What's the Rush?

“I am a believer in achieving understanding through books…”
                                          -Robert Shiller in “Finance and the Good Society”

Reading is a pleasure and a joy.

It leads to education, enlightenment and escape.

A good writer instructs and inspires.

Opening a book, turning to the first page and beginning a new story fills my longing for knowledge, a break from the realities of everyday life and the beauty of a great story.

The problem as of late is I can’t wait to finish one book in order to start the next one.

For a reason I can’t seem to figure out, it’s been my mission these past few months to get through books so fast that I’ve ended up defeating the purpose of reading for anything other than finishing a book.

I realized this while I was reading “Game of Thrones,” the first in the series of books by George R.R. Martin. The story pulled me in quickly, but I found the joy of reading wasn’t there about mid-way through the book because I was forcing myself to try to read a certain number of pages each night (like I was in school again and having to read it for class – good grief!).

Once I stopped pressuring myself to get through the book, I found myself wanting to and having more time to read it.

This first book in the series was intense. It was packed full of characters and details that slow you down. All I can say if you plan to read these books (or if you’ve watched the HBO series) is not to get too attached to anybody because they are likely to die. I was so distraught by one death that I decided to take a break before going on to the next book, “A Clash of Kings.”

Instead, I checked out a copy of “Finance and the Good Society” from our university library yesterday. Robert Shiller, the author, teaches the Financial Markets online course I’ve been taking.

No need to hurry through it. No need to rush. No pressure on myself to finish quickly.

I’m reading for the joy, pleasure, and knowledge a good book brings.