My reading routine
What books to read and when to read them. Plus my top tip for online reading!
During these cold winter months I find myself wanting to read all the time. I am never without a book during this introverted homebody season. Since the start of 2024 I have finished 5 fiction books, 3 memoirs, 3 graphic novels/illustrated books, and 3 nonfiction books. I log many hours of reading like it’s my job, except it never feels like one.
I grew up loving books, as many artists and writers do, and cite them as my biggest source of inspiration. Still, I had a fallow decade after high school when I forgot how to read for pleasure. I had grown out of YA and didn’t know what else to read. Plus the internet was such a shiny distraction, glittering with snippy blogs and nascent Youtube channels.
In 2018 I began writing creative nonfiction, started a book club, and read a record number of 78 books. I learned what books I enjoyed and read a lot of them, collecting recommendations and tracking my reading through Goodreads. In today’s post I’ll share my habits and approach to reading, in hopes that it inspires you to pick up some books this winter!
What to read
I was a disgruntled Goodreads user for years (see “Goodreads is terrible for books.”) When I saw Storygraph had fancy stats and graphs to analyze my bookshelf, I happily jumped ship.
The above chart breaks down the books I have logged from 2018 onward by genre. The books I read skew heavily contemporary, and I read a lot of literary fiction, memoir, and self-help. Storygraph reports that the moods of the books I enjoy reading are “reflective, emotional, and informative.” That’s all I strive to be as a human being!
If you are just getting into reading, book recommendations from people whose taste you admire will be your best bet. I love perusing Girls at Library or Passerby interviews to see what other cool women like to read. Recs from friends who know your taste are even better.
Once I started taking writing classes, teachers would gush out book recs like nobody’s business and I would furiously jot them all down. Year end lists are also great, or asking a book seller or librarian for suggestions based on some books you’ve enjoyed in the past. My local library has a BookMatch service to provide patrons with customized reading lists—you can try it too!
It’s easy to read a lot of the same stuff packaged in slightly different covers once you figure out what you like to read. I find some benefit in this repetition by discovering which phrasing and storytelling most resonate with me. This is especially useful as I reflect on the book I’d like to write and the ultimate shape and form it will take. Reading books on kindred subjects allows me to linger in a desired headspace as I make my art and move through my days.
Still! It’s necessary to diversify the books you read to expand your perspective. Maybe this is by genre, by author, or by year written. I would love to read more poetry and philosophy this year, and I hope to pick up at least one book that was written before 1990.
When to read
If you want to read a lot, always bring a book wherever you go! My lightweight Kindle is my usual companion, but there is a great satisfaction (and flex) in having a book to whip out on the subway, Underground New York Public Library style.
My most common reading methods:
Reading while eating at home: I’ve been reading during meals since I was a little kid, and it is a hard habit to break! I may not be eating as mindfully as I could be, but I certainly eat more slowly and pleasurably than when I eat while watching a show or scrolling my phone. Book stands are key to this combination practice, and it’s best to give up and leave a page unturned if you’re eating pizza with grease all over your hands.
Reading on trains, planes, and waiting rooms: I love reading on public transit as an alternative to being on my phone with the cell service cutting in and out. To tune out noise I will put in my earplugs or Airpods with noise cancellation on but no music playing, or a jazz playlist if I’m especially distracted. Waiting rooms are also great for reading—plenty of seats with just enough quiet! I have the fondest of memories reading half of Americanah in a jury duty assembly room.
Reading before sleeping and upon waking up: My bedroom is a strict no phone zone. Instead I have my book or Kindle with me to read while I drift off to sleep, and as the first thing I reach for when I wake up and still need to clear the sleepy cobwebs. Books of meditations or poetry are particularly great when reading first thing in the morning, such as The Book of Delights by Ross Gay or When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön.
How many to read
I am a big believer in reading 2-3 books at once to encourage the “open mode” of creation.
