I don’t know if you do it this way — I’m sure some of you do — but I’m usually into several books at the same time. It’s frustrating sometimes really, because actually finishing a book is quite the event for me (it happens so infrequently). I’ve got a boatload of half-read books — on my shelves, on my kindle, on my phone.
And sometimes I pick them up again and keep on going. Or sometimes I pick them up and figure I wasn’t far enough into the book to keep me from starting over. I’m too much of a sucker for the books that interest me. I should know better by now to not “stumble” upon anything else while I’m reading something, but it’s a regular occurrence. I see something. I want to read it. I get it.
Fortunately, I use the Libby app plenty enough. I usually have an audio book or two going through that route. Kindle is a little trickier. If you check out a Kindle book, Amazon’ll take it back after the lone period. For audio books, as long as you’re using a third-party app, you can keep it on your phone after it expires. And get back to it someday, I guess. I’ve got a few that have been on there a while now.
But the Kindle? It’s, “read it or lose it.” Unless you can extend the loan (if no one’s waiting). I’ve not finished most of the Kindle books I check out. But I can be realistic too — sometimes I’ll turn a book in early if I know there’s no way I’ll get to it.
Today’s gonna be different though. Amazon alerted me to a sale — plenty of Kindle books for $4.99 and under. I took a look, and one caught my eye — The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, by Ron and Clint Howard (for $3.99 right now). People who grew up around the time I did know the Howards. They started out as actors: Ron starred in The Andy Griffith Show when he was a kid, and then Happy Days in his 20s. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s best directors (winning an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind in 2002). His brother Clint, after starring in Gentle Ben, didn’t fare so well, but has remained pretty busy in acting over a long career.
The Howards are a good set of brothers, and the book was well-reviewed, so I went onto Libby, found the Kindle version at my library, and checked it out.
And this time, I’m finishing it. I’ll make the time, starting right about now…