Introduction

About me:

I love books. I love to read and have been devouring books since the age of five. That's almost 70 years of reading.

A saying I once read resonated with me. It went something like: God put me on earth to read a certain number of books. Right now, I'm so far behind I may never die. 

I never feel comfortable unless I have a stack of books waiting to be read.

Currently, I read five books a week. I know that some people find this hard to believe, especially when they know that I also write, teach about writing, prepare and distribute newsletters for three organisations and a course book for an educational group, and serve on two committees. I am learning Italian and I love to travel and blog about those trips. 

I am a very fast reader, only slowing down if a book demands it, for instance when the text is lyrical and requires a slower reading to appreciate the language used, so five books take me no time at all. Each day, I also scan news and other articles and listen to some podcasts, and keep up with puzzles and word games to keep my mind sharp.

I belong to three book clubs, use three different apps for reading books from local libraries, and also have Kindle and iBooks for ebooks I purchase. 'Real' books are my preference. There's something about the feel, smell, and anticipation of what is behind that cover that satisfies me on a level that ebooks cannot reach. 

Opening a book is like opening a door to an unknown world, where new friends are waiting for me, eager to share their experiences and knowledge. If it's a good read, closing a book is sad, but I carry a little of what I read into my life and continue wondering about the characters, as I do friends I don't see very often. 

I find it impossible to part with 'real' books and this creates problems when it comes to housing them. When I downsized to my present home, I sent hundreds of books to two of my sisters who between them have a few thousand books. I do not exaggerate - they are both like me and love books. They live on 40 acres and are planning to build a family library on their property.

For many years, I kept a reading journal. This involved just the date, title, and a short piece about the book and my thoughts. Sadly, over time and many house moves, most of these journals were lost. I did, for a time, back in pre-internet days, write book reviews (for payment) from the Western Review (Perth) and have copies of these still.

This blog will replace those journals.