Time to listen to books

I’ve always been a reader, ever since I was young. Sinking into a book is always a delightful escape, a mind expander and enlightening windows into other worlds and ways of being.

The library was the grand castle for my young mind, the hallowed house within which my adoration of reading was scaffolded and solidified.

A trip to the library was a journey to all manner of possibilities, it was a core childhood experience of mine, the joy and thrill of it resounds through my life to this day. I am grateful that I had the privilege of library access, and I am so thrilled that as of today, Libraries Horowhenua is a fines free library.

This is an amazing initiative, removing barriers to access and ensuring as many people as possible can enjoy all the fantastic things our libraries have to offer. Ka rawe!

One of the side effects of being a lifelong reader is being a serial “bookpile haver” (not a technical term). I have been known to have piles of books in all nooks and crannies of the house, books stowed in my rotating stock of on the go tote bags (getting stuck somewhere without something to read is… horrifying to me), books on my various eLibrary apps, books in the car… the list goes on. Alongside having bookpiles, is having multiple books on the go at once. According to my

Goodreads account, I am “currently reading” 13 books.

Now, I think that is slightly high, but the true tally is something like seven, there’s a title for every swish of my mood.

Yet . . . recently I have found that me, the “haver of all the bookpiles”, the person who’s got all the books on the go, had been a reading slump! I’ve been in reading slumps before, and they can be quite affronting for someone who’s used to reading every day. My first serious reading slump was when I became a parent, suddenly my nightly reading habit was devoured by the fatigue of new parenthood.

What used to be a chapter a night, was diminished to barely a page before I was asleep!

My latest lull could be attributed to many things, but I am pleased to say I have been making my way out of it by changing up what I read. So, my non-definitive list of recommendations for getting out of a reading slump are:

Audiobooks — Why not read by listening?

Try — The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, available on Libby.

Novellas — Quick, compact and to the point, what’s not to love?

Try — The Rise and Shine Series by G.B. Ralph (local author), available on Libby.

Graphic novels — A truly magnificent art form. Try Hoopla’s unique frame-byframe reader.

Try — Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, available in library, and on Libby and Hoopla

Poetry — Concentrated vignettes artfully woven. Try — Rangikura by Tayi Tibble, available in library.

Reading children’s or young adults — There’s a wealth of stunning material.

Try — Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, available in library, and on Libby.