Way, way, WAY ahead of me! However do you plan to read 175 books??

Well, I managed 170 last year. But a lot of what I read for fun is relatively light and fast to read. It's partly because my job entails reading and analyzing nonfiction; it can be intense and frustrating at times and very interesting at others, but it leaves me without a lot of energy for deeper, more challenging books. So I read a lot of fantasy and mystery and some romance, and (as a former teacher) I read some YA and even MG (middle grade) as well as adult books. I also re-read old favorites for comfort, and reading something familiar always goes more quickly.

I try not to make it about the numbers. (I have blogging friends who read 300 books in a year, which is really intimidating if I let myself think about it!) It's more about challenging myself to make a little more time in my life for reading, since it really is the thing that - well, as an introvert, reading is where I recharge. Movies don't do the trick. I need the immersive-and-imaginative act of reading.

Hmm. I need stitching for the same reason. And quiet. I have tons of music available to me, which you'd think as a singer I'd be listening to 24/7, but more often than not, I choose silence. I wonder if books do the same for me and I just don't recognize that?

Maybe, but if you gravitate toward stitching, it's probably more restorative for you.

Knitting helps me stay calm, and I enjoy it, but if I have only half an hour, I'm more likely to read than knit. And although I love audiobooks for when I need my hands busy, given the choice I will read with my eyes.

I'm the same way about music. I sometimes listen to it when I'm doing something else (like housework), but I rarely have it on when I'm reading or working on an index - even instrumental music, which you would think would be less distracting than songs with words. I tend to choose silence a lot of the time.