January | 2014 | The Five-Eyed Bookworm

Every Sunday, I’ll be posting one quote about books or reading that I really like and share how this relates to me. If you would like to join me, please post a quote in your blog and share with us why you chose it or how it personally affects you. You can leave a link in the comment section below and I’ll update this blog post with your link.

I know a lot of us are too busy to read sometimes. In fact, I tend to read only an hour a day. Weekends are a different story though and I take as much time as I please. I do make sure that I read a book every single day. It’s not really obligatory but it has become a habit of mine. In between reading books and blogging (sporadically), I try to read a lot of magazines too. I don’t know why but I rarely read the newspaper and I do not like watching the news. When things become hectic I allot 30 minutes of my time for reading. I turn off my mobile phone and find a place where there are minimal distractions.

I once tried reading while eating a meal but boy did that get me into a lot of trouble. You see, my parents require us to pay full attention to every single thing we do- studying, making projects, participating in extracurricular activities; my father, especially. He dislikes watching TV while eating our meals, he wants you to pay attention to him when he shares his corny stories, that sort of stuff. My mother is much more tolerant but she always emphasized showing respect in front of the table. I’m a really good and obedient daughter (ahem), but on one particular occasion, I was reading this Nancy Drew book that I just couldn’t put down. The climax was near and when my mother called us for lunch from the kitchen, I didn’t bother setting aside the book and instead brought it to the table and continued reading. My mother was so pissed she didn’t let me eat my lunch. My mother is a very patient woman so when she’s pissed, she really is pissed. Needless to say my interest for that Nancy Drew book dwindled as my interest drifted toward appeasing my overwhelming hunger. I got so hungry I started digging my school bag for any traces of leftover snacks. I even started blaming Carolyn Keene and Nancy Drew for my mistake. From that day onwards, I never brought any book to the table.

Of course, where we read and when we read depends on our own preferences and circumstances. I do not want to come across as preachy. I think for me, that lesson I learned that day, stuck with me and I do not want to offend anyone anymore. That also goes with using my mobile phone when I’m eating outside with anyone. I do my best not to look at my phone unless there’s a call.

So what is the lesson for the day? Read whenever I can. Avoid reading in front of my mother, especially during meal time and when she’s sharing the latest episode of her favorite TV show., lest her wrath be revealed and thy lunch be barred.

How about you? How many hours or minutes do you read in a day?