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.
Welcome to Substack Cassandra! It definitely takes some time to find balance. My tip is to think of whether you want to prioritize craft (books) or connection (online reading)!
DNF, Reader and how to avoid newsletter/inbox overwhelm incredibly informative feel less pressured already. Off to read multiple books at once now as have permission not to feel a weirdo 👊 Book am reading: Marcus Aurelius ‘Meditation’ borrowed from my library. Love the deadline it creates too. 👋
Happy to provide any and all methods to take away pressure! I have been meaning to read Meditations for years, one of these days I will get around to it. Let me know how you like it!
It all started here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg33anxyE-E Ryan happens to be Robert Greene’s ( Daily Laws) ex-intern. His YouTube videos gently guides you into stoicism and before you know it you’ve just got to read Epictetus Seneca Aurelius soooo good
As someone who is trying to read again I am impressed by the number of books who have read this year! I also love your philosophy of DNF. Thank you. I always feel like I need to finish a book but maybe I just need to let that go.
Always so fascinated by other people's reading routines Carolyn so thank you for the peek! I even wrote about it too (here, if anyone is interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/writingaroundtheedges/p/but-first-lets-read) and also I've just jumped ship from Goodreads to StoryGraph too! I need to find a bit of time to geek-out fully and explore there, but it already feels better ♡
Isn't Storygraph so much more calming?! Thanks for sharing your piece Luisa, wishing you a more fiction-filled year! I'd be happy to pass over some recs if you'd like :)
I would be thrilled with some recs. Needing much lightness and escapism at the moment. Anything with sunshine, set in the Mediterranean or coastal Europe always helps too. Two of my favourite all-time novels are Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Still Life by Sarah Winman. Just to give you some clues! ♡
You may enjoy The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (an artist extraordinaire and creator of the Moomins!) It’s a very sweet, meditative book of a woman and her granddaughter spending a summer together on a Finnish island.
I'm such a moody reader. I tend to read 3-5 books at a time, all different genres. I recently finished 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg, it's a writers' guide on creativity, productivity, and inspiration. I highly recommend it. 😊
I definitely follow my whims as well, switching out books mid-sentence! I am dying to read 1000 Words—have been waiting for a library copy :) Thanks for the rec!
I love your illustrated log of covers! ❤️ I downloaded Storygraph last year but didn’t really give it a try. Your post reminds me that I need to do that. Your rss reader strategy is great.
Really enjoyed your post! I’ve been reading nonstop since I was a kid too ;) and the library is my best friend.
Last book I loved was “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow, read it last month. After that a couple of DNFs (took me awhile to let go and it really is freeing!). When I have a string of DNFs, it puts me in a bad mood hahaha until I find a new one that grabs me.
The library is the best third place! And totally know what you mean about the string of DNFs, some months just be like that. But it's that much sweeter once we find the right book to devour!
Thank you for sharing this. I love reading books but have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Maybe I just haven't found anything that's really exciting yet.
The last good book I read was "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections" by Eva Jurezyk. (I have a thing for reading books about libraries and pianos.) It's a story of a woman trying to get ahead in life and the mystery of a missing rare book. It has clever writing and an endearing central character.
I read one book at a time generally, but I might try to couple a new book with a re-read.
I spend more time reading books than online articles.
Now that was inspiring! Thanks a lot for sharing. The last good book(s) experience was with re-reading all Austen again, but I am very behind with my reading lately - spending more time reading online and having trouble with deciding what to read next (hence all the re-readings). Need to borrow some of your tips! And yes, I do tend to read multiple books at once!
I admire your rereading! I am a novelty chaser and don’t seem to revisit books often, though it is such a pleasure. I reread one of my all-time faves A Tree Grows in Brooklyn last year and fell in love with it all over again.
Yes, exactly, you can find new meanings and ideas every time! I checked out the book, seems to be something I’d like to read, thanks for mentioning it!
LOVE THIS! I need to check out Storygraph. I’m also always reading like four books at once. And have been reading so much lately (maybe because I started working for Reading Rhythms which is an IRL reading party in NYC…you would love!) I just started reading The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza which literally flew off the shelf at a thrift store yesterday. It’s a bit diff than my usual choice of novel but it’s beautifully written so far.
Ooooh Reading Rhythms is such a cool concept, signing up for a future event immediately! Are you hosting events or doing other work? And I love a serendipitous thrift store find ❣️
We are currently prioritizing building out our NYC community but definitely am planning on expanding nationally and internationally. Follow us on IG to stay updated :) One of the founders is from London - so the UK is def on our radar
Hello! I’m Jennifer. I’m new here, and run the book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People. Like you, I read multiple books at once. Currently on my nightstand: Come & Get It by Kiley Reid, Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin, Bauhaus: a graphic novel by Valentine Grande and Sergio Varbella and I’m listening to More by Molly Rodin Winter. Happy Reading!!
Hi Jennifer, how wonderful—will check out your podcast! And that is a great lineup, I am very curious to read Kiley Reid's latest as I loved her first book! And adding Bauhaus to my TBR as well.
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! 💫
Of course there is a book dedicated to the Tube's seat patterns! How delightful. And so glad RSS is working for you! Perfect in its simplicity.
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.
Welcome to Substack Cassandra! It definitely takes some time to find balance. My tip is to think of whether you want to prioritize craft (books) or connection (online reading)!
Great tip! Thank you, I'll think on that.
Thank you for sharing your routine! I’m also a reader-eater and agree it’s a tough habit to break (but also how hard did I really try?).
