Has anyone else gone through a period where they havent been able or motivated to read for longer than 2 years? Aside from audiobooks I havent consistantly read a book since 2014, at least until now (January 2024).
Before school started back up I was trying to get myself back into reading daily by taking a break from fantasy and science fiction. I picked up books from my local thrift store related to my interest in the outdoors and I started reading “John Muir – Son of the Wilderness” by Linnie Marsh Wolfe.
Now, partly due to a class assignment, Im reading 3 books daily, nearly 7 to 10 pages each.
1. *Previously mentioned*
2. “The Man Who Walked Through Time” by Colin Fletcher
3. “Let My People Go Surfing” by Yvon Chouinard.
So what book or series of books got you back into reading after a drought? Was there a change from your usual genre of interest that sparked the revival?
by DantheOutdoorsman
3 Comments
I went on a long reading-for-pleasure drought when I started law school in my early twenties, that lasted for well over 5 years (my first few years of practice also being very tough). I didn’t stop reading altogether, but I did go from maybe 100 books per year to maybe 10, if that. As well, I was, for whatever reason, much more prone to reading non-fiction, possibly because my brain was already so primed for it.
What got me back into reading was, of all things, genre fiction! I had previously been the type of snob to swoon over Mishima and Saunders and Didion while only barely acknowledging the likes of Curtis Sittenfeld as a writer of merit, and mostly because Prep is one of my all-time favourite novels.
I can’t remember which book it was exactly, but at one point a friend recommended a frothy romance novel and I read it and absolutely loved the experience. I didn’t have to run through a long list of literary references inside my head, or pull out my dictionary every few chapters; I could enjoy a light-hearted romp with a *known* happy ending that didn’t challenge me in the least bit. It was exactly the type of story I needed as an escape from my stressful reality of being a corporate lawyer, and from there I picked up cosy mystery novels echoing my love for Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in my youth.
Now, in my mid career, I have a much better work-life balance and have begun reading “brainy” books again. However, I have a much more diverse bookshelf than I did my in teens and early twenties – not only the shiny Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer winners, but also the bright pink covers and the ones with remote English seascapes on them, in addition to many non-fiction bangers.
My kindle helped me so much. Being able to buy and have a complete book as soon as I look at it makes the transition from one book to another so much smoother for me. I can read the sample on amazon and immediately continue. I don’t loose interest by the time I get the book 3 – 7 days later and something else has popped up in my life.
It also helps me control impulse purchases, oddly enough, I don’t usually buy an ebook until I finish the last. I will also buy at most 2 at a time. So I don’t build up mountains of to be read piles that sit around for ages. It also gives me something to look foward to when I finish a book. Besides just getting to the end of the novel.
Also working in an environemnt with generous breaks has given me a lot more time read. Going through the work day looking forward to the next bit of reading makes it so much more pleasent. Although I understand not everyone has that luxury.
An eyeglass prescription. It was night and day.