RE: Reading Habits

[Betty & David Eyer <Betty_and_David@compuserve.com>]

Poster: Betty & David Eyer <Betty_and_David@compuserve.com>

Istvan Dragosani wrote...
>>>I re-read them on an annual basis, starting on September 22, and somehow
I
fit them in between being a single parent, a system administrator, a shire
castellan, among other things; they take priority to even the stack of
technical manuals sitting next to my bed, which typically are my
recreational reading (although right now I'm in the middle of _Ivanhoe_
and Jack Vance's _Dying Earth_).

Which brings to mind another thought: how many out there typically ahve 5
or more books going at once?  I'm lucky if I have less than 10!
<<<

I am a Lead DBA, sometime caretaker of my 80 year old parents, gardner,
MOAS of my barony, member of the  Cooks Guild, textile junkie and a
fighter.   I also have cooked and autocrated my first event (not the same
event) this year and ran the food plan for my Pennsic encampment.  I manage
to read a lot also.  However, I remember being an Art History major in
college and the LAST thing I wanted to do then in my spare time was read,
write or discuss my opinions.  I mostly did bicycling and hiking (not to
mention mind numbing paryting and sport sex) in my "free" time.  

My reading habits tend to non-fiction.  I read LotR a really long time ago
- I am fairly certain that Nixon was in office the last time I read
Tolkein, which proves that I am older than dirt, older even than UNIX. 
These days,  I usually only read fiction if I am going on a plane trip, a
beach vacation or am sick in bed, and then I want really trashy, easy to
read stuff.  The last fiction I read was the "Avalon" series by Marion
Zimmer Bradley, and while not exactly trashy, it isn't literature either.  
I usually have several books going at the same time. 

I always have a bathroom book - usually this is something that has short
topics that can be read in 3 to 10 minutes, and usually it does not have to
be read in order.  In the last year I have had several herbals, "The
English Housewife", modern and medieval cookbooks,   in the basket with the
hair dryer and bubble bath.  

I usually have a beside-the-bedside book, which can be read in longer
(20-30 minute?) sessions and is usually pretty heavy, sleep inducing
reading.  Sometimes I lose interest in these before I finish them,
sometimes not.  This category has included in the past year:"Summa
Theologica", "City of God", "The history of Private Life", a history of the
huguenots and their migrations in America (family/geneology related), "The
Wars of the Bruces" by McNamee, and a variety of religious/spiritual/self
improvement books.  

In addition, I usually have a  book or books for some topic that is
currently interesting me and I read it on weekends, or quiet evenings in
time units of hours or whole afternoons.  This summer I got on a conspiracy
theory trend and read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", "the Jesus Conspiracy" and
reread some of the Illuminati trilogy (all three of those could arguably be
called trashy fiction, but can it be all bad if it includes early
Christians, Merovingians, Knights Templar and victorian mystics in the same
conspiracy?).  Right now, I am off on a tangent about religions of the
world and the history of philosophy because I am trying to chart the
chronology of "big ideas" that might have influenced the SCA period.  No
particular goal, there, I just think it is interesting.   I also have three
books on textile design and embroidery checked out of the library.  I am
working today on planning the chores for the garden through the end of the
season, and am using some of my favorite garden books for that, mostly
"Square Foot Gardening".  

Oh.  And I don't read manuals or trade journals unless I absolutely have
to, but that is a predicament in which I frequently find myself.  I try to
do this on company time by coming in early, staying late or hiding during
luchtime, but it doesnt always work out that way.  A serious Unix fan, I am
unwillingly learning NT at the moment because of (groan) MS SQL Server. 

Sounds like a bad case of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, eh?  Welcome to
my mind - don't go there alone or unarmed......

Magdalena de Hazebrouck
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