I usually stick to one novel at a time. Fictional universes (however real) are carefully invented portals, and it’s best to immerse and fully feel one world before moving to the next! And keeping track of characters across multiple books is tiring.
Essays, self-help, short story collections, and poetry are better for reading in multiples. These formats beckon to be read more slowly for proper digestion, and the insights can be even greater in tandem with other books percolating in the brain.
When to stop reading
I am not a book completionist—I will happily DNF (did not finish) a book, even if I believe it could be a really good book, even after anticipating it for months. Fiction books I will usually put down in the first third if I am not connecting with the writing style and the characters. I tend to set nonfiction books aside if they are too dry or if the topic is not resonating in my current season of life.
A book has tremendous value even if you only read a portion of it. Sometimes I randomly open a page of a book I’ve already read, revel in the marked passages that resonated with me in times past, and set it aside. This is my ideal kind of break when I need some non-screen time.
Where to get books
As much as I love owning books, I am way more likely to read and finish a book if I borrow it from the library. There’s just something about having a deadline! I am always putting holds on e-books from Libby and checking to see if an anticipated new release is available yet. (A tip for Libby e-reader users: if you put your e-reader on airplane mode, you can read past the book due date.)
I now like to buy books after I’ve read and enjoyed them, with the exceptions of illustrated books, children’s books, and books purchased during travel. I prefer to shop used, either locally or on ThriftBooks and Better World Books. Otherwise my local indie bookstore or Bookshop are my go tos for new books and preorders.
What about online reading?
I try to prioritize reading books over online articles. The length of time that I dedicate to a book and its author is a relationship formed, one that swirls in my head and swims around forming new connections and ideas. Books delve more deeply in emotion, reflection, and nuance; therefore they need more time and attention.
The internet is great for staying current, reading a wide range of voices, and connecting easily with others through our writing and reactions. But if we’re not intentional about our online reading, we skim countless posts simply because they’re presented to us, not because we chose them.
Here is a secret: I am able to read as many books as I do because I follow very little news. My husband is an avid news reader and I keep up with the world through his updates. Once I’m aware of happenings that I want to learn about, I plug in through podcasts and intentional research.
My top online reading tip
What little online reading I do is conducted through RSS feeds or a read-it-later app. I use Reader which has both features; previously I used Feedly and Pocket. Reader allows me to corral any reading content that I care about into one place and save quotes and information with ease.
Using apps like Reader help greatly with inbox overwhelm. Fellow Substack writer
started a great conversation about managing the unsustainable amount of newsletters in their inbox.My own approach is to first “subscribe” to a new Substack newsletter as an RSS feed, and only give my email if I really love it or want to upgrade to paid. If I resonate with or enjoy a certain post, I make sure to comment or share it with my network to support the author and connect with others.
I encourage you to try this approach if your inbox has been cluttered with newsletters. You don’t owe anyone your primary email, not even me (but please drop by and say hello from time to time!)
Now it’s your turn! Share in the comments 💭
What’s the last good book you read? (Mine is The Night Parade by Jami Nakamura Lin, a memoir of mental illness and grief intricately woven with Japanese folklore)
Do you read one book at a time, or many books at once?
Do you spend more time reading books or online articles?
I read many books at once! Inevitably one will engage hyperfocus and will pull me through to the end. Others are abandoned and I circle back to them when the time is right. It seems reading the right book at the right time is really key for getting the most out of it. Right now I’m reading Poetic Edda (Norse mythology), Seats of the Underground (about the history of London Underground’s upholstery), Leap Before You Look (a beautiful and inspiring art book), and (for fiction) Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. P.S. Thanks for the hat tip. I really am enjoying my return to RSS. I think it’s a brilliant, but underused technology! 💫
I just joined Substack and started writing here in December, and I've definitely been struggling with how much time to devote to reading here vs reading books! I'm sure I'll find a balance eventually, but right now it feels a bit overwhelming.