Haha Sri, reader eater is such a great term. Gonna use it all the time as a descriptor! And agreed, I barely tried as well 😂
DNF, Reader and how to avoid newsletter/inbox overwhelm incredibly informative feel less pressured already. Off to read multiple books at once now as have permission not to feel a weirdo 👊 Book am reading: Marcus Aurelius ‘Meditation’ borrowed from my library. Love the deadline it creates too. 👋
Happy to provide any and all methods to take away pressure! I have been meaning to read Meditations for years, one of these days I will get around to it. Let me know how you like it!
It all started here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg33anxyE-E Ryan happens to be Robert Greene’s ( Daily Laws) ex-intern. His YouTube videos gently guides you into stoicism and before you know it you’ve just got to read Epictetus Seneca Aurelius soooo good
As someone who is trying to read again I am impressed by the number of books who have read this year! I also love your philosophy of DNF. Thank you. I always feel like I need to finish a book but maybe I just need to let that go.
Yes, give DNF a try! Life is too short to read books as a chore! And you can always come back to a book :)
Always so fascinated by other people's reading routines Carolyn so thank you for the peek! I even wrote about it too (here, if anyone is interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/writingaroundtheedges/p/but-first-lets-read) and also I've just jumped ship from Goodreads to StoryGraph too! I need to find a bit of time to geek-out fully and explore there, but it already feels better ♡
Isn't Storygraph so much more calming?! Thanks for sharing your piece Luisa, wishing you a more fiction-filled year! I'd be happy to pass over some recs if you'd like :)
I would be thrilled with some recs. Needing much lightness and escapism at the moment. Anything with sunshine, set in the Mediterranean or coastal Europe always helps too. Two of my favourite all-time novels are Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Still Life by Sarah Winman. Just to give you some clues! ♡
You may enjoy The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (an artist extraordinaire and creator of the Moomins!) It’s a very sweet, meditative book of a woman and her granddaughter spending a summer together on a Finnish island.
Oh thank you, can you believe it's already on my TBR list, I'll bump it up to the top immediately!
I'm such a moody reader. I tend to read 3-5 books at a time, all different genres. I recently finished 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg, it's a writers' guide on creativity, productivity, and inspiration. I highly recommend it. 😊
I definitely follow my whims as well, switching out books mid-sentence! I am dying to read 1000 Words—have been waiting for a library copy :) Thanks for the rec!
I love your illustrated log of covers! ❤️ I downloaded Storygraph last year but didn’t really give it a try. Your post reminds me that I need to do that. Your rss reader strategy is great.
Thank so much Amy! I hope you like Storygraph, it's straightforward and gets the job done!
Really enjoyed your post! I’ve been reading nonstop since I was a kid too ;) and the library is my best friend.
Last book I loved was “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow, read it last month. After that a couple of DNFs (took me awhile to let go and it really is freeing!). When I have a string of DNFs, it puts me in a bad mood hahaha until I find a new one that grabs me.
The library is the best third place! And totally know what you mean about the string of DNFs, some months just be like that. But it's that much sweeter once we find the right book to devour!
Also, I didn’t know about Storygraph and I just love it! So much better than Goodreads.
Also, I LOVE the little drawings of book covers on this post. That seems like a fun way to keep track of the books you read.
Thank you for sharing this. I love reading books but have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Maybe I just haven't found anything that's really exciting yet.
The last good book I read was "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections" by Eva Jurezyk. (I have a thing for reading books about libraries and pianos.) It's a story of a woman trying to get ahead in life and the mystery of a missing rare book. It has clever writing and an endearing central character.
I read one book at a time generally, but I might try to couple a new book with a re-read.
I spend more time reading books than online articles.
Ooh sounds like a wonderful book! Have you read "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig?
Now that was inspiring! Thanks a lot for sharing. The last good book(s) experience was with re-reading all Austen again, but I am very behind with my reading lately - spending more time reading online and having trouble with deciding what to read next (hence all the re-readings). Need to borrow some of your tips! And yes, I do tend to read multiple books at once!
I admire your rereading! I am a novelty chaser and don’t seem to revisit books often, though it is such a pleasure. I reread one of my all-time faves A Tree Grows in Brooklyn last year and fell in love with it all over again.
Yes, exactly, you can find new meanings and ideas every time! I checked out the book, seems to be something I’d like to read, thanks for mentioning it!
LOVE THIS! I need to check out Storygraph. I’m also always reading like four books at once. And have been reading so much lately (maybe because I started working for Reading Rhythms which is an IRL reading party in NYC…you would love!) I just started reading The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza which literally flew off the shelf at a thrift store yesterday. It’s a bit diff than my usual choice of novel but it’s beautifully written so far.
Ooooh Reading Rhythms is such a cool concept, signing up for a future event immediately! Are you hosting events or doing other work? And I love a serendipitous thrift store find ❣️
Hosting and leading host recruitment for the team! It’s been amazing so far! I think you’d enjoy it :)
Love Substack just googled Reading Rhythms and wondering if there’s one in the U.K. 🧐
We are currently prioritizing building out our NYC community but definitely am planning on expanding nationally and internationally. Follow us on IG to stay updated :) One of the founders is from London - so the UK is def on our radar
Hello! I’m Jennifer. I’m new here, and run the book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People. Like you, I read multiple books at once. Currently on my nightstand: Come & Get It by Kiley Reid, Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin, Bauhaus: a graphic novel by Valentine Grande and Sergio Varbella and I’m listening to More by Molly Rodin Winter. Happy Reading!!
Hi Jennifer, how wonderful—will check out your podcast! And that is a great lineup, I am very curious to read Kiley Reid's latest as I loved her first book! And adding Bauhaus to my TBR as well.