Book Addict

I have not blogged regularly about Ying Ying for quite some time because I have been indulging in... READING!!!

I love to read. As a kid, I would make my way down to the library almost every other weekend. I loved being surrounded by books in a cool and quiet environment. During the holidays, I would engage myself in marathon reading sessions, that is, apart from sleeping, I read non-stop even when eating and ermm... in the toilet. :p Needless to say, library was my ECA during my primary and secondary school days. Yeah...I was quite a bookworm then. But that sort of changed when I moved on to JC where I discovered there were so many other activities I could do (like running and hiking - I had 2 ECAs: ODAC - Outdoor Adventure Club and X-country) and should do (like studying). All of the sudden, reading other things apart from my textbooks and newspapers (for GP), took second place. I just didn't have the luxury of time.

Nowadays, newspapers form the staple part of my daily reading diet. Other things I read are mostly magazines, parenting books and other non-fiction materials. I never thought I would be interested to pick up a novel again. Until about a fortnight ago...

It all started when I came across a review on books written by Jodi Picoult in last month's Popular members' magazine. I wanted to get one of her books but I bought My Best Friend's Girl (2006) by Dorothy Koomson instead because it had a sticker on its cover recommending it as a Richard & Judy's Summer Read.

After reading that book, I dug out Angels & Demons (2000) by Dan Brown. I had bought it last year shortly before I gave birth. I took it along with me to the hospital in case I got bored. I managed to cover a few chapters into the novel at the delivery ward where I spent 22hrs there. Eventually, I put off reading it altogether because the contractions were distracting me. After the delivery, you guess it - childcare took priority and the novel was the last thing on my mind. It was left to collect dust on the shelf till last week... Well, Angels & Demons proved to be as unputdownable and more intriguing than The Da Vindi Code which I read last year. I was completely addicted to the plot even though the novel was in the form of a plain paperback intead of the special collectors' edition (though I must admit the latter version would certainly serve to enhance the reading experience).

By the time I finished the two novels, I was thirsty for more. That was when I remembered the Jodi Picoult review and got The Tenth Circle (2006) since it has been on the bestseller's chart for quite some time. I was so taken away with her style of writing that I went out and bought 8 other novels written by her last Saturday. No kidding! Just today, I finished reading My Sister's Keeper (2004). It had such a depressing ending that I couldn't help but shed some tears. Sigh! :(

I wanted to share with hubby all the books I have enjoyed reading but unfortunately he has no time for such recreation which I can absolutely understand. Besides, unlike me, he just doesn't have the endurance of completing a novel. He usually zonk out after a few pages and takes forever to finish a book! So after reading each book, I would summarise the story and let him on the spoiler too because I know he would never touch them unless miracle happens.

These days I look forward nursing Ying Ying so that I can read and perform my mothering duty at the same time. Heheh...kill two birds with one stone. And instead of blogging, I usually stay up to read for a few hours after she sleeps. I try my best not to stay up too late otherwise I would be too tired to attend to Ying Ying when she wakes up. But sometimes it's so hard because you just wanna keep flipping and know what's gonna happen in the next few pages. Then poof! Before you know it, a few hours have gone by. Ahhh... the joy of reading! Time just flies like that! ^_^