Books are my escape

I still remember the first chapter book I read.  It was Socks by Beverly Cleary.  It was a book one of my older cousins had, and I read it in First Grade. (side note...apparently that book was released the year I was born. Funny.)  That was the beginning of the end.  I began to devour books, reading all of Beverly Cleary's books, as well as all the big name books of that time, and anything else that sounded remotely interesting.  As I grew older, I went through phases...Stephen King and Dean Koontz, The Left Behind Series, Danielle Steele (that didn't last long) Romance novels, etc.  I go through small times when I just can't muster the interest, and then suddenly I find a long list of books I need to read.

Goodreads has been such a great find. It's a good way to find those books that aren't a best seller, but are so good.  You can find other people that like what you like in a book, whatever that is.

I joined the BlogHer Book Club because I love to read, and the idea of free books sounded awesome.  And what I've gained is some favorite books and some meh books.  But I've had the opportunity to review some genres I might not otherwise read, and find some authors I love.

Almost every night, my son and I crawl into my bed and read for 20-30 minutes right before bed time.  Sometimes he whines to watch television instead, but not often.  He pulls out his latest book, and I pull out mine, and we each quietly read together.  This has become one of my favorite times of the day and it helps me achieve so many small goals...more reading time for both of us, some quiet time to cuddle before bed, and less screen time.

One of the best epiphanies I had was that I didn't have to finish reading a book I didn't like (unless it's a paid review.)  I could just stop reading, and if I didn't wonder what happened, it was okay to stop.

I want to read a minimum of 30 books this year, from front cover to back cover.  I try to remember to capture all of them on Goodreads, but I think I'm going to add a column over there to the right as well.

What do you like to read? Do you like to discuss books after you've read them?  Are you on Goodreads?