A few weeks ago, the Currently Reading podcast had an episode where they talked about what their reading life looks like right now and what they feel is working well. I love the idea of taking the temperature of my reading life every now and then—and seeing how things change during different seasons of life. Here’s what’s working well for me right now:
Using the slow-but-steady approach to nonfiction
I read a good amount of nonfiction, but it’s not exactly something I like to read in large chunks. Whether it’s a dense social justice book or a slim essay collection, I have taken the approach of reading just one chapter a day. I find that I can absorb the content much better, as I have time to sit with it and consider its impact. It’s most helpful for books that I’m reading to learn something, as I don’t feel like I’m in this information overload scenario. And sometimes I may even take a break from the book for a day or two if I need to. I usually have a light/fun fiction novel to read alongside the nonfiction book, which helps a lot. I have noticed that my reading tends to slow down when I’m working through a nonfiction book like this, which is why I don’t do it all the time. Maybe every other month or so.
Switching between books I own and library books
I used to have a very complicated system for selecting books. It involved multiple TBR lists, a random number generator, and an intricate spreadsheet. I’ve grown tired of that system, though, and a few months ago, adopted something much simpler: I switch between books I own and library books. I still have a system for selecting these books because I need to have some structure to my book selection process. When I started this process, I used a random number generator to give me a number, and then I went to that page number of my Goodreads TBR list. (For example, if the number it gave me was 8, I went to page 8 of my “want-to-read” list on Goodreads.) Then, I selected five books from whatever page number it gave me. I tried to have a random assortment of books because I like variety in my reading life (aka, one thriller, one nonfiction, one historical fiction, etc.). I also made sure all of the books I selected from that Goodreads list are not books I own. These books are the ones I will be borrowing from the library. I keep that list tucked away in a tab on my reading spreadsheet, so I can request the books from the library when the time comes for that.
When I’m selecting books from my shelves, I choose two books from my Book of the Month shelf and three books from my other bookshelves. I let myself be a little free range with choosing from my BOTM shelf because there’s a limited quantity and it feels less overwhelming. When selecting my three books from my other bookshelves, I go in cube order. I use cube bookshelves to store my books, so the first time I did this, I selected the first three “cubes” (from top to bottom) and had to choose a book from each cube. Again, I try to make sure I’m choosing books with a bit of variety since that’s how I like to read. I’m finishing up my selection of library books, so I’ll start working through the five books I chose from my bookshelves soon. Here’s what I chose!
Not reading every day
This is a big one for me. My identity is not only that I’m a reader, but that I am a voracious reader. For the past 6 years, I’ve read more than 100 books (my highest reading year so far was 2020 with 153 books read). But there are some days when the reading doesn’t happen. And I’m learning to be okay with that. It doesn’t mean I am any less of a reader or that I’m losing my spark; it just means I am finding other ways to spend my time some days. Maybe it’s because I had a busy work day and then plans in the evening. Or maybe it’s because I chose TV and phone games over my book. It’s okay that I don’t read every day, and if it means I’ll have my lowest reading year since 2017, so be it.
What’s working in your reading life?
I just read. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t read. Most of the time it’s in the first twenty minutes after I wake and the last twenty minutes before I go to sleep, but reading is crucial. I have heard writers say that this is how they feel about writing – like a day is incomplete if they don’t write. I do NOT feel that way about writing, but I do feel that way about reading. If only there were a way for me to be a professional reader. LOL.
It’s funny because I still think you have a semi-complicated system for choosing your books! My “system” is this: while I’m reading blogs (or listening to a podcast) if someone mentions a book that sounds good, I’ll go to the library website right away and put a hold on it. If for some reason that’s not possible, I”ll put a note in my phone with the book and author. This results in a pretty random selection process- as in, the library will notify my hold is in, sometimes I don’t even remember anything about the book, and I go pick it up. If it’s something I really, really want to read right away and they have it at my branch, I’ll go get it ASAP. And every once in a great while I’ll buy a book- but that’s rare.
