Don’t run from your tastes.
Don’t get scared away from reading because you refuse to, at least occasionally, indulge in something you really like to read. If you embark on the journey toward wisdom and set out to read the 100 best novels ever written or the 100 greatest works of literature you may never have a sense of your own reading identity.
I, hereby, give you permission and even encourage you to read something that other people consider less than sophisticated if you will enjoy doing it.
Be careful about being the person that wants to have read something, instead of the person that wants to be reading something.
Be in the moment with your reading. Ambition is fine. Ambition is natural. Living in a state of constant anxiety, however, is unnatural.
You will never read everything. Stop worrying so much about what you haven’t read and focus on what you are reading.
Be present in your reading. You will find the experience more rewarding and relaxing. You will also find you get more joy and knowledge from the experience.
Book lists
Books lists are fun, in theory. Systematic reading a stack of suggestions based on their literary merit is fun, in theory. Use lists to discover interests.
In practice, though, the best way to read is where your mind and heart are at the time. That is where you want to be so your focus will consume less energy.
What’s your guilty reading pleasure or indulgence?
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Chris
I love reading almost everything, but my guilty pleasure is anything Janet Evanovich. I love to laugh with her characters and be a part of the mystery unfolding. Lately, I’ve been feeling guilty because I’ve gotten away from reading in anything but English, when I used to try to read anything I could get my hands on in Spanish and Catalan. Perhaps I will try to convince myself to read every third book not in English…hmmm…
Read.Learn.Write
I need to learn a foreign language. That’s a great excuse for reading anything.
I think my guilty pleasure might be self help or productivity type books in the vein of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Getting Things Done. I read far too many of these.
Sue
My guilty pleasures come and go. Last summer I read an entire vampire series (Bluebloods)for YA- it was fast & fun. Sometimes I need to read abook that I can finish in a day so I feel I’ve accomplished something.
Read.Learn.Write
There’s something to that accomplishment idea, I think. You can create a reading snowball effect by finishing something if you haven’t been consistently reading.
Chris
The BBC.co.uk has free courses in Spanish, Italian, German and French for beginners that look okay. Somewhere to start at, I think.
Read.Learn.Write
Great resource, thanks!
T. Lloyd Reilly
I find reading to be so vital to my existence that I never feel guilty about any reading. I am currently reading “Pirate Latitudes” by Michael Crichton. Great page devouring pirate story from a renowned author, and great scientist, although not many know of his background as a doctor.
Read.Learn.Write
It is very hard to argue with this approach. I think the last Crichton I read was Jurassic Park.