wear while sweeping/mopping. I shop by myself every Sunday morning and listen to an audiobook while driving around on errands.

 

Wireless headphones revolutionized my world. I'm not even kidding. They're fantastic and I recommend them to any audiobook listener. I usually walk around with one headphone pushed back so I can hear if the kids call me or someone comes to the door or something, but the freedom from wires can't be topped :D Do make sure you find a pair that fits fairly snugly though. My first wireless headphones were quite loose (there were hardly any on the market at the time) and then they would slide right off my head if I looked down too long or too quickly. My newer ones have a good, snug fit and stay where you put them.

[Stacia]

No advice, but feel good about reading! You're doing something healthy for yourself!

 

Reading Fiction Improves Brain Connectivity and Function: Reading a novel has the power to reshape your brain and improve theory of mind.

 

:)

[maize]

I've found that audiobooks can work as a compromise for me, at least I can clean or fold laundry while I listen.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I can only do audio books on some long trip.  I have difficulty doing them in short bursts.  Plus, I would use my phone and it doesn't always fit nicely in my pocket (or I don't have a pocket if I am wearing <gasp> yoga pants.)

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I can only do audio books on some long trip.  I have difficulty doing them in short bursts.  Plus, I would use my phone and it doesn't always fit nicely in my pocket (or I don't have a pocket if I am wearing <gasp> yoga pants.)

 

Personally, I get much longer stretches on audiobooks than I do with real books because they leave my hands and eyes free. The kids also seem less likely to interrupt me if I have headphones on. I don't know why that is, or maybe they're just older now and are less likely to interrupt me in general? 

 

And FWIW, I can be in a different room from my phone and my Bluetooth headphones still hold the signal, so you definitely don't have to have your phone in a pocket. I can even leave my phone in our downstairs schoolroom (or the upstairs kitchen window) and go out to the garden to work and still mostly be OK. The signal strength is pretty reliable. Just in case you were considering them for other reasons. My headset also has a microphone, so it's nice to be able to clean up the kitchen after dinner and talk on the phone at the same time, or talk to one of the million doctor's offices I'm dealing with these days and be able to have my hands free to make notes at the same time :D 

[Nan in Mass]

Of course. Grin. I would have been a much better homeschooler, mother, and student if this weren't true. I was read aloud to until I had children, at which point, audiobooks appeared, so in tight times, I make myself stick to audiobooks. It is not the complete escape that a paper book is, but it is a good deal better than nothing and it is less destructive of my life. I do most certainly count myself lucky to have this "harmless" complete escape to wherever I want. Other destructive forms of escape don,t tempt me and I have read my way through some dreadful times, only putting the book down when I absolutely had to and can,t waiting to get back to it every second.

 

Nan

[BlsdMama]

I stick with non-fiction for this  reason.  Reading fiction makes me non functional.

[Arctic Bunny]

Every year, parent teacher interviews are the same. "We love that he reads, but there is a time and a place for everything." "It seems like every time I start talking, I look over and he's got his book out." "It's a wonderful problem to have, but..."

 

I have no idea where he gets it from....

[maize]

I can only do audio books on some long trip. I have difficulty doing them in short bursts. Plus, I would use my phone and it doesn't always fit nicely in my pocket (or I don't have a pocket if I am wearing <gasp> yoga pants.)

I usually tuck mine under the bra stap on my shoulder.

[ScoutTN]

Hmm, I think those Bluetooth headphones might be going on my Amazon wish list!

[applethyme]

I have the same problem. my excuse is that I'm modeling good behavior for the children. :lol:  :lol: 

[Caclcoca]

Way too often!  I love my reading time.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Hmm, I think those Bluetooth headphones might be going on my Amazon wish list!

 

These are the ones I have, because I cannot stand in-ear headphones of any kind, and I needed some that would stay in place even when I was on my knees, bent over a garden bed! But there are so many on the market now, you have lots to choose from. Our BJ's and Costco even carry some, and last time I looked, BJ's had them set up so you could try them on and test them out. 

[Um_2_4]

I have the same problem. my excuse is that I'm modeling good behavior for the children. :lol:  :lol:

 

I totally use that excuse.

 

And PS it is true, I remember in one of my "teaching reading" classes there was a study where kids whose parents read regularly for enjoyment were more likely (not always) to be early, frequent, and enthusiastic readers. For the same class I had to do a reading assessments on a couple kindergarten volunteer kids and some of the questions were about if they read at home, if mom or dad read and the kids who were ahead all said that mom and/or dad read a lot (I'm not talking about reading to them).

[NoseInABook]

Um, yes. I try to limit it to after the kids are in bed but there is never, ever a day that I go without picking up a book before I fall asleep. 

[Shellydon]

I am like this.  I haven't read a fun book in a long time.

[umsami]

I thought that was completely normal.

 

I remember in high school, I would usually read our assigned books for English that night.  Then when it came time for the quotes I was supposed to analyze from pp 34, and I wouldn't remember that obscure quote. LOL

[Mom22ns]

I've found that audiobooks can work as a compromise for me, at least I can clean or fold laundry while I listen.

 

I keep an audio book an ebook and a physical book going at all times. That way wherever I am, I can read or listen. I get SO much more housework done when I have an audio book to listen to. I don't want to stop listening, so I don't stop working. I listen to audio books while I drive, shop, walk the dogs and do house work. I read my physical book in bed each night. I read ebooks when I'm sitting and have to wait. I try not to get real favorites in ebook format, because I tend to get through those more slowly.

 

I should point out my kids are grown. There were many years that I rarely read at all. If I started I didn't want to stop and could even be cranky with my kids for interrupting. I settled for spending lots of time reading aloud to my kids who loved to be read to. We read aloud until sometime in high school! That helped meet my book needs in acceptable ways lol. 

 

Ds will see me getting addicted to a book or when a new book in a series that I loved comes out (Outlander, Harry Potter, etc) and he knows I'm gone. No self control at all.