From January 1 - May 9th, I listened to 3 audiobooks, and read 31 books; all print copies. So in 129 days, I read 34 books, an average of 1 book every 3.8 days. Which isn't bad; but does mean that it would take me 380 days to read 100 books, and my goal was at least 104 this year (2 per week).But then, on May 10th, I downloaded an e-book version of Twenties Girl from the library, and my life suddenly changed drastically. (This sounds melodramatic, but wait for the math!)
From May 10th to June 14th -- 36 days -- I read 16 books. One audiobook, 3 print copies, and 12 books on my phone. So in that 5 week range, I averaged one book every 2.25 days. If I kept that pace all year, it would mean 162 books this year; which would be the most I'd ever read (as far as I've tracked anyway).
By adding e-books into the mix, I started reading almost 70% faster. Which is completely nuts. I think a couple of things contribute to that crazy statistic.
- Juliet's getting squirmier when nursing. It's a lot easier to hold a small phone out of her reach than a large book. So I'm way more likely to read on my phone while she's nursing.
- I've been spending phone time reading, not playing games. I had been playing tons of games; but I've dropped a lot of them - most notably Candy Crush, which I have bitterly turned my back on. Stupid level 181.
- The book selections. Because I've only read free e-books from the library, I tend to download what's available immediately. So of those 12 e-books, 4 were Agatha Christies, which are fairly short.
- The novelty. I'm sure at some point it will seem less exciting to be able to instantly start a new book without even having to get up out of my chair to walk over to the bookshelves. And probably at that point my reading habits will slow a bit.
- The ease. I find myself reading 5 pages at the park, or 10 pages while pumping gas in the car, or 15 pages while cooking dinner. I don't always have a book with me, but I do always have my phone. And it's amazing how those little bits and bobs add up.
So, I have to say, I'm officially in the "yay" camp now for e-readers. (You may all now quietly snicker "I told you so".)I told Noel that a Kindle Fire or iPad mini is definitely on my birthday/Christmas list this year. (The one plus to being born the week of Christmas... if I want a big ticket item I can tell people to merge the two!)
Do YOU read e-books faster than print ones?
This post is part four-ish in my e-reading saga. Check out why I didn't like an e-reader at first, when I solicited your opinions, and when I admitted that e-reading was kind of great.
P.S. All math double-checked by my mom. Because she's the queen of percentages (and discounts, and coupons!).
