I do. I tend to consider my reading time similar to holiday time. For example at the beach, I can read morning, noon and night without the slightest tinge of guilt. But, if I try to do that at home on a Tuesday, I can’t stay focused. There’s that blog post I need to write, tweets I need to send, chapters that need to be written, and laundry to be done.
On July 4th, however, I enjoyed a pleasant day of reading without so much as a care. Okay, I did some household chores, but mostly I settled on my couch with my cats and savored a new book. Right now I’m reading The Patriots by Sana Krasikov. Appropriate title for the day, don’t you think?
Why does reading on a normal weekday trouble me? Perhaps because reading has always been my reward for doing the things I’d rather not do. That might mean working or exercising or running errands. My mom instilled in me and my sisters the value of pleasure reading. She read all the time and never had a twinge of guilt. At least, I don’t think she had any guilt. I wish she were here today so I could ask her how she managed to read guilt-free.
I do know people who won’t read fiction because that gives them too much pleasure. Nonfiction is okay because it’s learning (or one might say working). Ha! Where do we get all the funny notions about reading?
If you wanna read a good book that will not make you feel guilty, try The Clock Strikes Midnight. Here’s the book trailer.
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