Carry a book with you always: how I rediscovered reading for fun and read 47 books this year after not reading much at all
In 2020, I read the newspaper almost every day, I wrote nearly nothing, and I read less than five books. And you know what? It was FINE. Because you can really just do whatever you want. There is no book police. And oh how I fell in love with the newspaper.
In 2021, I wanted to write more. I had lost my regular writing practice years before and was feeling desperate for it. And everyone knows the best way to avoid doing what you want to do is to read about it instead. So I started reading books about writing. Of course they're like, "to be a good writer, you need to WrItE EvErY DaY and ReAd mOrE bOoKs." Obnoxious.
So I continued my writing avoidance by searching "how to read more." Then proceeded to scroll quickly through a bunch of posts about how you need to prioritize and go to bed early and make time for reading. Cool! Definitely not doing any of that! But I did happen upon one post that said the only way to read more is just to carry a book with you everywhere you go. I can do that! You don't even have to read it! Just have it with you! Perfect.
I carried a book with me for most of the year and ended up completing 47 books, filled myself to the brim with stories, I wrote nearly every day, and did actually start going to bed earlier, but that was because I also have a new job and a new commute and nothing to do with listening to what people on the internet tell me to do.
Do you want to read more? After this year of reading a lot, I've learned that it's not about time or priority, it's about momentum. It's about access to good books. It's about reading short books sometimes, rereading the ones you know you love, and absolutely ditching any book that isn't hitting right.
Keep a list:
I have a google doc on my phone with the books listed that I finished. Once I got a few on there, it felt like momentum to keep going, not a starting and stopping. At the bottom I keep a list of books I'm currently reading. I have a few that I've been working on for months. And I have another section of books I want to read that I can pull from when my library holds list is low.
Show and tell:
I almost always post photos of the books I'm reading in my Instagram stories. Mostly because I get so many good books to read when other people do that in their stories, so I wanted to do the same. I often get messages like, "oh if you like this, you will LOVE this other one!" which helps keep my list of library holds flowing.
Carry a book:
I always keep a book with me. You have way more time than you think and if you always have a book on you, you can grab a page while waiting in line, before starting a meeting, on your commute, before bed, while coffee brews, while grilling, all kinds of times. Pages add up! I also have at least one book going on the kindle app on my phone all the time in case I ever forgot a book and even keep a stack of books at my desk at work in case I finish what I'm reading and need something for the ride home.
Go slow:
The only way to read a book is one page at a time. There were lots of times I got overwhelmed. Some of the books I read were SO MUCH SMARTER THAN I WILL EVER BE and I had to go slow. But I kept going. One page at a time. It helps to intentionally follow a slow book with a short, fast one next. The point is to read more, not to break your own heart. That said, you don't have to understand every single thing in every single book. Go slow, but don't get stuck. Let yourself not understand fully and keep going. A lot of times things settle and become clear as you go.
Go short:
Every book you read doesn't have to change your life! A 100 page book is a great book. Short books! Essays! Books that fit in your pocket!
Give up:
My list of the 47 books I finished is really more like 200 books that I messed around with. I tell Riley to read the first chapter and if you want to keep going, then go. If you don't? Who cares? Ditch it and get another one. This is also why I don't review books. If I finish it, then it's 10/10. If it's not, it won't make it on my list because I gave up a long time ago.
Big stacks:
I have a lot of books on hold with the library. Library pick up days are heavy. I also stop at every free library I pass, we have lots of them here in Boston. It's a great way to get classics. I like having a stack of books to grab from all the time that I can also get rid of whenever I'm overwhelmed about the piles. Having access to a bunch of different kinds of books is helpful because you're not always going to be in the mood for every kind of book. Your mood has to match if you're ever going to make it to the end.
Read it again:
I don't own very many books (less than 50), but the books I have, I read over and over. Reading what you already have is the best kind of reading. It's free! It's available!
Genre hop:
This year I read memoir, fiction, non-fiction, books about writing, books about religion, essays, anti-racist books, classics, and even romance. I read little paperbacks, huge hardcovers, a few audiobooks, and kindle books. I learned to not have any preferences at all.
Get better:
We all spend a lot of time swiping from one app to another and our ability to pay attention needs some work. 47 books into this, I am a lot better at focusing than I was at book one or two. I can now read a page in the midst of absolute chaos but definitely couldn't do that when I started. Let yourself get better at paying attention. Let yourself get better at reading in general. Start easy.
Books I read in 2021 (in order):
Unfinished, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Open Book, Jessica Simpson
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
Educated, Tara Westover
Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert
Heavy, Kiese Laymon
Unbound, Glennon Doyle
Wow, No Thank You, Samantha Irby
On Writing, Stephen King
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
The Deeply Formed Life, Rich Villodas
A Very Punchable Face, Colin Jost
Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie Ajayi
Slouching Toward Bethlehem, Joan Didion
Breath The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor
The Sum of Us, Heather McGhee
Let Me Tell You What I Mean, Joan Didion
Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Creative Journal Writing, Stephanie Dowrick
The White Album, Joan Didion
Caste, Isabel Wilkerson
Nine Stories, JD Salinger
How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, Jenny Odell
Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile
Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Deesha Philyaw
Drifts, Kate Zambreno
Thick, Tressie McMillan Cottom
Upstream, Mary Oliver
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
The Push, Ashley Audrain
Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley
Everything Happens for a Reason, Kate Bowler
Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Happy Ever After Playlist, Abby Jimenez
The Bright Hour, Nina Riggs
Unfollow Me, Jill Louise Busby
Here For It, R. Eric Thomas
Long Division, Kiese Laymon
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams
The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Yoke, Jessamyn Stanley
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vying
No Cure For Being Human, Kate Bowler
