Do Not Disturb

We have a rule in my household. It is a rule that my husband protested at first, but now he has quieted.

Every night, before I go to bed, I must read until my eyes start drooping. If I don't get a chance to read, even for a couple of minutes, I will lie there wide awake for hours (okay, maybe minutes!) until I can fall asleep.

Although I would venture to say that everyone in my family is the same way, it is an unfortunate fact that my husband does not require a reading session before sleeping. In the beginning, this was a definite point of contention for us. He used to accuse me of liking books better than I liked him, among many other things.

Rather than feel guilty about my habit (love, addiction, lifestyle) for reading before bed, I stood firm on the fact that I should not be disturbed once in bed with a book. You may be thinking that this is far too strict and that it holds me back from enjoying other pleasures in life.

Perhaps this is true, but a good-night's sleep is truly one of life's pleasures, and if reading is the only thing that will get me there, I am willing to sacrifice. (I have been known to put down the book, enjoy other activities, only to book up the book afterwards and continue where I left off.)

So, back to reading. Recently, on the advice of two good friends (Christine & Kaz), I finally joined Bookcrossing. I have three growing piles of books in my to-be-read pile. After finishing a few very good novels last November, I floundered through a few books only to give up on each after about 20 pages. Then, I thought, well, I haven't touched my non-fiction pile lately, so I picked up my long awaited autobiography by Hillary Clinton, and I am back in the game! Great book, by the way. I'll put on Bookcrossing as soon as I finish.

So, for those who don't know, check out the web site and sign up. It's for book lovers all over the world, not just Japan. This is a great way to see what others are reading, to get free books sent to you, and to get rid of your books once you have read them. Another advantage is this: You can track books and see what happens to them after they leave your hands.

This last one is really important. Let me illustrate why, and I am sure you will relate to this.

A long time ago, a friend presented me with a very thick novel called Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I am not a follower of Ken Follet, nor am I a fan of really thick books. After a few years, I moved to Japan and soon ran out of books to read. I dug that book out and read it out of pure desperation for English literature.

It was more than a page-turner. It was an amazing tale of the building of a church which starts in the 11th century England and ends some 400 years later. After reading it, I lent it to Andrew, an English gentleman whom I worked with at the time. Andrew lent it to his friend later, and after much prodding, I got the book back from him months later. A couple of years later, I was working a different job with a different English gent, and I decided to lend it to him. Have never seen it since. He swears he has no memory of it. So there you go. One of the best books I have ever read is out there somewhere, and I have no idea where. How sad.

How many times has this happened to you? I can think of countless others, and that is why I have a bookshelf for "Books-that-I-never-lend-out."

Then, from the opposite view, people have lent me books. I read it, but by the time I am finished reading, I cannot for the life of me remember who the heck lent me this book. I am not sure if I should keep it around or if I should lend it out to others. Oh, the guilt I feel over these stray books.


Check out the web site for Bookcrossing and join up!