We love to read.

I used to love reading as a child. Nowadays the only chance I get to read is when I’ve nursed my daughter and she’s fallen asleep on me. (Mothers- how do you find time to read? There’s bedtime but bed=sleep)

So yesterday as we mooched around the shops, instead of our usual Zara-Topshop-H&M route; we took a detour and landed in Waterstones, an avid reader’s haven. A corner of quiet. For me there’s an immediate sense of calm as I enter a book store, definitely in comparison to a clothing store: there’s no rummaging for the right size or queuing up for a fitting room. If the reading material isn’t enough, there are comfy chairs and sofas -nap time anyone?- so one can sit and read for hours -if you have the time.

Coupled with the calming effect as I walk into a book store is the immediate desire to read every single book, to absorb every bit of knowledge and acquire every inch of imagination. If I think of all the times in my teenage years I could have been reading instead of spending time on social networking sites or watching TV it does give me a slight sense of regret. So much wisdom, experience and creativity poured into each book and instead of attempting to absorb it all up I sat and stared at computer screens, on “MSN Messenger” and MySpace… 

If I could re-live the past five years, I would have spent far less time on social media and more time with my head in a Dickens novel or equivalent.

When do people make time to read? In bed? On the train? If you do make the time, what do you like to read?