Chapter #22: A Week in My Reading Life
How much do I *actually* read?
Feeling My Shelf is a bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and well, life with books. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and get comfy. First up, some recent reads.
She Started It by Sian Gilbert
When four childhood “friends” (using that word loosely) receive invites to the bachelorette party of their former classmate, they’re understandably confused. But curious and excited about an all-expenses-paid trip to the Caribbean, they all decide to attend. Things soon turn sinister as secrets surface and old wounds are re-opened. I saw every twist coming and found the characters kind of annoying, but it was a still a nice read that kept me turning the page.
Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser, Robyn Smith
A celebration of Black women and their hair, this graphic novel follows the day-to-day lives of four friends in the Bronx. Beautifully drawn and relatable, it’s a quick read. It doesn’t shy away from real-life struggles and issues but ultimately highlights the beauty of friendship.
Long Past Summer by Noué Kirwan
Mikaela, a successful New York lawyer, gets caught in a legal battle between her former best friend, Julie, and her first love, Cameron, who also happens to be Julie’s ex-husband. It’s a messy read! One that almost lost me in the first 50 pages because Julie was insufferable, and Mikaela lacked a spine. But soon, the story grew on me, and Mikaela and Cameron’s reunion made me smile.
I’ve lost count of how many times someone has said that I read a lot. I usually just shrug. I don’t read that much. Or do I?
According to the 2022 American Time Use survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25-34 year olds read an average of 15 minutes per day which amounts to 1 hour and 45 minutes a week. I’m 29 and definitely read more than two hours a week, but how much more exactly? The only way to know for sure was to track my daily reading (books, articles, and newsletters) alongside other stuff. Let’s dive in!
DAY ONE
10:00 am — No alarm on weekends, so I sleep in. After morning routine things (shower, skincare routine, matcha!), I head straight to my computer for an overdue writing session.
7:30 pm — I cranked out nearly 7,000 words and my stomach quickly reminds me that all I’ve had today is matcha and a banana. I’m not cooking, so Shake Shack it is (the superior burger joint! In-N-Out sucks!) Back at home, I eat and scroll on social. Law and Order: SVU plays in the background.
10:30 pm — Enough TikTok. Time to get ready for bed. Hopefully, my neighbors can’t hear my singing, which grows louder as I slather various serums and moisturizer on my face.
11:00 pm — I finally emerge from the steamy bathroom and hop in bed. I start reading my June Book of the Month pick, She Started It by Sian Gilbert.
11:30 pm — My eyes feel heavy. I stop reading on page 38, plug my phone in, triple-check that my alarm is set, and prepare to count sheep.
Minutes read: 30 minutes total
DAY TWO
9:00 am — Happy Juneteenth! I start my day with a grocery run at Trader Joe’s followed by a quick stop at Starbucks for a chocolate croissant and a chai latte.
11:00 am — Groceries are put away. Only crumbs left of the croissant. So I continue reading She Started It.
1:00 pm — Stop reading on page 172. I’m going to a Juneteenth Festival in Leimert Park, so I get up and get dressed.
10:21 pm — Finally in bed after a very long day. I try to read, but by 10:55 pm I’m ready to sleep. Stopped on page 226.
Minutes read: 2 hours, 34 minutes total
DAY THREE
7:54 am — My alarm technically went off at 7:30 am, but I hit snooze until the last possible minute. I roll over and check my phone. Instead of social, it’s email. I read two newsletters,
(about 5 minutes) and (formerly known as Girls Night In, also about 5 minutes.) I decide to upgrade to paid on the latter, and then get up and get ready to sign on for work.5:00 pm — Finished working and back from an impromptu Costco run with a friend (where I tried Costco pizza for the first time!) I pick up She Started It again. I’m determined to finish this book today, which I do at 5:56 pm (340 pages total.) Then I update my Goodreads and StoryGraph profiles.
6:58 pm — On the couch watching Law and Order: SVU, I read a few articles including one about how much social interaction we actually need, and an essay from a writer on how food helped them reconnect with Juneteenth. At 7:30 pm, I close my computer, throw on shoes, and head to the movies with my friend to see The Blackening.
