Beating the System

Faithful readers will recall that on March 23rd I gave my wife a formula for completing a 600-page library book before it had to be returned, which was a maximum of 17 days.

We figured she had to read at least 40 pages a day to beat the deadline. We created the challenge to fight off our tendency to fall asleep while reading, particularly during mid-afternoon. At our age, that's easy to do.

I'm happy to report my wife completed the book yesterday in 16 days at an average rate of 37.3 pages a day. The book was “The Invisible Bridge,” a novel by Julie Orringer about Hungarian Jews in the late 1930s through World War II. She said it was a really good book, which helped motivate her to finish on time.

Now it's my turn, since I was next in line for the same book.

I face the same challenge, completing this book in the same 17-day span. Will I find it as interesting as she did and be able to read a significant number of pages each day before I nod off? I'm accepting the challenge.

I'm not used to reading books of this length but if it's as engaging as my wife says it is, chances are I'll enjoy it and keep my eyes open for reasonable periods of time. One of the reasons I'm a slow reader is because I don't like to skim, particularly if I'm enjoying the writing.

So to get ready for my read-a-thon, I'm taking a nap.