This week I have been loving...late night reading sessions
At the risk of sounding ridiculous, the last ten days have been some of the most stressful this year. Yes, even more stressful than the week before my dissertation deadline. Anyone who lives in England, particularly the South West, will know exactly what I am talking about: floods, really bad floods. My house is entirely surrounded by water; there are several large ponds and a stream running the perimeter. Usually this is pretty cool as it makes me feel like I'm on an island and as kids it was ideal for swimming opportunities. But now I am practically counting down the hours until I can up sticks and move to London. Ah wet-and-rainy-but-never-underwater-London. I spent the end of last week and the beginning of this one up to my knees in flood water that was streaming over the drive, the road, and the garden. Filling sandbags, building makeshift walls and completing the half-hourly 'flood-watch' have dominated my life in recent days. Although this has pretty much sucked for the most part, I have secretly been revelling in the chance to stay up late reading, happy in the knowledge that I have no choice but to stay awake reading until it stops raining (which has frequently been the early hours).
I first became obsessed with reading when I was in about year 7 and struggling with horrendous insomnia. Instead of lying there freaking myself out with my own imagination, I used to read. On bad nights for sleep but good nights for reading I could get through a couple of average sized teen reads. I read a lot of books. This last week has reminded me of how much I actually enjoy staying up late just reading a good book.
From now on I am going to let myself be a bit more reckless in my reading habits. No more putting down my book at a time I think is 'suitable'. No more denying myself the pleasure of reading and reading until I finish a brilliant book. Instead, I'm going to remind myself what it feels like to not want to sleep because the book I am reading is just that good.
Do you love pulling a reading all nighter?
No comments
Post a Comment