I received an email the other day from a friend asking me to participate in a survey she was doing for class to find out more about reading behavior. She sent another email two minutes later with the caveat that this survey was only for people who have read a book outside of work/class in the last year. A few years ago, I would not have even hesitated, but to my surprise, I actually had to stop and think about it before I proceeded to do the survey. Was it the Historian, about the two scholars looking for the legend of Dracula? Or was it Tipping Point, about the social phenomena of how little things make a difference?

The truth is that I haven’t  read a book in such a long time that I don’t even remember. It is sad since I loved to read  growing up. I spent many hours lost in the perfectly plotted world of books. Eager to recapture those times, I decided to find a good book to read for my upcoming vacation to Turkey. None of the “new” books I bought a while ago sitting on my bookshelf seemed to fit my current mood. So I asked my friends who usually have the same taste in books as me if they have any good books to recommend. Something adventurous and engaging. Doesn’t even have to be overly romantic or chick lit like. Something like the Historian, where once engrossed, you cannot put it down.

Turns out, none of my book-loving friends have been reading much lately either. CFA books? Yes. The Economist? Yes. A good book? Huh? Clearly leisure reading is not a feature of Hong Kong work  life.