3 Things Saving My Reading Life Right Now
I first heard of this concept on one of my favorite book podcasts What Should I Read Next with Anne Bogel. I believe it was one of their bonus episodes where she and a member of her team talked about little things that were saving their reading lives as well as their actual day to day lives. I LOVED the idea of slowing down and really appreciating the things that help to fulfill my reading life.
The first thing that's saving my reading life right now is giving myself grace. As silly as this sounds, it's a pretty new concept for me. I used to experience a reading hangover or rut and I'd beat myself up so bad over it which would only cause me to go deeper into the rut. For about 2 months now I've been finding it really hard to focus on a novel where I have to meet new characters in a new world and follow the plot. I'm attributing this rut to being busy with all the things summer brings me. Longer days spent outside in the garden or pool, more time spent with family and friends, lawn and house projects, etc. By introducing a little bit of grace and giving myself time to recover from the book hangover I'm experiencing, it actually helps me pick another book up faster than I would have if I badgered myself into it. As a mood reader this actually allows me space to find a title that really resonates with me in the moment and nine times outta ten it's gonna be a book I end up loving. So this is a win win strategy!
The second thing saving my reading life is non fiction books! Normally I read a few non fiction titles per year, but I've read three just in the last month of my reading slump! I've found that in this season of my life having a couple non fiction books in my rotation at once is allowing me to pick up a book when I have a little down time, read a couple pages or chapters, and then come back to it again when I have some more time. And to be clear all of the non fiction books I have going right now are very easy to just pick up and put down at my leisure. I'm not reading thick, door stopper books containing an entire discertation on the Ottoman Empire (if that's your thing, more power to you I just don't have the attention span for that right now.) One that I've been loving recently is 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships, and Success by Liz Moody. This was the PERFECT book for me right now. Split up into 100 bite sized sections, this book allowed me to reflect on different areas of my own life and gave me some helpful tips on how to optimize certain areas I've been struggling with. It's full of helpful tips, tricks, and hacks. If you're in a reading rut like me and are looking for something easy breezy this is definitely a good pick!
The third thing saving my reading life right now is author Mirabel Osler. I picked up her book A Gentle Plea for Chaos at my local library’s book sale and it has been such a joy to read. As someone who tends to bite off more than I can chew and who struggles with the self imposed notion of “if you can't do something perfectly 100% of the time, it's not worth doing at all,” Osler’s words are a balm for my perfectionist soul. It is a gardening book in which the author takes you throughout her property and shares musings on her own personal gardens. But as the title suggests she's asking us to let go of the idea of a perfectly kempt and tidy garden with hard lines and plenty of empty space between plants. She implores us gardeners to allow nature to do what it does best and take over. Let some herbs go to seed, let the weeds grow up, plant things in tight bunches, and see what Mother Earth creates. Reading it is like a meditation for me. This is another book I can pick up and set down again at my leisure, and I've found it makes the perfect night cap before bed. I'm already on the lookout for her other books as well!
These three things are saving my reading life, and allowing me to get the most of my reading in this season of life. I'd love to hear in the comments what's something saving your reading life?
