How do you read?

At first glance this might seem like a silly question. We string letters together, our mind is trained to recognise the patterns the letters create, and thus a word is born.  This is not exactly what I’m talking about. With this question I am more interested to explore our reading habits.

From the minute our reading journey begins, we start forming reading habits. These habits might change and evolve during the course of our lives, but eventually we’ll settle on  something we’re comfortable with, or perhaps something that challenge us – depending on the way we’re wired. For example, some people like to read more than one book at a time. I know readers who read up to six book at a time. They move from book to book, devouring the pages as if it’s Sunday lunch pudding. Other’s have settled into a more relaxed pattern, meandering through stories at their leisure. For some, reading becomes like an addiction, their mind obsessing over the next bestseller or the next awe inspiring volume in the series they worship. I even know readers who make meticulous notes while reading, becoming completely entrenched in the story.

Myself, I usually read two or three books at a time. One is usually a middle grade novel that I read with my daughter, the second is one I read just before bedtime – this one is for pure enjoyment and gets a written review when I’m finished. The third usually pertains to a manuscript given me by a fellow writer who requested my thoughts on a piece, perhaps point out what I liked and what didn’t work for me. I’m not an expert but this is how writers help fellow writers. These I usually read over the weekend in between writing.

I’m always curious about how others read. What patterns and habits they settled into over the years. What type of books they find most enjoyable.

If you’re a writer, do you find you notice things like pacing, sentence structure and the like and look at these issues from a technical perspective? Or, are you able to take the ‘writer’s hat’ off, and just enjoy the book?

Have you ever thought about your reading habits and wondered how they developed? Maybe your reading habits have changed drastically due to factors such as ill health, work or family commitments. I’d love to here your thoughts.

Much love XXX