Hello!
Currently I’m on vacation and thus have taken up on reading The Handmaid’s Tale along with watching the show. I won’t spoil anything but the book is legendary, especially tonally. I’ve always been a big reader. Ever since I learned to read at 5, my bedtime routine included an hour or three of reading before bed.
Summer vacations at grandma were spent borrowing books from the library and just swallowing them up and that up to highschool. I loved mandatory literature, discovering the classics. I also came to love documentative books, especially historic ones, of dynasties, UFO’s and so forth. I attempted to write my own book starting at 15, but I knew at one point I’ll grow out of the format I had planned and so they sit, 2 unfinishied Word documents. One day perhaps? I’m going to attempt NaNoWriMo again but about that sometime later.
Once I started university, the habit of reading fiction ceased. At least published fiction, I’ve always been a steady reader of well-written fanfiction, some even top my overall favourite literary works’ list. I saw less point in published fiction, took less joy out of it. Everything popular were seemingly YA dystopian novels at the time. I thought I could use my time better learning. Especially once I started my road to financial literacy.
About 2 years back I started small book club. I decided to discover the classics and take my friends’ recommendations on their reading lists. It worked superb for a summer. But holding down a book club when most are working and studying can be difficult in terms of finding time for meetups. Still, it was a format I loved and will revisit one day once my career existential questions settle. People my senior tell me it takes a few years. I’m fine with that.
It definitely helps that some people on my social media that I know are consistently avid fiction readers. Also having a Goodreads account really motivates one along.
There also used to be a dilemma of ebooks vs traditional books. I used to read traditionally a lot. But after konmari I settled if I buy, then books I have a very strong desire to own, not just read, books I want to lend to my friends. I’m quite bad with library due dates as well and I have no issue reading in small fractions, ie at work from my phone reader. Factoring in environmental friendliness I decided to move away from paperbacks for the most part, aside documentative books and a few selected fiction books.
Also, still a bit loaded, is whether to read in English or Estonian. I still don’t fully know on what parameters I decide. One thing is the original language. If t was written in Estonian, there we go. If in English, rather prefer to enjoy the style the original language offers (in fiction at least). But every book still poses this dilemma.
The Handmaid’s tale was read as an ebook in English and it revived my before-bed reading habit without even trying. One part is that my phone and Youtube have lost a lot of the novelty they had for years. I get bored and I find myself rather reading than aimlessly browsing.
What are your reading habits?
Ebook or paperback?
Fiction or non-fiction?
Do you use Goodreads?
Have you ever been in a book club?
With all that I’ll conclude, thank you for reading, feel free to add me on Goodreads!
Have a Superb day!
-Ann
Listening to: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Red Right Hand
One Day at a Time 
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