One thing that’s struck me as I’ve been going through my ebook collection is just how interesting some of these books sound.

Now, that may come as something of a surprise. After all, why would someone spend money on something they’re not interested in? Aren’t there better things to do with one’s hard-earned cash? And I would answer that yes, it’s silly to spend money on something you don’t want.

But bundles seem to have an interesting effect on me. Often, there’s at least one or two items that really pique my interest; all the others are just gravy. So I’ve ended up with a bunch of books (and games) that I probably wouldn’t have bought on my own. It’s a great way to discover new things.

But I digress. The second thought I had, after “Man, these books sound really interesting” was “Man, how am I going to find time to read them all?”

And therein lies the rub.

I used to read a lot. A lot a lot. So much so, that my parents used to make sure I didn’t sneak a book along with me when they finally made me go outside. But over the years, other pastimes have started vying for my limited attention. Video games. The Internet. Netflix. The SCA. Work. Grad school. I still read, of course. But the nature of things I read has changed. I read a lot of articles online, on a wide variety of sources. But that too, cuts into my fiction time. Suddenly I have a bunch of things I could be doing, and even less time to do it. And that’s kind of sad.

I obviously don’t know what to do about this situation; it’s just made me feel particularly nostalgic for the time I could voraciously consume one book after another. I suppose I could make an effort to work my way through my collection, both physical and electronic, but making it feel like an obligation would kind of defeat the purpose. Maybe this feeling will pass, maybe sooner rather than later. Either way, I’m going to keep my tablet loaded up with books for whenever the mood strikes me.

Oh, and one final note to self: your thoughts here may still be relevant.