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Chris Kuhn

Editor, skirt! Tampa Bay

I'm an outspoken thirtysomething who has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1992, full of useless facts on just about every facet of pop culture. I'm passionate about vegetarianism without passing judgment. I love to laugh. If we can't talk politics, music, movies, sports, TV or current events, you'...

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Bitten by the Reading Bug?

Chris, Editor for skirt! Tampa Bay

What’s wrong with me? If you’ve been in my orbit lately, you’d know I have a new obsession. Reading. I realize this is nothing to alert the men in white coats to come take me away, but I’ve always been pretty open about my lack of interest in reading. The monthly Browse review has literally forced me to read at least a book a month. (I know, sad, isn’t it?)

I used to love reading as a kid and especially throughout high school. While retaining that content or mastering comprehension exams wasn’t my strong suit, I found real comfort in losing myself in a novel – especially a Steinbeck or Faulkner. When I graduated from college, I went almost immediately into a marketing communications track which meant a nonstop need for innovating and writing. I think somewhere along the way, I lost my zest for fiction. I’ve had little reading spurts but overall, I’ve kept my eyes on nonfiction material.

So I don’t really know what prompted the urge – maybe it was a hunger for the first time in a long while – to lose myself. I love supernatural anything – give me Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes, haunting tales of star-crossed loves and people out of synch with the world around them. Maybe I feel a kinship to these people who feel they were born in the wrong time. Whatever the case, something prompted me to put my head in a book again, and of all things 500+ page books, which for me (slow reader that I am) would be like conquering Atlas Shrugged.

Yet, reading seems to be all that I wanna do these days. Why? Why am I suddenly so caught up on the lives dancing amid the pages currently? The only thing I can attribute it to is an innocent getaway. Admittedly I’ve been truly absorbed in skirt! nonstop for these past 7 months and just because I’m eating a meal, taking a nap or watching a pointless game show doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about something skirty! So perhaps my MIND was trying to tell me something – get distracted, let yourself go somewhere else during your free time with something else. For my SANITY – peace of mind – mental health. So I took a dive. Into the world of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.

Now do try and hold down your laughter for those of you: (a) not amused, entertained or the least bit interested in vampires and (b) incredulous that I’d be getting lost in a Young Adult book series. But I will point out that most of the Harry Potter fans I know are far beyond the original demographic intended.

Yes, I’m a member of Team Edward. There, I’ve said it. So stake me. I’ve been deeply engrossed in the series since Labor Day weekend when I casually picked up the first book in the series Twilight and ferociously devoured it within a few days. Then headed out to Borders the following day and bought the next three books.... and then read book two and three in only a week’s time.

Yeah, it’s an addiction, I’ll admit it. But the good news is that it’s prompted me to pick up other books and yes, even enjoy those, too.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me these days but I’m enjoying the distraction and can only hope when I start book four tonight (and probably finish it by tomorrow night or the night after) that I’ll still have a thirst for much more reading to come.