Rather unusual

I am reading four books right now. Four. At one time. I cannot tell you how unusual this is for me.

Growing up, my mom would often tell people that I was an avid reader and usually had multiple books going at one time, but that was not true. (Sorry, mom). I would have whatever books were required for class (usually one for an English class, maybe two), and then MAYBE another book for myself. Generally, whatever I was reading for school would occupy me, and I had no need to read anything else. This was especially true in high school when I took a very demanding English-based humanities class for three years. Once I got to my senior year my English class was much easier, and I suddenly had time to read for myself again. (I hate to say "read for pleasure" because I almost always liked the books I was required to read for class).

So, how did I get wrapped into reading four books at a time? There are a couple of reasons:

1. One book I am reading with my carpool-mate, Karina. Obviously that reading happens in the car only to and from work, which means that I have time to read elsewhere.
   
2. Fiction/Non-fiction. I can breeze through most fiction novels. I cannot as easily breeze through most non-fiction books. Right now I am reading Twenty Years at Hull-House by Jane Addams, and it is really interesting, but it is not at all the kind of book you sit down and read for four hours straight. It's rather academic and written very much like a lady educated in the 1870s would write. I realized that if I tried to spend all my time reading just that book that I would really lose a lot of time to read other books. That is, I would constantly tell myself I wasn't in the mood for reading, when really I wasn't in the mood for Hull House.

I'm really glad I made that decision because I've been able to finish two fiction novels since I started reading Hull House. I'll probably finish Hull House tonight, and I might finish one of my fictions tonight as well. That will leave me another non-fiction to work on while I plow through a few more fictions during my trip to Texas this week.

Did I ever mention that I want to read 52 books this year? I've finished 20 so far, and I should be up to 22 by tomorrow night, maybe even 23. This Wednesday will complete the twenty-second week of the year, so I'm on track.