Reading 30 books in 30 days - Days 21-30

The first time I actually laughed while reading.

Mark Manson, you are a legend. I mean, damn:

”Imagine you’re at a grocery store, and you watch am elderly lady scream at the cashier, berating him for not accepting her thirty-cent coupon. Why does this lady give a fuck? It’s just thirty cents.

I’ll tell you why: That lady probably doesn’t have anything better to do with her days than to sit at home cutting out coupons. She’s old and lonely. Her kids are dickheads and never visit. She hasn’t had sex in over thirty years. She can’t fart without extreme lower-back pain. Her pension is on its last legs, and she’s probably going to die in a diaper thinking she’s in Candy Land.”

I’m speechless.

Furthermore, there’s one major benefit in reading actual books: you get to write notes to the margins and on blank pages! D’oh!

Reading becomes much more active. You read, you make notes, you scribble and scrabble. It’s lovely.

The best place to read?

In an airplane.

Today I read an entire 200-page book on a 2,5-hour flight.

I didn’t pause. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t care about the fact that I have the worst flight fright which leads my sweat to blossom like a fungal growth.

It’s easy to see why airplanes provide an excellent environment for reading.

• You can’t use WiFi or mobile data.
• You can’t move.
• You probably don’t want to talk to the person next to you either.
• You can only hear the pleasant humming of the engines.

In short, you’re stuck with your book without any distractions.

And it’s not just reading. Peter Shankman, founder of reporter database HARO, signed a book deal, booked a round-trip flight to Tokyo for the sole purpose of writing, travelled from the United States to Tokyo and back in a span of 30 hours, and when he returned he had a completed manuscript ready to hand-in.

Magic.

Today, I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life.

I had to decide between

1) finishing the book and

2) going out with my friends, consuming bucketloads of alcohol and having absurdly amazing time.

Yep, I chose the latter.

This sort of flexibility is a must. Some days I’m busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony. And on those days, it’s better to skip reading and focus on being a.. productive mosquito?

Hangover makes reading rather difficult. Who would have guessed?

Moreover, the stress is accumulating. In total, I’ve missed 5 days of reading during this challenge, which means I must read 10 books in the next five days to complete this challenge.

*punch in the face*

*drinking half a galloon of coffee*

Let’s do this.

Send help. I’ve reached my absolute limit.

• On Monday, I read three books.
• On Tuesday, I read two books.
• On Wednesday, I read two books.
• Now, on Thursday, I’m on my third book and it’s 8pm.

I read when I wake up. I read throughout the day. I listen to audiobooks when I work out. Actually,  I listen to audiobooks every damn time I move an inch. I read when I take a sh*t. I read so much I forget to eat. I read so much I sometimes forget what book I’m currently reading. I read until I pass out at midnight. And then I dream about the books I read because that’s all my days consist of and my tiny brain has nothing else to process during the night!

It’s not enjoyable. With this speed, I can’t apply the things I read about. My tiny pathetic brain can’t handle the enormous amount of information it receives every day.

But somehow, it’s therapeutic. It’s just me and my books. I’m in a trance.

For 15 hours a day..

IT’S DONE!!