As anyone will tell you, finding time for your hobbies gets increasingly more difficult as the responsibilities increase. And I’m finding it especially true when it comes to picking up a book and finishing it.
I’ve gone from being someone who reads one book per week to someone who only gets reading done while waiting in airports, long bus rides, or extended vacations. In fact, the last time I got a book done we were on holiday in Sri Lanka. So it’s been almost three months.
It’s disappointing for someone who claims to be an avid reader- but then again it’s not that I’m not reading, my focus has just shifted to articles and blogs.
But when I get that infrequent day off, the first thing I reach for is my Sony E-reader, with its fading buttons and more titles than I could ever have time for.
It’s such days that allow me to finally get around to reading highly recommended books like The Martian by Andy Wier, the same book that was made into a movie starring Matt Damon. It’s a book that Ahmad has been recommending to me since he read it almost a year ago but I kept postponing and postponing until I picked it up today. I’ve refused to see the film before I’ve gotten through the book because the book is always better than the movie.
And you know what? I really can’t put it down. The writing isn’t sophisticated and inaccessible, so it just flows and you find yourself reading page after page after page. I’d rather read that kind of book than something that is critically acclaimed but just feels a bit too much to enjoy.
I’m only away from it right now because I have an obligation to myself to write a post each day. But otherwise, I would be sitting on the couch, ignoring everything around me as I’m totally engrossed in the words- which is exactly how I’m used to spending my evenings.
So I’m hoping that this is the kind of book that gets me back to the habit and back to what I love.
Beyond Beirut 