Just reading this made me happy. The pleasure of escaping into another time and another place is a tonic for the soul. I love reading about food and cooking, and love Nigel Slater’s new book of very short memoir-like essays, “A Thousand Feasts” for taking me somewhere else for just a few minutes.
Boy, does this resonate! I love reading, mostly books, and always have, thought to spend my declining years catching up. But the declining years somehow leave less and less time and the nooks often fail to engage me. Still, im not ready to give up quite yet. A cafe/coffee shop in my town offers two hours on Wednesday afternoons for silent reading. Just bring a book, order a macchiato, and read for two hours uninterrupted side by side with other dedicated readers. What a splendid idea!
Thank you for this! I love the advice. And ouch, I feel seen in the comments about turning pleasurable things into obligations or self- improvement.... I also read nonfiction for work and found it helpful to myself give up on virtuous and heavy literature. I've been making my way through Agatha Christie. :) I'll add Amanda Cross to the list!!
It's so helpful to hear other people have similar habits ;) Thank you for sharing this! And you are so brutally honest, that in itself is admirable. I still write down which books I read, but since I am "tracking" my reading through goodreads, I feel like I am competing with...whom actually? Myself? I like to look back on what I read in the past, but on goodreads it feels like I am nurturing a performance scorecard... instead of just enjoying reading.
i used to be a big reader, known for such exploits as walking from beverley and college to the toronto dance theatre studios, my nose in an enormous space opera paperback, without once getting hit by the streetcar or smashing into a pole. fast forward a decade or so, and the post-natal brain rendered me unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, reading and television shows included. i am still like this another decade or so later, but the addition of a cell phone (yes, it has been fewer than three years since i got a cell phone!), with its apps-of-immediate-gratification-and-connectedness, has made me worse. other mental health circumstances, combined with the addiction to this technology, make me feel terrifyingly alone when i try to “unplug,” and any attempts to escape into a book the way i used to—with a glass of wine on the deck, tucked into bed, en route to somewhere—instead make me panicky. i truly do not enjoy reading on a device, especially something as small as a cell phone, but it turns out that this is actually giving me a chance to reconnect to reading. i can hold that stupid phone, connect my headphones to whatever european modern jazz album i’ve downloaded on bandcamp, then open the Libby app and read. if i get anxious, i can pause and send off a few texts to busy friends or doomscroll facebook, then resume. it’s a horrible way to read, but i read.
The reading glasses! I wear my contacts to see far away and carry my glasses on top of my head all day, to the point where I have had to ask my hairstylist to tell me if I'm getting a bald spot. I finally got acclimated to my reading glasses for reading (I think I started using them for manuscript research as far back as 2017), but I had virtually given up on embroidery until a few months ago, when I got one of those lamps that hangs around your neck. It cost something like $21 but it means I can read and stitch in pretty much any sort of ambient light or lack thereof. If you don't have one, treat yourself. (I realize that most of the other comments are about the content of people's reading, so please forgive me for interjecting a lament about aging eyes and the devices we use to compensate!)
I've found that reading with 1 other person (instead of a group) is very motivating--one person I'd be letting down rather than a group I can "get out of". With just a 'two-person reading group' it's also easy to customize to what you're really interested in, and if it is recurring it is a lovely way to get to know a friend well, and (if you're long distance) have an 'excuse' to have a scheduled phone date.
I can agree more with the impact of technology on our reading habits and how being disconnected can yield great rewards. I’ve been without wifi for about a week now and I’m finishing my third book! Kind of proud of myself but also ashamed at the extremes it’s taken to read again this much 😂
Reading suggestions for those who need to lift themselves from the swamp to a minimal level: turn on the captions for the streaming shows and read along with the dialogue. It’s also good for people who read in the near field all day and need to focus their eyes on the mid to far distance. Graphic novels and their black sheep brethren the ‘comic book’ can be useful for reading and teaching the young to read cursive – that is value added, a twofer. Art books have their charm if any are near at hand. Certain 20th century prejudices that I can’t quite shake keep me from recommending the romance genre. Sci-fi, like comics, have conventions where people can dress up, socialize, and discuss reading without feeling a sense of shame. I figure those in masked anonymous costumes are non-tenured professors hoping to not get caught. That may sound bad but has to be a step up from the anonymity of a furry convention. Maybe furrys help people read?
