2020 - A Year in Reading

To state the obvious, 2020 has been a bad year for most things.  From pandemic to natural disasters to violence and riots to locusts and murder hornets to air crashes to the election, and the list goes on.  Every single one of us has been affected, and my heart goes out to those who have lost friends and loved ones.  

One of the less egregious ramifications of 2020 is being stuck at home full time and precluded from socializing with family and friends.  

Them:  We're bored. 

Me:  Read a book!

Of course, if being stuck at home is the worst thing you’ve had to deal with this year (and you're able to work from home), you are one of the lucky ones.  But this can take its toll on even the most steadfast introvert and put a strain on your household unit.  (Why does my husband keep placing the toilet paper in the “under” position?!?  But, hey, at least we have toilet paper ... for now.)  For me, however, one of the small bright spots that has come from staying home is that I've had more time for reading.  

According to my Goodreads statistics, for the past five years, I have consistently read approximately 21 books per year.  For 2020, however, it looks like I will come in at around 48 books - more than double!  

Wow!

This might not sound like a lot to some people, but keep in mind that I have a full-time job and mostly only read at night before bed.  (If I didn’t have a job, I can visualize myself filling great portions of every day reading for pleasure!)  My uptick in reading this year likely relates to being at home more.  Although I still work full-time and still mostly read before bed, I have more time to read at night and on the weekends, since there are no evening or weekend outings.  

Another factor that increased my reading is my public library's e-book collection.  I never used the library for physical books because I have a huge collection of hard-copy/paperback books at home, and I’ll have to admit that I’m too lazy to pick up and drop off physical books at the library.  Also, my eyes are getting too weak for physical books, most of which, to me, have such tiny print I have to strain to see it even with “reader” glasses.  With e-books, however, I can set the font to only about five words per page and I’m golden!   

Although my local library’s e-book collection doesn’t have all the books/authors I would like to read, it has a huge selection to choose from.  I was able to read all of the Miss Marple novels and short stories, which I had never read before and thoroughly enjoyed.  Next up, Poirot!  (Although I have already checked and the library doesn’t carry all of them in e-book format!  I may have to bite the bullet and do hard copies for the ones that are missing.)

I have heard some say that they’ve had trouble reading during the pandemic - that their minds are too distracted and/or stressed to focus on it.  It’s had the opposite affect on me.  I’ve found myself reading ravenously as a brief escape from our crazy reality.  

What about you?  Have you been able to enjoy reading during this year’s insanity?  How many books have you read in 2020?

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Her second book, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon is now available.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.