Single life had me used to blasting audio books on loud speaker wherever I pleased. Then I went and shacked up with Boyfriend Pham, and it cramped my style. I’m not one of those people who can fall asleep wearing headphones. Actually, I’m not even one of those people who has wireless headphones so I rarely listen to my stories while cooking or before bed, which were my favourite story times.

Boyfriend Pham reads paperback books. Those heavy, chunky, dusty piles of paper and ink bound together that, when mishandled, is about as painful as dropping your phone on your face. I read maybe 1-2 paperbacks a year for the decade before I met Boyfriend Pham. When we first met, I told him I preferred audiobooks because books are too expensive if you churn through them to which he gawked at me like I was a damn fool.

Turns out this lucky country that I live in has many books that they offer on loan for FREE! I totally forgot that public libraries exist. And it feels like a lot of my generation has also. Whenever we go to the library, there are elderly people and parents with young kids. and nobody my age. The 20s & 30s folk must be like me with their digital devices - either that or they don't mind spending hundreds of dollars on stacks of books they'll read once and never pick up again. 

I've started reading books before bed like Boyfriend Pham, and when we're on holiday or lockdown I read books on the couch or floor too. There's something soothing about being still and letting your mind get carried away to another world. Audiobooks could do that too, I suppose, but I only ever listened to them while my hands were busy cooking, cleaning or grooming. With paperbacks, you have to focus on just reading. I still listen to audio books these days as I get ready for work in the mornings or on my walk to work, but these too are now borrowed from the Brisbane library via the BorrowBox app. 

If you want to get back into reading, head to your local library. I can't believe there's a service that gives you books for free! Australia rules.