We live in strange times.
A huge proportion of the global population is in some kind of lockdown in an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Many people are scared. As Christians, we know God has not given us a spirit of fear, but love. But knowing that doesn’t change our situation: working from home (if we’re lucky enough to be able to), supervising our children’s schooling, and not going out except to the supermarket.
I’ve seen a lot of writers on social media saying they’re having trouble writing in the current situation.
I’ve seen readers saying they can’t concentrate to read, or that they are actively seeking out some genres and avoiding others.
I’ve also seen reports that the consumption of audiobooks has dropped. Most people listened to them as they commuted to and from work, but no one is commuting right now. I don’t listen to audiobooks, but I’ve also stopped listening to podcasts since I’ve been working at home again.
I’ve found my reading habits have changed.
I’m not reading less. That weekly reminder on my telephone tells me I’m reading more. The change is in what I’m reading.
I’m reading a lot more news—mostly the local news site (Stuff, because it’s free), plus BBC News and Al Jazeera (because they are international and more impartial than other sources).
I’m reading more for pure entertainment. Over the last month, I’ve read about a dozen books from my to-read pile. Okay, so I didn’t finish some of them, but they are now in my to-donate bag, rather than cluttering my bookfloor.
Bookfloor: place where books get stored when the bookshelf is full.
But I’m finding it really hard (well, impossible) to concentrate on books on my review pile. There are a handful I’ve finished but haven’t yet written reviews for. There are even more that I’ve started but haven’t finished.
The things I read probably haven’t changed too much, though I am really missing being able to browse at the library. So have been sticking more to my Kindle and my piles of unread books lying around the house 🙂 Also because I’ve had a bit more free time, I’ve been reading more research articles to do with my next novel, and also taking the time to read more blog posts than usual.
I am struggling with review books as well. Thankfully I pared down in the list in anticipation of my surgery. I have found that fast-paced suspense (my go to genre) keeps me engaged more than others.