I used to read and just read, all the time. When I was in elementary school, I would go to the library once a week and come out with a huge stack of books. I’d read detective novels, fantasy and all kinds of fiction, throwing in a memoir to the mix every once in a while. I’d always have at least three books on rotation and I never used bookmarks so I’d always be looking for the place where I last left off. Sometimes I’d get my storied mixed up if I was reading two books that were similar. And I loved it all.

Slowly my passion for books dwindled when I got introduced to social media and everything interned had to offer. Shame really, but movies and tv-series took over and I no longer spend hours and days just reading.

When I tried to pick up a book, I had trouble consentrating and I’d often fall asleep easily while reading. Long gone were the days when no matter how sleepy I was, a good book would keep me up all night. All of a sudden I was not a reader at all anymore.

Fast forward years of only reading a few books during the course of a year, and getting dumber by the day, to being introduced to audio books. While they weren’t a totally unheard (pun intented) consept to me, with only having a few Finnish audio books in the local library, I never payed much attention to them. One day couple years ago I found the Audible service by Amazon, with the most amazing range of audio books in English, I was instantly hooked. For the past couple years, instead of reading, I’ve been listening to books quite a lot. While not aa good as reading them for yourself, they are the next best option, and a hands-free one at that. I have produced probably closer to 30 pairs of wool socks and mittens while listening to audio books.

While audio books provided an easy access to books, it’s not quite the same as reading for yourself, and I miss it. I miss getting lost in the books.

I have a vivid imagination and I get really into the world of the book, feeling what the chatacters feel and being very invested in it. Even if the book was bad, I was adamant on finishing it because I felt like I had to because I chose the book and there would always be something to learn in the end. Nowadays I don’t waste my time on a book that I don’t like. Like the one I’m actually holding in the picture above, I gave up on that after the third way in. Both the main characters were super annoying and in no way or shape relatable.

Last night I was staying at my uncles place in Helsinki, who has a huge book case filled with great Scandinavian crime novels. I was about to have a bath so I thought to see if any of the books spoke to me and wanted to come with. After some browsing and reading back covers, I chose Jo Nesbø’s Snowman (translated to Finnish as Lumiukko from Norwegian, original title Snømannen.)

I filled the bath tub with hot water and blunged in, getting relaxed with the book I chose. I got immediately so invested in the thrilling story that before I knew it, the water was getting cold and it was time for me to wash up and go to bed. I kept reading, fell asleep for a bit but after my body jerked me awake again, I picked up where I left off in the book. I kept reading until 3am, and continued in the morning. I read more on my way back to my city on a long bus drive and couldn’t put the book down at home either. I only finished it a little while ago, basically reading it on one go.

There was not even one part where I was bored, I loved the book and the complex and twisted story in it. Now I want more.

Do you read and what book you last finished?