Justin's Reading Woes

I used to be a reader.  I read all the time; my school teacher would suggest a book, and when I finished that one I would read another.  I remember reading Jurassic Park when I was about 11 or 12 (I don't remember exactly when I read it, but I know I had read it before the movie came out...at least before I saw the movie and I was 11 1/2 when it came out).  One list I found said it was a 9-12 grade reading level, so I guess a good read for kid that age.  My friend Jay read it before me and I was amazed that he read it in 2 days.  I was never a fast reader, but I liked reading.  I can remember reading such books in my youth as The Cay, Number the Stars, Superfudge, A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia, The Black Cauldron, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and Maniac Magee (my first "favorite" book - I think it was the first book I read multiple times) just to name a few.   

As I got older, my reading habits began to wane...in 9th grade english class one of the assigned readings was To Kill a Mockingbird, which I didn't read (and is now on my list, don't you worry); I think that was to in part to the fact that the teacher and I didn't get along very well, at least not initially.  Anyway, by the time I entered high school I was a big Star Wars fan (a fact to which some of my friends - and wife - can attest) and as sophomore english began I was on somewhat of a Star Wars kick, trying to read all the novels that picked up where the last movie, Return of the Jedi, left off.  I did my first book report on one of the books and began reading another.  I don't remember exactly how it came about, whether it was after the next book report or before it was due but the teacher, who will remain unnamed (she was formerly married to a somewhat well known musical talent) and who I also very much didn't get along with, told me I couldn't do any more book reports on Star Wars books and that I had to read something else.  Of course I took that to mean that she was forbidding me to continue reading such mindless rubbish, and in rebellion I just stopped reading; not just assigned reading but also most of my recreational reading, and that rebellion continued on through high school.  For example, in 11th grade english class we were supposed to read The Last of the Mohicans.  I read the CliffsNotes (and those only partially) then enjoyed the movie when we watched it in class.  Needless to say I haven't recovered much from my rebellion in the years since.  School takes half the blame simply due to the fact that any "free" reading time I've had in the last five years has been (or should have been) spent reading textbooks or research articles; the other half can just be attributed to me I guess.  Sometimes I have a hard time staying awake when I read, but mostly I just don't make the time - my rebellion effectively broke my reading habits.

This is already turning into a long post, and I'm sure you'd much rather be reading about and looking at cute pictures of Asher (and I don't blame you), so I won't go into much more detail.  I still enjoy reading, it's just hard to find the time.  I also seem to be somewhat limited in my reading interests as of late.  In the last few years I have read the Harry Potter books; Eragon and Eldest; The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and half of The Horse and His Boy.  I've listened to the other half of The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The DaVinci Code.  I think that's about it, do you see a pattern?  (Oh, I also read The Giver with Abby over Christmas break.) 

And here's where you, the faithful readers of this wonderful blog (if you're still reading) come in.  I need some suggestions.  I need suggestions about not only what but when.  When do the rest of you find time to read?  I do have my own list of books I'd like to read and I should probably start there, but I'd like some suggestions.  I'll put my list in the comments to save space here, but it's a good mix: some fiction, a few leadership/self-improvement books, and a little non-fiction - though most of those are church books which would probably also go in the self-improvement category.  So anywho, if you've made it here and care to make a few suggestions I'd much appreciate it.  I'll add them to my list and squeeze them in between reading about therapeutic exercise and neuroanatomy.  Ahh, the life of a grad student!

On a more encouraging note, my almost 1 year old son already seems to be picking up on reading.  It's very fun to not hear any noise from him, and when you look he's sitting on the floor flipping the pages of one of his board books. Hopefully he won't fall into the same trap his dad has!  (There, I made it worth your while and included a picture of and story about Asher, so you can now say you've gotten your Asher fix for the day!  You're welcome!)