Thanks for this Irina, though I must thank Nancy Jenkins, a neighbor and close friend in Camden (and I think perhaps an acquaintance of yours, too) for the suggestion and link. Funny how AI and the digital age, for all its dangers and frustrations, is making this small world somewhat better in somewhat tiny ways. This is one of them. Dave Miller
Lots of useful ideas to practice here 🤓 love the bathroom bookshelf idea. I’ve also created a ritual for myself where I read “heavy” fiction and nonfiction in the morning (while drinking my first coffee of the day) and easy, pleasurable fiction before going to sleep. I don’t this every day, but most days it works.
Yes, I also have different types of reading for different times in the day, or levels of fatigue. I often do course reading over breakfast, but sometimes it's when I read my heaviest *other* reading (monastic histories, that sort of thing). What kind of easy fiction do you like? I need tips.
Ah, yes, levels of fatigue indeed, a good way of putting it! Well, I’m a pop culture researcher (by study & in my spare time) and find that a lot of contemporary fiction is light enough — probably my love of genre came first & then the research, but here goes: crime fiction (especially Norwegian, Swedish and Japanese), romance (mostly fantasy - I have a special place in my heart for Laini Taylor & Holly Black & Ali Hazelwood), historical fiction (like Tracy Chevalier), scifi (Ted Chiang, Martha Wells). As for “slice of life” contemporary literature, sweet-mellow-introspective novels I’ve recently read: Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, The midnight library (and most of what Matt Haig writes), A single rose (I enjoy Muriel Barbery’s writing style), Less (Andrew Sean Greer).
I also read manga and graphic novels along the same genres 🤓
Great advice. In addition, I keep a lot of books on my iPhone’s Books app. Instead of scrolling in spare moments, I try to open the app and get some “proper” reading done. Very convenient on buses, trains, standing in line, etc.
I have been an avid reader since childhood and read for work and writing research, but have definitely noticed a reduction mainly due to screen time. So I’ve been giving myself a number of pages to read objective at bedtime- I always go past this as it just kick starts the process and then I get into the book. I also think page-turning novels are incredibly helpful- reading the brilliant Maggie Gee at the moment.
I also have novels on Kindle so I can read anywhere ( even though I much prefer paper.) I agree group reading is good or just asking people for suggestions, so I read alongside other writers or bookshop sellers - reading what they suggest. Anything that stimulates the reading because it is restful and stimulating and such a brilliant extraordinary activity.
Just reading this made me happy. The pleasure of escaping into another time and another place is a tonic for the soul. I love reading about food and cooking, and love Nigel Slater’s new book of very short memoir-like essays, “A Thousand Feasts” for taking me somewhere else for just a few minutes.
Boy, does this resonate! I love reading, mostly books, and always have, thought to spend my declining years catching up. But the declining years somehow leave less and less time and the nooks often fail to engage me. Still, im not ready to give up quite yet. A cafe/coffee shop in my town offers two hours on Wednesday afternoons for silent reading. Just bring a book, order a macchiato, and read for two hours uninterrupted side by side with other dedicated readers. What a splendid idea!
Thank you for this! I love the advice. And ouch, I feel seen in the comments about turning pleasurable things into obligations or self- improvement.... I also read nonfiction for work and found it helpful to myself give up on virtuous and heavy literature. I've been making my way through Agatha Christie. :) I'll add Amanda Cross to the list!!
It's so helpful to hear other people have similar habits ;) Thank you for sharing this! And you are so brutally honest, that in itself is admirable. I still write down which books I read, but since I am "tracking" my reading through goodreads, I feel like I am competing with...whom actually? Myself? I like to look back on what I read in the past, but on goodreads it feels like I am nurturing a performance scorecard... instead of just enjoying reading.
i used to be a big reader, known for such exploits as walking from beverley and college to the toronto dance theatre studios, my nose in an enormous space opera paperback, without once getting hit by the streetcar or smashing into a pole. fast forward a decade or so, and the post-natal brain rendered me unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, reading and television shows included. i am still like this another decade or so later, but the addition of a cell phone (yes, it has been fewer than three years since i got a cell phone!), with its apps-of-immediate-gratification-and-connectedness, has made me worse. other mental health circumstances, combined with the addiction to this technology, make me feel terrifyingly alone when i try to “unplug,” and any attempts to escape into a book the way i used to—with a glass of wine on the deck, tucked into bed, en route to somewhere—instead make me panicky. i truly do not enjoy reading on a device, especially something as small as a cell phone, but it turns out that this is actually giving me a chance to reconnect to reading. i can hold that stupid phone, connect my headphones to whatever european modern jazz album i’ve downloaded on bandcamp, then open the Libby app and read. if i get anxious, i can pause and send off a few texts to busy friends or doomscroll facebook, then resume. it’s a horrible way to read, but i read.
