Top Ten Tuesday – How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time

Well, it’s been a HOT minute since I compiled a Top Ten Tuesday post! Life has been absolutely crazy this year, and my blog has suffered most of all. Here’s hoping today’s post will inject a bit of life into it, and get me back in the rhythm of books that I’ve missed.

Today’s topic is about reading habits and how they’ve changed over time. To be honest, this is not a topic I would even give a second thought, but now that I’ve mulled it over a bit, I can see how they’ve changed since I started reading Christian fiction so many years ago. Here’s my attempt at finding 10 ways…

Audiobooks

I remember when the first audiobooks came out on cassette tape, and while I never listened to them in that format, I did try a couple of books on CD maybe 15 years ago. At the time, they were not my cup of tea. I found my mind wandering way too much and missing key details of the stories. I gave that up and stuck with my tried and true print editions. Since then, I have wholeheartedly embraced audiobooks! I drive at least an hour per day back and forth to my job. That is way too long to sit in the car with nothing to listen to but the radio (we don’t have the greatest options on that front in my area), so I decided to give audiobooks a try once more. I have lost count of how many I have listened to in the past 2-3 years, but it has brought books to life in a whole new way. I don’t think I could live without them now!

Reading Past Midnight

While this is one that I wish I could still claim to do… alas, I cannot function the next day if I do! I tried it a few nights ago, and I was absolutely worthless the next day! Back before I had kids and when I was working a retail job with later hours, I could do this night after night with no problem at all. Now, it’s better if I keep my reading to normal day/night hours.

E-books

I resisted e-books when they first started gaining traction. I was committed to only having print copies, and as such, I had hoards of books. (No, really….probably 1500 books at a minimum scattered through my house.) Once we moved from our first house to our second, I realized it was time to make a change. E-books are just as easy to read as print books, and with advancements in e-readers like the Kindle Paperwhite (which I LOVE!), I don’t need to have a physical book anymore.

DNF (Did Not Finish) Books

This is a tough one. I’m one of those readers that commits to read a book from start to finish once I start it. But now that there are literally THOUSANDS of books to read at any given moment, I don’t feel as guilty as I once did if I have to give up on a book if it doesn’t grab me within the first 50ish pages. Life is too short!

Highlighting/Annotating

While I will never physically highlight a hard copy of a book, I do it all the time in my Kindle now! There is something about being able to go back and reference certain parts of a story that resonate with me. If I’m reading a physical book, I always keep a few annotating tabs close by so I can mark those passages. This helps tremendously when I’m putting together quotes to share on social media or when I want to refer back to something that has inspired me to make a new bookmark or jewelry design.

Always Have a Book Handy

This is something I’ve always done, but it has evolved in recent years. It used to be that I would always have a physical book with me, and I would pick it up to read whenever I had a couple minutes free. I was one of those people who would read while waiting for the stoplight to change from red to green (still do sometimes). But with the evolution of e-books and access to them, I always have access to a book on my phone even if I don’t have a physical book or my Kindle with me. Reading on a phone takes a little getting used to, but it works in a pinch!

Music

If you have kids, you know how precious quiet time can be. There are some books that suck me in so much that I have to know what’s going to happen next! When you have two young kids who can raise their voices pretty loud on occasion, it helps to have a set of earbuds and a Spotify playlist on standby to drown out the noise. I have made a list of songs that are all instrumental, soothing, and perfect to listen to no matter what I’m reading.

Reading Subscriptions

Wow, things have greatly changed in this area since I first started reading! I have tried oh-so-many different subscriptions over time, but the one I’ve maintained consistently over time is Kindle Unlimited. The sheer volume of books that are available through it blows me away, and when thinking about the Christian fiction genre specifically, the selection of titles is nothing to sneeze at. There are also so many new authors, independent authors, etc. that are not part of the traditional publishing world, and their stories are sitting there on KU just waiting to be read.

Open to Non-Fiction

Fiction has always been my main go-to for reading, but in recent years, I’ve found myself seeking out more non-fiction books. Topics of Christian growth, cooking, homemaking, saving money, frugal living…all sorts of things that can make my daily life better for those around me.

Creativity

Probably the biggest and best change of all has been creativity. Never in a million years would I have thought to pair my love of books with my love of creating jewelry, but it has come together in the most beautiful of ways. While I have not been making much in the past 12-18 months because of my mom’s illness and passing, the itch to make new things is starting up again and I’m ready for whatever that brings.

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