Who really has the time?

No time for reading today because it was a big family get together for my mother-in-law's birthday. But the subject of holiday reading came up and it gave me a chance to share my observations.

Those national newspaper supplements that interview the literati who all announce plans t head off for the sun with armfuls of books both fiction and non-fiction paint an aspirational but exaggerated picture of what is possible. Those people who read more than a couple of books must either not have children or have chosen to visit somewhere that requires very little movement off a sun lounger.

For most people - even those of us who pride themselves on reading for pleasure - it is just not possible to read great amounts and I suspect given my wife's amazing ability to find things for me to do even on holiday things won't change even when retirement comes in many years time...