The reading glasses! I wear my contacts to see far away and carry my glasses on top of my head all day, to the point where I have had to ask my hairstylist to tell me if I'm getting a bald spot. I finally got acclimated to my reading glasses for reading (I think I started using them for manuscript research as far back as 2017), but I had virtually given up on embroidery until a few months ago, when I got one of those lamps that hangs around your neck. It cost something like $21 but it means I can read and stitch in pretty much any sort of ambient light or lack thereof. If you don't have one, treat yourself. (I realize that most of the other comments are about the content of people's reading, so please forgive me for interjecting a lament about aging eyes and the devices we use to compensate!)
I've found that reading with 1 other person (instead of a group) is very motivating--one person I'd be letting down rather than a group I can "get out of". With just a 'two-person reading group' it's also easy to customize to what you're really interested in, and if it is recurring it is a lovely way to get to know a friend well, and (if you're long distance) have an 'excuse' to have a scheduled phone date.
I can agree more with the impact of technology on our reading habits and how being disconnected can yield great rewards. I’ve been without wifi for about a week now and I’m finishing my third book! Kind of proud of myself but also ashamed at the extremes it’s taken to read again this much 😂
so many great points. i just put two books in the bathroom. ooops… both nonfiction.
Reading suggestions for those who need to lift themselves from the swamp to a minimal level: turn on the captions for the streaming shows and read along with the dialogue. It’s also good for people who read in the near field all day and need to focus their eyes on the mid to far distance. Graphic novels and their black sheep brethren the ‘comic book’ can be useful for reading and teaching the young to read cursive – that is value added, a twofer. Art books have their charm if any are near at hand. Certain 20th century prejudices that I can’t quite shake keep me from recommending the romance genre. Sci-fi, like comics, have conventions where people can dress up, socialize, and discuss reading without feeling a sense of shame. I figure those in masked anonymous costumes are non-tenured professors hoping to not get caught. That may sound bad but has to be a step up from the anonymity of a furry convention. Maybe furrys help people read?
I really like the art book idea in particular.
Thanks for this Irina, though I must thank Nancy Jenkins, a neighbor and close friend in Camden (and I think perhaps an acquaintance of yours, too) for the suggestion and link. Funny how AI and the digital age, for all its dangers and frustrations, is making this small world somewhat better in somewhat tiny ways. This is one of them. Dave Miller
Lots of useful ideas to practice here 🤓 love the bathroom bookshelf idea. I’ve also created a ritual for myself where I read “heavy” fiction and nonfiction in the morning (while drinking my first coffee of the day) and easy, pleasurable fiction before going to sleep. I don’t this every day, but most days it works.
Yes, I also have different types of reading for different times in the day, or levels of fatigue. I often do course reading over breakfast, but sometimes it's when I read my heaviest *other* reading (monastic histories, that sort of thing). What kind of easy fiction do you like? I need tips.
Ah, yes, levels of fatigue indeed, a good way of putting it! Well, I’m a pop culture researcher (by study & in my spare time) and find that a lot of contemporary fiction is light enough — probably my love of genre came first & then the research, but here goes: crime fiction (especially Norwegian, Swedish and Japanese), romance (mostly fantasy - I have a special place in my heart for Laini Taylor & Holly Black & Ali Hazelwood), historical fiction (like Tracy Chevalier), scifi (Ted Chiang, Martha Wells). As for “slice of life” contemporary literature, sweet-mellow-introspective novels I’ve recently read: Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, The midnight library (and most of what Matt Haig writes), A single rose (I enjoy Muriel Barbery’s writing style), Less (Andrew Sean Greer).
I also read manga and graphic novels along the same genres 🤓
Thank you!
Hope there’s something in there that speaks to you :)
Great advice. In addition, I keep a lot of books on my iPhone’s Books app. Instead of scrolling in spare moments, I try to open the app and get some “proper” reading done. Very convenient on buses, trains, standing in line, etc.
Oh yes! I do this too. But I find that I can only read self help type books that way. Still, it's something
I have been an avid reader since childhood and read for work and writing research, but have definitely noticed a reduction mainly due to screen time. So I’ve been giving myself a number of pages to read objective at bedtime- I always go past this as it just kick starts the process and then I get into the book. I also think page-turning novels are incredibly helpful- reading the brilliant Maggie Gee at the moment.
I also have novels on Kindle so I can read anywhere ( even though I much prefer paper.) I agree group reading is good or just asking people for suggestions, so I read alongside other writers or bookshop sellers - reading what they suggest. Anything that stimulates the reading because it is restful and stimulating and such a brilliant extraordinary activity.