I’ve been an avid reader since I was old enough to hold a book. I honestly don’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading. At night, I read in bed with a flashlight or read by the headlights of the other cars on the road. On rainy days, I cuddled up with a book and lost myself in the story. Sounds a bit crazy, but I could hear the entire story in my head – right down to the accents. When I put my book down, I was often a bit disoriented.

Fast forward to adulthood – still found time to read. Then to motherhood – read. Please, don’t make me laugh. Even as my kids got older, reading felt like a luxury. By the time I completed my work, the school day was over. Even teens have things that require attention each day. In short, reading remained firmly at the bottom of the list.

The closest I’ve come to reading on a regular basis has been through audiobooks. I know. It’s not the same. If a book is very complex, like a book about quantum physics, listening while driving is not very effective. I have to pay attention to the road. That leaves me re-listening to passages. So I’ve opted for the vast library of books that are not technical in nature. In this way, I’ve “read” Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the Hight Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner. Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver, King of the Vagabonds, and Odalisque, George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, and Frank Hebert’s Dune.

The other thing that has made me truly happy is the ability to learn new things about books and other topics while I’m stuck in our news-making traffic. I can do this through the Great Courses on Audible.com. I’ve learned about sci-fi and best sellers, but I’ve got Utopian/Dystopian literature on tap and more in my wish list.

My absolute contentment with his solution to the problem of literary deprivation will not make sense to most. Hopefully it will to my fellow well-read geeks!