I have just come back from a trip away and I read non stop. I read 3 books and listened to a whole audio book in the space of 5 days. One book took me just a single day. I can only think of one other time this happened. It was during Covid and the book was Normal People by Sally Rooney. As everyone became obsessed with Paul Mescal when the TV adaptation how was released in April 2020, I decided I wanted to join in. I’ve just got back into reading again after many months, maybe even years, without reading consistently at all. I revived an old Kindle Fire I got as a Christmas present no joke probably ten years ago and during the pandemic the thing barely left my hands.. I remember approaching the end of Normal People, as the day was starting to fade. I tried and failed to put it down. Even while the world stood still it felt wrong to dedicate all these hours to reading in such a short compressed space of time, prioritising this book over everything else. But I drowned out those thoughts and finished it anyway.
I’m also back into Audible. I fell off the wagon a bit, racking up a ridiculous number of credits paying for something I wasn’t even using. Ah subscription culture and your clever passive ways securing solid recurring revenue off people like me who don’t bother to cancel things. Audible is actually how I eased myself back into reading initially during Covid, as I mentioned above. I’d take long listless candlelit baths and let my ears be filled with stories told to me by others. Ever since, I’ve always favoured Audible when it comes to autobiographies. Particularly when it’s narrated by the author. Who better to tell their own story? Their words delivered in the exact tone they intended.
I enjoyed the books I read but there wasn’t one I loved, annoyingly. Regardless, it’s helped to get the numbers up. I set a goal to read 52 books again this year. I failed by 8 last year. I’ve read or listened to 20 books in 2024 so far and I’m 2 behind where I should be right now.
That being said I loved the audio book though - Divine Might by Natalie Haynes. I’ve read (or listened to) many of her books and this one didn’t disappoint. Her retelling of stories depicting notable women and goddesses in Ancient Greece and Rome are ambrosia to the ears (or maybe eyes). I’ve always loved history. I studied for my degree and also studied Classics at A Level. I’ve always had an affinity for and fascination with Greek and Roman myths. Considering I went to Rhodes on my holiday it felt quite fitting.
It was an intentional “do-nothing” holiday. Meant for slowing down and rest. No expectations, resisting the urge to make lists for daily tasks. Tasks being read, write, lie in the sun like a rotisserie chicken, go to dinner @ 8pm. Unlike the shame and guilt I felt reading Normal People in a day, I languished and deliberately indulged in the chance to spend my time this way over the last few days.
Now I envision long summer evenings sprawled out in the park. Reading until the sun goes down. Lost in a trance. Picking grass with tense fingers. Neck aching from lying on my front trying to get comfortable. Clutching frayed paperbacks to my chest as I finish them and mourn the end of a universe I’ve created in my head.
So, tell me - what are you reading this summer?