The Reading Room

When I moved to Calcutta at the age of 13, the only place I got any privacy was the loo. I used to take a book and seat myself comfortably - as often on the toilet lid as not - and stay in there for an hour or more at a time. My unsuspecting aunt thought I was the most retentive kid she had ever seen and regularly told my mom to introduce more roughage in my diet. Ha. How sweet.
Things have changed since then. I still take a book to the loo, but I can't stand being in there for more than ten minutes. Don't you want to know why?
I have a lot more space now; fewer people to bother me. I can read for as long as I like without being asked to run some errand, or complete a chore. I can read three, four books at a time and leave them lying around without fear of someone snatching them up to read themselves. Talking about reading several books simultaneously - I find it impossible not to do that. Unless the book is extraordinarily gripping, I always read at least two together: one before I go to bed, and the other at other times during the day. This is the book I carry with me when I go to to work; so if I have to take a lunch break on my own, I have words for company. (It's a different thing I don't read it at work.)
The reason I like to read two books at a time is that I like to feel that all aspects of my thinking and feeling are exercised. For example, if I'm reading a work of fiction (Lollipop Shoes - the sequel to Chocolat), I need to balance that with something like Eat Pray Love - real life stuff. If I'm reading Women Who Run With The Wolves, I need a nice little pot boiler to skim through on the side. It makes perfect sense. Ensures balance. I am a balanced person if nothing else. So balanced that a Libran looks contorted next to me! Ha, don't tell my sister!
OK I need to digress for a bit. That little problem my aunt thought I had....well I have it for real now. I'm buying a big fat book this weekend. I need it.