Stress and …. Books.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a stress reader. Some people bury their anxiety in chocolate (I’m in recovery) and some in a colorful list of vices. Yet the one  item I never see on the list of things people do when they’re anxious is to read. Am I alone in my need for a paperback when life gets twisted?

Christmas shopping is not usually a factor on my roulette of things that cause me stress, but this year everything is a trigger.  So, instead of plodding through the mall, I’m re-reading old novels I’ve enjoyed, buying new ones on a whim, and borrowing books from my neighborhood “little free library.” My rate of consumption is not healthy. Not that there’s anything wrong with reading, but I’m turning the pages so fast I can’t even remember the names of the characters.

So, I confess my weakness here–in the sanctity of a public blog–and commit to triage this binge of books. The beauty of print is that you can savor the pages, flip back and forth when you need to refresh your imagination, and fall asleep with a book on your chest. My early 2020 resolution, is to value the story. Some author worked very hard on that plot, character development, and setting–I want to honor their work with timeliness. And read to consume their theme, story arc, and message of resolution.

There, I’ve said it. I’m a binge reader. Are you one too?

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