What Kind Of Reader Are You?

Considering our reading habits and how to improve them

Welcome to A Narrative of their Own, where I discuss the work of 20th century women writers and their relevance to contemporary culture.

This is an extra post as part of the series on Writers and Writing.  I tend to make these second posts a bit more personal, on occasion, so in this edition, I’m looking at the reading life and how this can feed into our writing lives.  I hope you enjoy!

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I have been tracking my reading habits for a while now.  I was concerned that I haven’t been reading as much as I would like in recent months, and for someone who could easily read two books a week at points, and who studied for a BA in English Literature and later, an MA in English Studies…reading is something I take seriously.

I have spoken to another English scholar on Substack before who told me they, too, often struggled to hit the right note with their reading life following the completion of their studies.  I think perhaps there are multiple reasons for this, one being that I often find it more difficult to choose the books I know I will enjoy.

For example, during the summer, I would often race through what I would consider page-turner, bestseller type fiction.  However, following my studies, I found that I would often get bored with these types of books too easily, having read some meatier literature.  But then, when I really want some escapist reading, I generally don’t want to wade through a classic 19^th century tome, either.

Another issue for me I think is that I love to read for research, particularly for my newsletter here, and so the non-fiction books, articles, and novels that I seek out for that take up time and brain space (not to mention the other demands on my time of writing the newsletter, family time, domestic chores, and other paid work). 

Of course, there is also the elephant in the room: the distractions we all find ourselves engaging in instead of reading.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes, when I get downtime that I intend to use for reading, I often catch up with chats on my phone, get caught up in online reading, or (my worst habit) end up watching escapist YouTube videos…

Modern technology and our constant connectedness mean that we can make some brilliant connections (such as some of the great conversations on Substack!) and keep ourselves entertained constantly, should we so wish.  But when we (I) complain (constantly) that I-just-don’t-have-time-to-read-enough-anymore, what I am really saying is: I am not prioritising reading enough, despite professing that it is one of my pleasures in life.

When I began to write this piece, I did reflect on what I have been doing with my time since the beginning of the year.  I started keeping a list of the books read during this year, which isn’t something I’ve ever really done before, but I thought seeing it written down might encourage me to pick up more books, as well as reflect back and hopefully see that I have read more than I thought.

What I have also realised is that although I read less books than I did, say, a decade ago, I also read more content than I ever have, and I don’t include this on my reading list.  Some of this is probably ‘unnecessary’, but a lot of it (most I would say) are essays, articles, and newsletters on subjects that I am interested in.  Substack has been a revelation for this; not just as a place to share my own writing and make connections with readers and other writers, but also to find newsletters on niches that I find interesting.  You really can find a newsletter on anything! 

But that also has a downside in that I often turn to online reading as a quick fix source of entertainment or diversion from reading (or writing) something more challenging.  This then often results in me leaving comments (if it is on a Substack piece I enjoyed), getting involved in a lively conversation in the comments, re-stacking the post to Notes…and you can see where my time is going.

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In his books Digital Minimalism, as well as Deep Work, Professor Cal Newport discusses these types of concerns over our focus in an over-stimulated world.  He talks about this type of constant seeking for content as the human need for ‘novelty’.  I guess what he’s getting at here is that if we have a 70,000+ hardcover book to read and a 20-minute gap in which to get stuck into it, we often turn to the less challenging reading material of something that may surprise us. 

I have tried various methods over the past couple of years to try to claw back the focus I once took for granted with my book reading, and have had varied success with them all.  I thought I would share a few ideas, just in case you also suffer from this affliction!  Some of these apply to just being a reader for enjoyments sake, whilst others might apply if you are also a reader/writer.

Less but better

A piece I really enjoyed was this from Dr Kathleen Waller over at The Matterhorn which you can also listen to on her Podcast.  In it, she suggests the concept of reading ‘less but better’.  This caused me to stop and think: maybe by trying to force myself to ‘read more’, I had inadvertently stunted my progress.  Perhaps reading less but better would allow more breathing space; more time to enjoy my reading (whether for research or simple pleasure) and allow me to really connect with books again.

