So, I read quickly. I always have. People have accused me of skimming, pretending to read, etc. and quizzed me on the contents of my reading. They usually never bothered me again after I was able to answer any questions they asked me. I've never taken a speed reading course; I've just always been able to read that fast.
The disadvantages of reading quickly are more bothersome when travelling. I can carry about 2-3 books in my travel backpack. Although I can read in a car (yay for no motion sickness!), I usually don't, since I prefer to look at the scenery and I'm often navigating or reading on behalf of the driver. The problem arises when I travel by plane. I can't usually sleep on a plane, so I read. My 2-3 books are usually done by the time we've reached our destination - then what? Ditch a book or two and buy more? Not possible - I tend to only buy books that I've read previously and have liked enough to own.
A few years ago, we went to Barbados right before Christmas. Actually, our travel plans were thus: fly to Toronto, go to the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the ROM; fly to Barbados the next day, spend a week there; fly back to Toronto, spend a couple of days with friends just north of the city; take a train to Kingston; spend Christmas with Ken's sister and her family and Ken's parents; fly back to Saskatoon. Loads of time to read in transit. Ken and I exchanged Christmas presents before we left home (I was so not dragging or shipping a Black and Decker workbench to Kingston). When he gave me his gift, Ken said, "let me know if it's not something you want, because I can return it." Well. It was an e-reader (a KOBO, if you're interested). It came loaded with I don't know how many books (the older, out of copyright ones) and the capacity to carry 1000 books. 1000 BOOKS, Y'ALL! I was never going to run out of things to read again. And all in something that weighed as much as the average paperback, and was only about 1-2 cm thick.
As an added bonus, I could borrow e-books from the Saskatoon Public Library. Just download the e-books onto a computer, then transfer them to the e-reader. From anywhere. I "went to the library" in Kingston and in B.C.; if the internet connections hadn't been so dreadfully slow, I would have borrowed books while in Viet Nam. Just imagine - "What are you doing?" "I'm at the library. Shhh. " "But... you're sitting on the couch, drinking scotch, and cackling..." "Yes. SHHHH."
Now, make no mistake. I love physical books. I love the way they feel, smell, and look. It's much easier and quicker to flip back or forward in a "real" book. You can throw an annoying book (The Murder of King Tut, dear God) out the window without worrying about damaging any other books or technologies. I love old books, and the crafts of bookbinding and typesetting. But for sheer carrying convenience, I'm grateful for the invention of e-books.
Now, confession time. I was an...unusual child. ("Really??", chorused everyone who actually knows me.) I've always loved to read, and can't remember I time when I couldn't. When I was in grade 1, I used to schlep a big flipping black garbage bag full of books with me to school and back every day. These were books from our classroom which I really liked, and wanted to have with me at all times, in case I wanted to read them. (I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Russell, my grade 1 teacher, for her patience and apparent sense of humour). Anyway, every time I take my e-reader somewhere, I feel that six year old grinning. And massaging her biceps.
