I judge a purse based on how many books it can carry and a coat pocket on if it is large enough to slip a paperback into, which is to say that I am never without something to read. But because reading is also part of my job as a cultural historian and writer, I am conscious of how I read and why, which is what sparks my interest in participating in this workshop. I am eager to converse about reading as a practice and to reflect on how my habits inform my own research and writing.