New Reading Habits

I have always been a physical book kind of girl. I thought e-readers and audiobooks were great for other people, but I just didn’t think I’d like them. But my reading habits have changed over the last couple of years, and I’m trying new things.

What changed?

First of all, I had a baby in 2020. And nothing cuts your reading time like a child (if you don’t count board books, books with lots of pictures and the fact that I’ve recently read Curious George and the Dump Truck at least 50 times).

The second thing was that I signed up for NetGalley and started reading ARCs (advanced reader copies). And those are digital.

So the first thing I did was get a Kindle (it’s the paperwhite). I NEVER thought I’d own a Kindle. And I still prefer a physical book, but I don’t mind it like I thought I would. Not only am I using it for ARCs but also library books!

Which brings me to my next habit change.

I got a library card! I haven’t had a library card since I was little. And I will admit, my library quite honestly has a terrible selection of romance e-books and audiobooks. But I have checked out a few things and that’s been fun. (Currently on the waitlist for Sally Thorne’s new book ANGELIKA FRANKENSTEIN MAKES HER MATCH). I was so excited when I checked out BATTLE ROYAL and got to start it right then!

So my last habit that has changed is the reason I got the library card to begin with – I wanted to try audiobooks. I only have about 2 hours a day (at most) when I can do things for me. That includes reading, writing, beta reading, writing blog posts and anything else I might want or need to do. Basically from 8-10 pm I can do my stuff. So typically if I am writing or beta reading, I generally can’t read another book too because there just isn’t time. And I used to listen to podcasts while I work, so I decided to give audiobooks a try while I work too (and do other things like take a walk and clean). I’m not the best with audiobooks. I’ve only read 2 and my attention sort of wanders, but I’m going to keep trying and hopefully I get better so I can read more books! Again, the selection from my library is terrible, so I have a hard time finding books I want to read and that are actually available, but I even bought a pair of wireless headphones so I can listen more.

While I never thought I’d do any of these things, here I am! And maybe I’ve inspired you to try something new too.