Challenges and lists

As I said earlier, I have kept a written list of the books I’ve read this year so far, although I’m not sure that it has necessarily driven me to read more.  Last year, I took my one and only ever reading challenge – I attempted to read 50 books in the year before I turned 50 years old!  This did encourage me (a bit) to read more, although I then felt a bit disappointed that I didn’t quite reach my goal, although this didn’t include all the multitudes of other research content I read online (including for my MA dissertation) which I feel it would be practically impossible to include.

Reading in the mornings

This is my latest attempt to get through more reading.  I never used to be a morning person until I had children.  They don’t allow for lie-ins, and even though they are far past the age of getting me out of bed, I am now attuned to waking up early in the morning.  Often, I will use this time to sip coffee and read on my phone.  I am trying, however, to pick up my current reading book in the morning instead.  On the days where I have managed to do this, I have felt refreshed and not wanted to stop reading.  I like to read before bed in the evenings as well, but am finding that I often get tired quickly once I settle in to read, so topping this up in the mornings has been helpful.

Take a book everywhere

This is something I try to do during the summer, when I’m often out and about a bit more.  Tucking a reading book into a bag means that you are never caught off guard when a reading moment occurs, such as a long wait for an appointment. 

Have a dedicated reading space

I have seen various comments online about this.  Having a chair or corner in which to focus on a current book (preferably somewhere with no digital distractions) or a research article I want to get to grips with (preferably printed out if an online source) can help to signify that this is my reading space.  I am working on this, but as my home is a fairly open-plan apartment, it might be tricky!  We do have a space between some bookshelves, which might suffice…

Managing my online reading

This is a tricky one.  I love the variety of reading I do, particularly the newsletters I subscribe to, which include a number on Substack and a couple from media outlets (I highly recommend signing up for specific newsletters in your favourite newspapers, so that you just get the content you are really interested in).  I haven’t really mastered a good way to manage this efficiently, but some ideas I had were:

·         To group newsletters together and set aside a time for reading them, for example, a Sunday afternoon.  That way, I also have time to respond thoughtfully to any I want to. 

·         Similarly, to set aside a specific time of day to read online content, for example, over lunch break, as well as trying to do this on the laptop rather than the phone, which often contains too many other distractions.

·         Limiting my subscriptions: I don’t like un-subscribing from anyone’s newsletters, but sometimes, I think you have to in order to really commit to the ones that resonate with you the most.  I always try to think that it doesn’t mean I won’t re-subscribe at a later date, when I have more time or something appeals to me again.

Reading seasons

I often feel that I read slightly differently, depending on the season.  I feel like I have more energy to commit to longer books in the summer, taking my time to really get into the stories. I would imagine this is also the case for those working in teaching and academia.  Whilst in the depths of winter – particularly in the run up to Christmas – I often find myself turning towards lighter fiction and returning to favourite books.  I also indulge in short stories more at this time.  I think that because there are lots of other things going on around this time of year, and the days are short and dark quite often where I live, I like to use my reading as a comfort blanket; one that is familiar and calming.  Winter would be an ideal time to carve out a reading space at home, I think!

Separate out research reading

This is a tricky one; I have just finished reading a book I borrowed from the library for research purposes for my own writing, but ended up racing through it whenever I got a moment, as it was so good!  Sometimes this happens; at other times, my research means I need to read a lot of content online (through Jstor and other academic outlets).  I also have access to the books and journals at my former University library, which is handily just down the road from where I live, but some of these cannot be borrowed and only accessed on-site. 

I think the best way to handle reading for research and writing is perhaps to, again, have a specific time and place in which to do it.  Dropping some hours at my paid role has meant that I now have two days in which to work on my own writing.  Giving some thought to how I spend some of that time in reading and research will be a worthwhile venture, I think, in the coming months.

I hope you enjoyed this meander through my recent thoughts on reading – as both a reader and reader/writer.  I would love to hear any thoughts you might have on the subject of reading and readerly habits.  Do you recognise yourself in any of these traits?  Have you mastered the perfect balance of reading and distraction?  Please drop a comment and share your thoughts and ideas!

I will be back on Sunday with another literary exploration.  If you have found yourself here and would like more literary content (and occasional reflections on the literary life), please consider a free or paid subscription to my community.