I was told in elementary school that I only could read at half the speed for success in college. Oh well, one benefit of slow reading is you get to live with the characters a longer period of time. I read in a vain attempt to better understand people. At my other homes, I'm known as a spouse, pop, guy in the choir, physical chemist, computer/web dilettante and child-care provider. In theory, I'm a published author, if you consider stuff like Quenching Cross Sections for Electronic Energy Transfer Reactions Between Metastable Argon Atoms and Noble Gases and Small Molecules to count as publications. I've strewn dozens of such fascinating things to the winds.
Well, I was "conned" into spending a few days in Queens, taking care of my 6-month old granddaughter, Ramona, while her parents were sampling beer in Germany...and other things, perhaps even a spot of "work". So, naturally, I had to read the next Ramona book to get into shape for the "ordeal", so to speak.