The End is Near
May 27, 2009 at 9:51 am | Posted in Book Blather | 12 CommentsIt’s Wednesday. By this time next week, I will be living in my new house with my man Rocket Scientist. The wedding invitations are going out tomorrow. The moving van is pulling up Sunday morning.
What does all this mean? Aside from the bafflement of our families and friends, who were all certain neither of us would ever marry again? The culmination of four years of abiding friendship? The opportunity to save scads of money on rent?
What does it mean? What does it mean? It means I’m never going to have time to read any more!
I’m freaking out, you guys. My bachelorette days are through. No more can I leave self-help books lying around where they might be seen. Alas, it’s time to say goodbye to three-hour bathtub reading binges. Say hello to explaining why I might want to read a 900-page historical romance novel like Outlander. Or maybe a Cosmo.
Is it really possible for a married lady to stir the soup while holding a book in her other hand? Read while flossing? Or, God forbid, page idly through something while tuning out one of my relations on the phone? (Not that I would ever actually do something like that – purely hypothetical scenario. Really).
All the married people I know with full-time jobs read less than I do. I assume this is because they talk to each other and do things other than read. But… how? (I think I’m down with ‘why’).
Anyway, I’m trying to make the most of it. I read something like 700 pages yesterday, deep in denial about how much I have left to pack. There are still two shelves of books out because I was convinced I’d have time to read them before I moved. Wait, maybe I do!
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Both Eyes Book Blog 
Good luck with your wedding!
Getting married does not mean the end of reading. I’m married and can still read whenever I want. Sometimes you may want to talk to your husband, and doing things with him is very important, but it is also good to have some time by yourself. Make sure you still fit time in for those long baths, even if you do hide the self help books!
Comment by Jackie (Farm Lane Books)— May 27, 2009 #
First, I think most people read less than you do, and that would be true even if they weren’t married!
I have lived with my significant other for almost two years now and you know what? My reading has actually increased in that time! Granted, I don’t read anywhere near what you do, so yes, you probably will experience a drop, but by no means will your life be bereft of reading. Maybe you’ll event find that there are other things you come to appreciate just as much as an astronomical page count!
Comment by Steph— May 27, 2009 #
Does Rocket Scientist enjoy something like fantasy baseball or video games or boring shows on TV or reading himself? I owe much of my reading time to hubby’s preoccupation with those things and his shared love of literature, and I find that I actually have read more in the 3 years that we’ve shared a home than I did before.
Rocket Scientist knows you and loves you, and I’m sure he’ll understand if you read while you stir the soup or occasionally ignore him because you’re in the middle of a really good chapter.
Comment by Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog— May 27, 2009 #
RS is actually a hockey fanatic. He estimates that he watches over 200 hours of games a season. He has other interests, too, for which I am grateful.
Honestly, the main things that would cut into my reading time would just be the unpacking and the wedding planning. Unless everyone is willing to live with stacked-up boxes until January!
Comment by Jessica Coleman— May 27, 2009 #
In my experience, it’s not marriage that cuts into reading time – it’s parenthood. But I’ve kept reading through two marriages and three kids, although my pace has definitely slowed. I doubt it’s the end for you, though :-).
Comment by Florinda— May 27, 2009 #
Don’t be silly! Reading in front of your spouse will never be a deal breaker. In fact, you can leave pointed self-help books around the house with titles like, “Why Your Husband Doesn’t Do Anything Until You Ask.”
Having someone under the same roof as you means MORE time for reading, less driving to the other person’s place and you can stay in your jammies!
Best wishes to you both, and yes, you can leave the boxes unpacked. Just make sure your toothbrush is near the top!
Comment by Kat G— May 27, 2009 #
There have been times during marriage when I definitely read less- right around getting married I think I hardly read at all! but unless I’m going through a big change or busy time I think I read just as much as I did when single (though not as much as you do!) Surprisingly, I get a lot of reading time in while being a mom- reading while feeding the baby was wonderful when she was small. Reading while sitting at her bathside, or while she plays at the park, or any number of other times- there’s lots of interruptions, sure, so I can’t read heavy, long books that require more focus, but it’s still really doable. Congrats and all the best wishes for your big day!
Comment by Jeane— May 27, 2009 #
The reason for reading Outlander is quite simple —> Jamie!
And yes! You can cook AND read! When we remodeled the kitchen, we put in some extra counter space which included a little sitting spot with a stool…perfect place to watch over what’s cooking and read. (you can see it in this post: http://worldinsidemyheadbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/so-excited.html )
If you guys have been together this long, I’m sure that he knows how much you love to read so he’ll let you get in some reading time, and there’s always time when he’s watching some lame tv show, or playing a video game, or something! Good luck!!
Comment by Emily— May 28, 2009 #
I’m not married, or even close to married, but I think if I were married I’d get to read more than I do now. Boyfriend and I live apart now, and so when we get together (which is often) we want to interact with each other a lot — I can’t just read when he comes over, even if we’re not really doing anything because I feel like we should be paying attention to each other. I think that if we were living together we’d spend so much time together that I wouldn’t feel guilty reading when he was around because he’d be around more of the time. I’m not sure if that’s actually true — I’ll be interested to hear what you discover about your reading time. Good luck moving!
Comment by Kim— May 29, 2009 #
If you read a lot during courtship (which in my opinion takes up a lot of free time) you’ll keep your pace nicely on the other side of the marriage ceremony.
Comment by bybee— May 30, 2009 #
What Bybee said! I thought I’d read a lot less when I lived with my boyfriend, but after the first month or so (where we were mostly busy getting settled in), my reading levels were back to normal. What changed the most were the times of the day when I read, but the actual amount stayed the same. Good luck with the move and congrats on the upcoming wedding 😀
Comment by Nymeth— June 3, 2009 #
Hubs and I like to prowl bookstores and curl up with books together in our free time, so I can’t say that being married has cut into my reading. Its the rest of life that interferes with my favorite hobby.
Comment by Lorin— June 3, 2009 #