Reading.

Reading is one of my favorite things to do.

I know. I'm a nerd. Whatever.

I love to read (which is why I'm going to be a book editor one day). I will read anything that I find interesting. In order for the book itself to sound interesting, the synopsis on the back has to grab my attention. If I don't find it interesting, I won't read it. End of story.

Anyway. In January, I decided I was going to read the Harry Potter books again. I hadn't read the whole series in years, but I had read the seventh (and final) novel in the series a couple of years back. And I just needed something to read, as the cheesy Mormon love stories I had been reading in the campus bookstore (at the time) were getting boring. So, I started reading it. I got a couple of chapters in...and that was it.

I didn't pick up the book until August-ish. I started reading a chapter here and there, but never really made any true progress (as I was working a lot more than I am now).

On the 13th of this month, I FINALLY finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" while waiting to go to a luncheon for a friend of mine. Immediately afterwards, I began reading "Chamber of Secrets".

I would read a chapter in the morning before work, and a chapter at night after work. I would read it while eating breakfast. I would read it when I was bored and had nothing else to do. I took it with me to work to read when there wasn't anything to do (although I don't think I actually got the opportunity to read it).

I hadn't picked it up for a couple of days, as things at work were getting hectic since deadlines were pushed up due to the holiday. So, I decided to take it with me to my grandma's house to read when I got bored. I brought "Prisoner of Azkaban" along since I was so close to finishing "Chamber of Secrets".

I didn't read it on the drive (which I couldn't really do since it was mostly dark and I was nauseous practically the entire six-hour trip up there), and we got to my grandma's house at 11 and we all immediately went to sleep.

I didn't read it on Thursday because it was Thanksgiving and that is the time that you spend with family (especially family that you haven't seen for ages). Plus I was getting familiar with my new camera (trust me, there will be a post about that soon).

This morning, I picked it up, noticed I only had a few chapters left to go (I believe it was five or something like that) and decided to finish it since there was nothing going on.

At around 8 in the morning (my family likes to get up early and talk loud), I finished "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". I read it in two weeks, which had been the third fastest I had ever read a Harry Potter book (place numbers one and two were held by "Deathly Hallows" with 27 hours and three days).

I took a break from reading for a bit, ate some breakfast, played with my camera, etc. Then I picked up "Prisoner of Azkaban" and began reading it. And I could not PUT. IT. DOWN. Except for when it was time to eat, my eyes needed a break, and I myself just needed a break.

I literally read it all day. Starting at around nine in the morning.

And finishing it at 11 at night.

Yep.

I read "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in less than 24 hours.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! "Prisoner of Azkaban" now holds the number one spot for "fastest reading time of a Harry Potter book" (for me. I'm sure there's an even bigger nerd out there who's read the entire series in a day). I for one don't think that will change anytime soon, because this week has provided me the most free time since the last week of July, which was the week before I started working two jobs.

It also won't change any time soon because once I get back from this Thanksgiving trip, I go back to working every day (except Christmas and Sundays) until I go back to school in April, and then I'll have school AND work to worry about for the next four (or so) years of my life.

Those are tears of joy falling from my face. And my sarcasm hand is raised.

Anyway. I love reading. And it is oh so evident by the fact that I finished a 434 1/2-page book in a 14-hour time span, and I didn't even read for 14 hours straight, I took multiple breaks.

I wish I had brought "Goblet of Fire" with me, because now I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next one-and-a-half days of this trip.

Except somehow manage to get past level 3-2 of Angry Birds.