I like your method for reading nonfiction. I want to read nonfiction, but I end up reading slower and slower and wishing I had a fiction book going. I’m going to do your method from now on.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Recursion. I haven’t read it yet but it sounds interesting.
Once I wrote out my *new* system for picking books, I was like, “This is more complicated than it seems.” HA. I like to keep things interesting, I guess!
I am very surprised about your selection process for books. It sounds really complicated to me. But maybe I just don’t have a process. So interesting.
I usually don’t have TBR for every month. Some books I loosely know which season I will read them but if that doesn’t happen so be it. My audio books are all from the library so I take what I can get basically and if my holds come in at a weird time I just keep pushing them.
However I have a very strategic and maybe complicated system for getting my freebies and kindle steals so that might compare with your selection process. I wrote about that at some NaBloPo in the years back https://www.craftaliciousme.com/ebook-deals-how-i-find-my-next-freebie/
I enjoyed the Henna Artist and am looking forward hearing you liked it.
Yeah, once I wrote out my *new* system, I realized it probably would seem very complicated for some people. It makes sense to me and makes my reading experience enjoyable, and that’s the whole point!
I like it! Especially the part about not being pressured to read everyday, given that you still read a lot.
The biggest thing that’s working for me right now is book blogging! I feel like I get so many leads from the Cool Bloggers Book Club so my overall reading quality is higher and it gives me a space to talk about books. I can’t remember the last time I met someone IRL who’d read a book that I’d read. Specifically from you – last year I was going to DNF The Nothing Man because the “home invasion serial rapist/murders” is on my “ick” list but I stuck with it after your review and loved it and then went straight to 56 Days by the same author which I loved even more. Just recently you put the Brendan Slocumb books back on my radar. I liked Symphony of Secrets but I LOOOOOOVED The Violin Conspiracy so much.
This makes me so happy! I’m glad you were able to find some good books based on my recs! I agree that I love getting recs from other bloggers – I can trust their recs!
I always feel a little off-kilter when I don’t get a good solid chunk of time to read. But you’re right, sometimes it just doesn’t happen and that is okay!
I really liked The People We Keep, that was a good book.
I just put books that I hear about on a list, and then buy one or get it at the library. Pretty simple. I’m amazed at people that keep spreadsheets of books they want to read and books they have read and all of that. I can never remember whether I’ve read something or not, actually, so I have to go back to my blog and see if I talked about it…maybe a spreadsheet would be a good idea for me!
I love my reading spreadsheet! It makes the reading experience so much better for me!
I think you have a great approach to reading non-fiction. Not everyone get just breeze through a tough topic. Non-fiction is the only genre that I can alternate with when I read a book. I usually just stick to one book at a time.
I was surprised to read that you don’t read every single day! I do read every single day. But it’s my wind down ritual and many days it’s the only time of day I read.
What is working for me is using tags on Libby to manage my TBR and my libby holds to figure out what I want to read very soon. I used to use goodreads and found it so overwhelming. I should probably just clear out all my TBR books on good reads because I never reference that list anymore. Now when I hear about a book I was to read, I add it my TBR tag list on Libby.
I think you have a great approach, too. You clearly like to have an organized and strategic approach to your reading. I am more of a seat-of-my-pants reader, so I just think, well, I read something fluffy, so now I kind of want a thriller/mystery/etc. I do typically have a NF and a fiction book at the same time. But the NF book is usually just weekend reading for me.
This is quite a system, and I’m blown away that this is the simplified version of your system! Even during the years when I’ve read 100+ books, my “system” is: What am I in the mood for? What’s available from the library? Is there anything I am desperate to read right now that I can’t get from the library and am willing to pay for? I try to keep it balanced between fiction and nonfiction, but it’s totally based on availability and current vibe. I love learning stuff like this about other people!