Last year in June sometime, since I was feeling better than I had been in a very very long time, Fahim suggested I give reading a try again.
Long story short, I'd reached the point about 15 years ago or so, where reading fiction became too difficult. With the brain fog and memory problems that had grown worse and worse over the years, I could no longer track characters or plot events or anything else, so reading became impossible. It was torture.
But then I was diagnosed with and treated for diverticulitis late 2024 to early 2025 (it took half a year before it was finally resolved), and all sorts of things changed for me. I'd had a list of 50 or 60 foods that caused me massive gastro problems – this had started around 2006 or so and I acquired new food items to avoid every year. But after the diverticulitis was successfully treated, that list shrunk to… exactly zero. And I could now eat any of those previously verboten food items with abandon.
And my fatigue improved. Not to normal people levels, but enough that I noticed it. As did the brain fog – again, not to normal people levels, but enough that I could notice it. It brought me back to around 2009-ish levels.
So I tried reading fiction again. And I could follow the characters and the plot! I could enjoy reading again!
I started reading again around the middle to end of June 2025. I don't know the exact date, so I took it to be around 29 June 2025 as a best guess.
Fahim and I set aside the evening hour or so before bed as reading time. Every day. So I now have a 414 day reading streak. 🙂
In 2025, I've read 66 books.
For 2026, up until today, I've read 113 books. That's 179 books in the last 414 days. Yeah, I'm doing pretty well. 🙂
I can't read absolutely anything. My brain protests at overly complicated stuff. Which, you know, is fine. I'm just happy that I'm reading again, even if it is on the lighter/fluffier side. No James Micheners right now, alas. But I'm happy that I'm enjoying reading again. 🙂