11:30 pm — In bed, I start reading Long Past Summer (the first of my summer reads!) I turn off my lamp at 11:58 pm on page 38.
Minutes read: 1.4 hours (books) + 10 minutes (newsletters) + 32 minutes (articles) = 2 hours and 6 minutes total
DAY FOUR
8:00 am - 2:00 pm — Wake up. Drink chai. Sit in meetings. Punch the air, annoyed that it’s not Friday yet.
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm — Meet virtually with my writing group!
6:30 pm — Dinner time and I have a craving for salad. I eat while I watch Marvel’s Secret Invasion (not sure how I feel about it just yet.) Then, Netflix it is.
11:04 pm — Finally in bed with Long Past Summer. Salad wasn’t a good dinner choice, because I’m suddenly hit with a taste for cereal. I put the book on my nightstand at midnight. Page 132.
Minutes read: 56 minutes total
DAY FIVE
8:12 am — What is happening? Despite that midnight bowl of Cheerios, I wake up with a growling stomach. I scroll through my email and social while frying an egg. *NSYNC’s “Space Cowboy” plays in my ears. So random! I Google the song (an odd thing to do when I should be focusing on making breakfast, but I Google things a lot and then fall down a reading rabbit hole) and come across this 2019 article on The Cut. (3 min reading)
8:51 am — Done eating, I pull out my book and start reading since I don’t have meetings for a few hours. I stop at 10:08 am on page 258.
5:40 pm — My new reading journal has arrived! I start filling things in while I watch (yes, again) Law and Order: SVU.
7:55 pm — Finally finished coloring and decide to browse the internet. Mostly reading Slate’s Dear Prudence and catching up on the latest with the missing Titanic sub. Stopped at 9:00 pm to load my dishwasher, shower, etc.
10:15 pm — In bed early tonight (well, early for me!) and ready to read (sans Cheerios!) I finish Long Past Summer at 11:50 pm. (437 pages total.)
Minutes read: 2 hours and 52 minutes (books) + 1 hour and 8 minutes (articles) = 4 hours total
DAY SIX
9:30 am — Out and about! I took an early morning upper body strength class and am now sitting at Coffee Commissary in Burbank reading Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams. I stop at 10:16 am on page 28. Not nearly as many pages as I would’ve liked. But the sun is beaming in my face.
10:35 am — Since it’s a Summer Friday at work, I spend the morning/afternoon cleaning and organizing things around my apartment. I also finally hang my new bookshelves!
9:45 pm — I close out the day with The Perfect Find on Netflix, based on Tia Williams’ book of the same name. It’s a fun must-watch, and Gina Torres shines as the villainous media mogul Darcy. Afterwards, I head to bed and scroll on TikTok until I fall asleep.
Minutes read: 46 minutes total
DAY SEVEN
9:10 am — I’m awake and scroll lazily through social media.
12:00 pm — After therapy, I make myself a matcha. I contemplate reading, but go to Target and the bookstore instead.
4:00 pm — I spend the rest of the evening snacking on my couch and watching, you guessed it, Law and Order.
11:00 pm — Bedtime!
Minutes read: 0(!)
So how much did I read? 🥁🥁🥁🥁 10 Hours and 52 Minutes /~ 1 hour and 48 minutes per day!!! Way more than average. Are you even surprised?
I’m capable of finishing at least two books a week.
I really have tried to be a morning reader and yet, I still seem to read the most at nighttime.
Reading with snacks? Always a good idea.
I should probably read more news and/or articles during the week. 🙃
I should probably watch less TV.
Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams, a political thriller in which “a blackmailed federal judge, a secret court and a brazen murder may lead to an unprecedented national crisis.” So far it’s just as great as Where Justice Sleeps!
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This was so fun to read — what a great idea to keep a reading diary to keep track of your reading hours. Mine would put me to shame...I need to scroll less, read more! (And ty for subscribing to Downtime! ❤️)
This is fascinating! I'd love to actually calculate my reading time for a week too. I love that you included articles because I find that I get a lot of valuable information from them. I wish I had a NYT subscription because I need to read the article on review-bombing. I read Rabess' debut and have been following the drama.