Reading

I like to read, but I find that it is hard to find the time to do it.  Perhaps it would be more reasonable to say that I find it hard to make the time to read.  In camps, it is particularly difficult for me to accomplish this.  So I generally read at breakfast in camp.  When I work, I read at lunch.  I generally read before going to sleep, but this is also prime journal time.  In camp, I usually feel too tired to accomplish anything significant laying in bed, other than falling asleep.  Thus, breakfast is sacred time, reserved for reading.

For some people, a book is not a "do not disturb" sign, but an invitation for chatter.  To avoid being chatted to while reading at breakfast, I tend to get up earlier than others in camp, to sit in a secluded spot in the mess tent, early in the morning, and read.  I did this at Red Dog too.  Sarah relishes quiet reading time, so she would arrive to the Red Dog mess after me, sit across from me, and read too.  You have to duck out of the mess before the hordes arrive, otherwise you are stuck chattering away, holding a book, and getting steadily grumpier.

One problem with this method is that it makes me tired earlier at night.  Meaning I have less time in the evening to read, journal, blog, email, etc.  This makes my breakfast reading even more important.  You can see where this all goes.  In the real world, I still squeeze in reading, though I can usually find a place to read without being bothered, so I do not generally have to become nocturnal just to read a few pages of The Hobbit.

Which brings me to the next part of this post.  I am reading The Hobbit.  I have read it before.  I have listened to it on audiobook.  I have seen the movie.  I like the LOTR in book form.  I have listened to them on audiobook.  I have read them.  I plan to reread them after rereading The Hobbit.  I have seen the LOTR movies.  I like the LOTR movies.  I like the extended editions the best.  I have watched all three extended editions back to back.  I do not consider myself a Tolkien, or fantasy, nerd or fanatic (I do think of myself as a nerd).

With all that out of the way, it seems like an easy type of post will be updates on the book(s) I am reading.  Sometimes this will make me disappointed with myself for not reading enough, but overall, I hope it to be a fun way to share details of my life with anyone who cares.  Without further delay, here is my first reading post.

I just finished Lawless World, by Philippe Sands.  It was a good book about international law, and I would recommend it, but it would have been better six years ago.  It also was not the most engaging camp book.  To reward myself, I am rereading The Hobbit, a better camp book, perhaps even one of the best camp books (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, including all of the sequels, is also a great go to).  I cannot help myself from thinking about Middle Earth whilst bounding about in the field.  My responsible plan is to push through a bunch of books, hard bound first, to lighten my baggage to New Zealand.  Unfortunately for my plan, the call of the LOTR may be too strong after I finish The Hobbit.