I did it. Finally.

If you just met me now, at this point in my life, you'd probably have no idea what an avid reader I used to be, and how much I love books. I just seem to have so little time for reading anymore, and when I do have the time (before bed), I tend to fall asleep while reading. I had kind of hoped that with all the time I had off this summer, that I was going to be able to really dig into a few good books and get back on the train again.

So, what better book to start off my recommittment to reading than Steinbeck's East of Eden? After all, it's a classic, and no one tells a story quite like John Steinbeck.

Yeah, ok. I probably should have started a little less ambitiously. Don't get me wrong, the story really pulled me right in, and his writing is beautiful. It's just that there were a lot of pages (632). And a lot of words. Lots and lots of words. Combine that with my limited ability to stay awake while reading in bed and I averaged only about a dozen or so pages a night for many weeks. It took me over a month to read it, whereas I used to polish off a couple of books a week. But, as I rounded the final stretch (last 200 pages), I kicked it into high gear, and I'm proud to say that I finished it last night.

Next on my queue, The Road (Cormac McCarthy). Evan read it in one night, so I'm hopeful that I can tackle it in a reasonable amount of time (caveat being that he is an insomniac, so many nights he stays up til 3 0r 4 in the morning). I'm really determined to be the avid reader that I once was, even if it kind of feels like work in the beginning.