Confession time: I was never a big reader as a kid.
It wasn't that I didn't like to read because I did. The problem for me was that during my formative years when school teachers required young'uns to choose a book for a book report they pretty much gave us access to a fairly limited library of adventures, many of which they were either familiar with or approved of; this was so that they knew without a doubt that we had read the books we were reporting on, they were 'of merit,' and they could assure themselves that we weren't simply BSing our way through the project. Outside of the occasional 'Encyclopedia Brown' collection or a 'Miss Pickerell' book, I rarely found anything of interest ... so the choices simply stifled my interest in reading.
Don't get me wrong: I wanted to read, but I couldn't find anything that honestly interested me to read. There's a big difference in that distinction.
Sometime in the early 1990's, I finally made a commitment to myself to read more than I had previously. I started with the goal of finishing one book a month. Within a few years, I was up to two or three in a month's time. Finally, I realized that I no longer wanted to have a monthly allotment; instead I just started saying, "I'm going to read X number of books this year," and that way I could allow my free time to dictate when and where I read. At present, I still manage to tackle about 50 in any twelve month window.
I haven't made the adjustment to ebook reading as easily as other old dogs have. I prefer to have the book in my hand as I tend to go back and re-read some sections in the event that I have difficulty with understanding some passages OR I find something later in the volume that conflicts with something read earlier. What can I say? I'm a stickler for details sometimes.
However, Tor.com may change all of this for me as I've found out that through one of their email blurbs they do this occasional free ebook. Because they specialize in Science Fiction and Fantasy, I definitely figured this was up my alley, and I thought it relevant to share with interested folks in this space. You can find out more about their program by clicking the link right here.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
It wasn't that I didn't like to read because I did. The problem for me was that during my formative years when school teachers required young'uns to choose a book for a book report they pretty much gave us access to a fairly limited library of adventures, many of which they were either familiar with or approved of; this was so that they knew without a doubt that we had read the books we were reporting on, they were 'of merit,' and they could assure themselves that we weren't simply BSing our way through the project. Outside of the occasional 'Encyclopedia Brown' collection or a 'Miss Pickerell' book, I rarely found anything of interest ... so the choices simply stifled my interest in reading.
Don't get me wrong: I wanted to read, but I couldn't find anything that honestly interested me to read. There's a big difference in that distinction.
Sometime in the early 1990's, I finally made a commitment to myself to read more than I had previously. I started with the goal of finishing one book a month. Within a few years, I was up to two or three in a month's time. Finally, I realized that I no longer wanted to have a monthly allotment; instead I just started saying, "I'm going to read X number of books this year," and that way I could allow my free time to dictate when and where I read. At present, I still manage to tackle about 50 in any twelve month window.
I haven't made the adjustment to ebook reading as easily as other old dogs have. I prefer to have the book in my hand as I tend to go back and re-read some sections in the event that I have difficulty with understanding some passages OR I find something later in the volume that conflicts with something read earlier. What can I say? I'm a stickler for details sometimes.
However, Tor.com may change all of this for me as I've found out that through one of their email blurbs they do this occasional free ebook. Because they specialize in Science Fiction and Fantasy, I definitely figured this was up my alley, and I thought it relevant to share with interested folks in this space. You can find out more about their program by clicking the link right here.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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