Last night I couldn’t sleep. At 4.00 in the morning it was 32º in my bedroom and the electric fan was just blowing hot air around. I decided that what I needed was a good book and, after rummaging around the bookshelves for awhile, picked up this wonderful collection of amusing ghost stories told by the inimitable Robertson Davies. They were just what I needed.

I also realised how my reading habits have changed. Last year was typical in that I read roughly a book a week. But this year! I think I’ve barely managed a book a month and I really don’t know why because I love reading. Okay, in part I blame the iPhone I got for Christmas. A lot of my reading is done in bed, either before I fall asleep or when I invariably wake up in the wee hours, and I started using some of that time to check my email and read blogs on the iPhone. Also, due to financial constraints, I haven’t been able to buy many new books and I’d pretty much reread most of what I felt was rereadable in my library last year. But it was also as if reading had somehow become less important and, as I say, I have not found any good reasons to explain that.

I feel quite ready to do some really big time summer reading now though, and may even splash out on a couple of new books. Any suggestions? Meanwhile, I highly recommend any of Robertson Davies’ books to you all. I’d quite forgotten that I had the ghost stories and it was a real treat last night to immerse myself in the superb talent of one of the most delightful story tellers I know.

What are you reading this summer?