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Becoming an avid reader
Since AP Lit in high school, I’ve wanted to get into reading. Recently I started making a list of things I want to read (both fiction and non, fantasy and sci fi, bios and commentary), but am not making the slightest dent in it. Im able to read magazine writing and online publications throughout the day, so what do y’all do to read more books?
I find books that I enjoy. They suck me in from there. Seriously, if you're not finding yourself wanting to get back to that book you started last night, maybe it's not the right book for you.
Beyond that, I do tend to read at night, before going to bed. I find that it helps calm my thoughts and disconnect from the events of that day.
I find that there are certain times where I read lots of books in a row really quickly and other times where I either don't feel I have the energy or the attention span to get through any book. Usually when I'm in a reading funk, I will pick up a book that is super fast and short to get through just to get into the habit again. Books that have helped me with that have usually been in YA (eg. The Hunger Games), fantasy (The Ocean at the End of the Lane), or just topics I'm really passionate about (Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions).
Out of curiosity, what's on your list to read?
In no particular order:
Crash Overried (Zoe Quinn)
Private Citizens (Tony Tulathimutte)
Taking Sides (Cindy Milstein)
Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People About Race (Reno Eddo-Lodge)
Unapolagetic: A Black, Queer,and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements (Charlene Carruthers)
Our Towns (the Fallows)
A Darker Shade of Magic (VE Schwab)
Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo (Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook (Mark Bray)
Space Opera (Catherynne Valente)
Stride Towrd Freedom (MLK)
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Counting Descent (Clint Smith)
Piecing Me Together (Renee Watson)
The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)
The Bride was a Boy (Chii)
When They Call You a Terrorist (Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele)
The Only Harmless Great Thing (Brooke Bolander)
Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against it (Jennifer Michael Hecht)
...okay so I guess I listen to a lot of far left podcasts that talk about race and stuff
That's quite the list! I've heard wonderful things about The Hate U Give and it's on my list too.
This is going to sound facetious but it's not intended that way - make time to read and read. I read in bed at night, but you might prefer a different time. Whenever it is, put your phone down, turn your music/tv/etc off and just read for a while. If you're not enjoying that book or article, stop. Read something else. It's supposed to be fun and if it's not you won't keep doing it.
I know that sounds simple and in a sense it is but it also isn't. Changing one's habits is hard, you have to force it, at first. It's difficult but stick with it. Maybe get a book of short stories and read one a day - there are some really great collections out there in all sorts of genres. Maybe just give yourself ten minutes and see how far you get. Doesn't matter if that's a paragraph or a chapter or whatever.
I really struggle with non-fiction, fwiw. I can spend hours reading fiction quite happily but non-fiction just doesn't engage me. On a screen, however, I devour factual stuff - but in print (well, eInk for me), I find it really hard to keep my concentration.
One important thing is don't worry about your to-read list - everyone I know has a huge list of things they want to read, nobody ever makes a dent in it. You start one thing and two more will come along to replace it before you're even halfway through. Read what you can, when you can. If you find something you're really enjoying, you'll make more time for it. Sometimes I will spend a couple of hours a day reading, sometimes only a few minutes.
I think I get what you mean. A few months ago I stopped using facebook and twitter altogether at once and found myself...not doing anything and thinking: oh I could read an actual book in all that time.
Thanks for conteztualizing some of the other challenges too :)
Does making time to read include prescribing stoppages?
For example, you read before bed, suppose you're really getting into a book. Do you just make a judgement call on when to stop, lest you be very tired the next day?
Also, I sometimes find that if I force myself to read, I don't realllllly get it. I can hardly even remember what I was reading. How do you get around this? I often feel it is better for me to just leave the bookmark where it is if I'm reading because I decided previously that I was to read now. Otherwise I'll just miss this part of the book.
I am self-employed and I work from home, if I want a late night I'm allowed (but obvious I do have to make up the time later)
I hear what you're saying about forcing it though. I've always read a lot for as long as I can remember but sometimes that happens and usually - at least for me - that means I'm not reading the right thing. I change books or topics or whatever and generally that gets me back into the flow. Sometimes I just don't feel like reading though, so I'll play a game or whatever instead. Occasionally I'll go a week or so without really reading much, but it's more often the other way around - I'll have a few weeks without the playstation getting turned on, then I'll get back into it again.
What I'd usually do is drive to the nearest park by me and leave my phone in the car. I'll only have my book with me while at the park. This removes the distraction of the internet and allows you to focus on the book.