How I doubled and diversified my reading

by Kim Van Sickler

Since October 2014, I've been working a job that requires lots of car time. Look what I've read since then:

The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans
Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasan
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord
The Witness by Nora Roberts
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
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Zoo Station, A Memoir by Christianne F.
Wild from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Smack by Melvin Burgess

The first nine titles were listened to in my car.
The latter five titles were read while I was curled up on my bed or couch.
Conclusion: I get almost twice as much reading done while traveling.

The first nine titles were snatched on impulse by either myself or Hubby during library visits.
The latter five titles were books I'd placed on hold at my library or previously purchased.
Conclusion: I'm more spontaneous and less genre-bound in my car reading.

Not only does my travel time fly by, but I'm discovering new authors (Evans, Lelord, Grafton, Roberts), prepping to see the movie versions (of Gone Girl and Maze Runner), rediscovering a beloved classic (Call of the Wild) and continuing my infatuation with known authors (Hiaasan and Gaiman).

Do you "read" while you drive? Or listen to books on tape at other times? What's your ratio of "reading" to "listening"?