Out of My Slump

 I have been in a reading slump for several years.

It was so bad that for the last three years my goal in the Goodreads Challenge was only 12 books a year. And in 2023 I didn't even make it! I read only nine books that year; 14 in '22; and 16 last year.

The highest number I have ever read was 90. That was in 2014.

I will at least tie that this year. Tonight, in fact, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

I started out with a goal of 12 and passed that pretty early in the year so I decided to be really adventurous, choose a new goal and shoot for something way out there. Thirty-three. 

I'm at 89 with 10% left in one of the three audio books I currently have going. (Don't ask how many kindles and physical books are in progress. It's more than I will admit.) 

There is a kind of irony to how I have come out of the slump. It's audio books. I have an hour-ish commute to work five days a week (30-ish minutes each way) and, no offense to my pals on the radio, I'm really sick of radio. All of it. The "witty banter," the ads, the music, news. Especially the news. And it takes me too long to decide which of my playlists, favorite podcasts, or Substackers I want to listen to. As long as I only give myself one to three choices of audio books, I'm good.

According to Storygraph, so far this year the number of audio books I have listened to has surpassed the number of physical books I have read, 43% to 37%.  The other 20% is digital in case you're doing the math.

Back to the ironic part. When I had jobs that had me living paycheck to paycheck and books were my biggest luxury purchases I dreamed of having a job where I could buy a book without having to budget for it. Now that I have that job, I use my library card more than ever. I have eight "holds" on the Libby app and they're all audio books. 

One other cool thing about the number of books I've read this year is that I've expanded my interests. I discovered that I enjoy magical realism. I like some fantasy. (I should have realized that much sooner. "The Wizard of Oz?" Hello!)

I haven't been this excited about reading in a long time. Even longer ago than 2014. Although I read 90 books that year, most were by authors I was going to be interviewing (Oh, poor me!) and the reason these best-selling authors enjoyed coming on my little show is that I actually read their books. I did get to interview Sue Monk Kidd about what is now one of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, The Invention of Wings. And I did one of my favorite interviews in all of my nearly 16 years in radio: Jim Beviglia on "Counting Down Bruce Springsteen: His 100 Finest Songs." We agreed to disagree on Rosalita vs. Born to Run.

As I tie my highest finished book count in more than a decade later this evening, I hope I never forget the feeling I have right now. It's akin to the feeling I had the first time I read a book to my parents and when I got my first library card and checked out a book all by myself. 

Here's to tying, then surpassing, the record, and never getting into another slump!  

 

Why We Write About Ourselves

If you like reading memoirs, you’ll like “Why We Write About Ourselves,” a book that tells us why 20 memoirists do write about themselves.

Among the people sharing their stories are Sue Monk Kidd, Ayelet Waldman, Nick Flynn and James McBride.

Honest, compelling and funny, the book really does give the reader an insight into the writer’s mind. They answer questions like “how true is true?” and how much they should write about other people.

Waldman, for example, writes, “If you’re not uncomfortable and scared while you’re writing, you’re not writing close enough to the bone.”

If you don’t like reading memoirs, this book might lead you to making a trip to that genre.

“Why We Write About Ourselves” is edited by veteran editor Meredith Maran, who is currently working on another memoir of her own.

You can listen to my talk with Meredith Maran here: WESB.com/on-demand. Click on LiveLine for 01-27-16.

https://twitter.com/AnneSBU

Anne’s Book Club on Facebook

Anne's Book Club on Pinterest

Sue Monk Kidd and Robin Cook

"The Invention of Wings" and "Cell" are two very different books set hundreds of years apart -- Pre-Civil War and July 2014 -- but I loved both of them. I also enjoyed speaking with both authors, Sue Monk Kidd and Robin Cook.

You can hear both conversations by going to http://www.wesb.com/listen/ and clicking on the "Local Programs" tab. Scroll down to 02-05-14 LiveLine -- Authors Sue Monk Kidd and Robin Cook.

Sneak Peek

First, a few questions for you:

Do you know which author’s book is number two on the New York Times Bestseller’s list?

Do you know which bestselling author’s latest thriller will be released on Tuesday?

Do you know which two authors will be on 1490 WESB's LiveLine next week?

Answers:

Sue Monk Kidd (The Invention of Wings)

Robin Cook (Cell)

Sue Monk Kidd and Robin Cook

I'll post links to the interviews here after they're on the air.

What I'm Reading ...

Last night I was sitting in my favorite reading spot reading Sue Monk Kidd's "The Invention of Wings" for work and, all of a sudden, I thought: I'm sitting here reading Sue Monk Kidd's "The Invention of Wings" ... for work. It's tough, but somebody's gotta do it.