Welcome, fellow book enthusiasts to the last prepping moments before the new season of literary explorations starts. It was René Descartes who said that
“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
which beautifully captures the essence and value of engaging with literature. It brings us many adventures that we would otherwise never experience in one lifetime. Time and space merge into a single point and we are able to choose the timeline we want to explore. Getting into the battle in ancient Greece, exploring a forbidden love in Victorian England or feeling the coldness of long Russian winter? There is adventure for everyone.
In this practical guide I'll share some tips on how to stay consistent and feel good during the reading year, and also how to achieve your reading goals. I think almost all of us set one at the beginning of the year so let's achieve it this time. Are you an avid reader or are you trying to reignite your passion? I'll also talk about creating a personalized reading calendar that can serve as your guide. Let's start.
1. Read only books you'll love or think you'll love. It's easy to fall into the trap of reading popular books, new releases and recommendations, but that is not worth it. Our time here is limited, why would you spend it on bad books? It's like spending time with people you don't enjoy being around. Organize your readings around your interests and only step away from it occasionally if someone you really trust recommends it.
2. Use Goodreads to browse books, read reviews and all other activities. Goodreads is an extensive online library of books - you can create shelves of books you've read or those you want to read and you can update the progress on the books you are currently reading. You can add friends, follow people and see what they are reading or follow their reviews. Goodreads can be valuable tool in helping you achieve your goal and it's fun to use.
3. Create a plan with a group of friends, start a book club or join online community. Hive book club can be another valuable asset. We cannot underestimate the value of community in keeping us engaged and staying disciplined. Although reading is a solitary activity, there's something beautiful about sharing your thoughts with other people after you finish reading or as you choose your next books. Often these discussions are just as fun as reading.
4. Have specific themes when creating a book reading calendar. Themes are a way to keep you focused while promoting variety. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by countless choices, themes make it easier to create the perfect list that works for you. Remember in school how we had the required reading literature - well it's similar this time, only you get to curate your list which makes it much more enjoyable. This can be the topic of the entire post but I'll keep it short. Themes can revolve around:
- Focused exploration of particular topics (for example you can have a world war month or a historical fiction month)
- Seasonal relevance (for example holiday themed books in December or mystery novels in autumn)
- Selection based on genre or the way the book makes you feel (for example a month dedicated to tragic love stories).
These three work interconnected. Choose themes that offer structure but leave room for flexibility. We are beings of change and somewhere down the line we might not enjoy what attracts us now.
5. Take notes. Save quotes. Write reviews. In order to get the most out of a book it's necessary to keep track of our favorite parts or those that made us question things and dwell on it for a bit. Every now and then it's good to stop reading and reflect on it. We are not reading it just for the sake of reading. To better understand it it helps to keep the notes and write a review afterwards (time for Hive book club). You can also read other reviews when you finish, Goodreads has thousands of those and the popular ones are also on YouTube.
I personally don't like making notes in my books (have a separate notebook for that), I keep them clean so the next person that gets to read my copy can have a blank slate. But most people are fine with underlining important parts and making annotations. Having a notebook just for quotes is a wonderful thing as well.
6. Related to my previous point, but focusing on the mindset - read for personal growth and enrichment. Yes, reading can be fun and enjoyable but ultimately it's the growth we experience that makes it all worth it. We achieve it by reading consciously, exploring the way characters develop, thinking of it philosophically and analytically. It sharpens our mind, broadens our vocabulary, it helps us relate to stories around us.
With all of this in mind you can create a reading calendar for yourself for 2024. I would suggest additionally that the majority of books come from your library if you already have one (but like already mentioned, only read the books you'll enjoy). The rest of the books you can find online, listen on audio, borrow from friends or buy the ones that particularly stand out. Create a core of 6 or 12 books that you'll read every month or every other month and the rest can come from the to-be-read shelf you curated.
My personal goal is to read at least 2 books a month and I've created a personalized calendar that I'll be flexible with.
As a street photographer as well, I thought I'll combine the books I read with the images I took that have the similar atmosphere. Creating a mood/vision board along with the notes and quotes from the books is great if you are the type that enjoys such work. