How I Read Now

After years of being a very intense book blogger, I went through a period where I barely read anything. It wasn't entirely by choice, I was doing a kind of "on-call" work that rarely allowed me the ability to feel like I could relax enough to read as I might be missing something I should be doing. It was quite a change for me as I started to lose that intense connection to the book world, to other bloggers and to this blog.

The idea of simply letting this blog slip away for good has been very tempting.

But in the past year, I've transitioned to a kind of work that allows me to listen as I work, and so I've finally become that thing I never thought I would be--an audiobook listener! And apparently, June is audiobook month so what better time to talk about it then now?

I actually really love audiobooks now, though I recognize they present a new challenge to reading. The narrator matters intensely. I can't write down all the quotes I love as I listen. I can't really flip back in case I miss something. But for the most part, this has been very fun and very rewarding.

While this is a new approach to books to me, perhaps the greatest reward has been to return me to the kind of reader I was before blogging. I've had the chance to catch up on titles I've missed over the years because of needing to hit review deadlines. I can listen to an author's entire backlist in a row...and it's WONDERFUL. I love books and stories all over again.

There have been other benefits to this...I no longer feel like I know about every book coming out, I no longer walk in a bookstore and feel guilty as all I see are unreviewed books. I actually open up newsletters about "our hot new titles" from publishers and feel excited to discover what new books are coming out. I...just love reading again.

But, I still want to talk about what I read and so I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. I've been reading SO MANY GREAT BOOKS!

In the meantime, I must ask for recommendations for thrillers/suspense and horror books..my favorite genre to listen to or any good books in general. Keeping my attention and keeping me wanting to listen is particularly important as I do this while working and it helps to pass the time. So...I'm here for any great recs! Stuff I've recently loved, Me Before You, Try Not to Breathe, You and Hidden Bodies, Night Films, The Evening Spider, and In a Dark, Dark Wood.