I love to read.
I have loved books and reading since I was a little girl. I vaguely remember a time when I could easily tune out the world and get lost in a story, but that rarely happens now. I have to fight for every inch of mental real estate, most of my adult life filled with shoulds and oughts and constant interruptions to my train of thought.
I still read, but my reading habits went through years of taking a backseat to other things, and I lost my ability to concentrate on books. For about 15 years I’ve kept a record of what I read, and there were many years that list was pitiably small for someone who truly enjoys books as much as I do.
About 10 years ago I went back to school, finishing a bachelor’s degree and then getting my master’s degree, reading lots of psychology books and writing papers, which was good for my profession and my mind, but my creative soul missed good novels and poetry and creative non-fiction. The last couple of years I’ve been rebuilding my reading life.
I’ve been using Goodreads and StoryGraph to help me track what I read. Setting a goal for a certain number of books has motivated me to prioritize reading more, as has using my local public library, one of my favorite places now. I had a goal this year to read 50 books and managed to read 59. I’m still a distracted reader but I am more successful at prioritizing reading time and giving myself permission to enjoy extended time with a book.
Setting a goal has led to another problem, however. Those pesky oughts show up again, this time pushing quantity over quality. I’m wondering if I’m avoiding some more challenging reads because they will take more effort and more time and I may not make my “quota.” Perhaps. But I’ve also been trying to read out of my comfort zone and choosing some books that stretch me.
I don’t know if I will be able to resolve this tension with the oughts and shoulds, but I hope to keep resurrecting my reading life this year. I have a pile of good books waiting for me: physical books with paper and ink, books on my Kindle, and audiobooks on Spotify. I just need to decide what to read next (listening to Anne Bogel’s podcast What Shall I Read Next? is a helpful inspiration for this).
Last year was very eclectic, though I notice I read quite a bit of dystopian fiction. Here are the books I read. Keep in mind that I don’t necessarily recommend every book I read! The ones I most enjoyed include:
A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur (biography of Madeleine L’Engle)
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger (dystopian but hopeful)
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library (charming Japanese book about the power of stories to change lives)
Habitation of Wonder by Abigail Carroll (a new-to-me poet and now one of my favorites)
Sipsworth by Simon van Booy (finding purpose, even in small things, can be a balm to loneliness and grief)
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (I read on my Kindle and was so surprised when I saw a physical copy in the store…it’s huge! This story spans generation in a south Indian family, and I cried several times while reading it.)
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (food and fashion and friendship)
The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (so inspiring and much-needed in these polarized times)
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (love borne out of great suffering, refining the giver and the receiver)
What have you been reading? What do you plan to read in 2025? How do you make time to read?
I read in the morning after I write my morning pages, I read/listen to audiobooks when I walk and drive, I keep a book nearby and grab spare moments, I spend more extended time in a book on weekends, I read before I fall asleep at night.
If you are on Goodreads or StoryGraph, let’s connect and encourage each other to read well, to read wisely, to read widely.
"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young." – Maya Angelou
Happy New Year!
Love a reading list! I didn’t read as much this past year, but I feel that shifting. 😊I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures…I listened to it and the narrator was fantastic! I just finished The Time of the Child by Niall Williams…such a fantastic book. I’m adding his others to my TBR list this year. I also read The Birthkeeper of Bethlehem last week. Such interesting thoughts on what the birth of Jesus might have been…loved it.
I love getting reading inspiration from others' lists. I hadn't yet heard of Storygraph, so I'll have to check that out!