The problem with books is that the excellent ones—the ones that offer worlds you want to remain in—pass quickly, while the not-so-good ones drag on.
I’m currently reading a book I’m interested in, yet can easily put down to take up other tasks—which means it’s taking forever to get through. I want to finish it, I truly do; it’s amusing me and I’m enjoying the journey—and yet it’s not hijacking my every waking moment. In fact, it’s not even top priority when I do get a moment. Which means I’m inching forward only a few pages a day.
Whereas when I love a book, I snatch time to read it whenever I can. I ignore the hubbub of my kids. I let my husband cook dinner. I crawl into bed as early as reasonable, anticipating my big poofy pillow and the book in my hands. And zip—before I know it, the story I want to stay immersed in is done.
It’s unfair. A movie takes a certain number of minutes, whether good or bad. (Although, yes, you may be more keenly aware of those minutes ticking by during some movies than others; still, 90 minutes is 90 minutes.) So does a collection of music. Yet a book can take a couple of days—or a book can take weeks.
Percentage-wise, this means I likely spend more days of the year reading non-favourite books than ones I love, even if, number-wise, the non-favourite books may be fewer.
And while an okay book feels like a leisurely stroll, a great book feels like a race I can hardly remember competing in. And then I have to find the next great book, and the next great book, like an addict desperate for the next hit.
I’m going through exactly what you described right now. A good friend recommended a book to me, and I just haven’t been able to get into it as much as the last few books I’ve consumed.
Granted, I “read” most of my books via audible these days. I have a bit of a commute, so that’s an extra couple hours of reading time I can squeeze in every day. With books I really enjoy, I listen to them when I’m not driving, stealing time away from other things I should be doing (like writing!). The book I’m currently on, I only listen to while on the road.
I have a quality threshold. If it doesn’t reach that threshold, I don’t finish it. Life is too short and time is too precious to waste on bad books.
I don’t really have any way of making a book last longer than any other. If it’s part of a series I really enjoy, I’ll reread the series just before the next book comes out. Other than that, I just look for the next book by the same author.
I used to love audio books back when I had a commute. I’d never get angry at traffic because the longer the drive took, the more of the book I could listen to.
I agree about the quality threshold. I am known to put down a book if it’s simply not good enough; it’s when it’s only somewhat interesting and I try to hang on that the time drags.
And rereading is a practice I should indulge in more often. I used to, especially rereading some favourites year after year, but it seems to have fallen by the wayside. There are just so many new books that are so enticing!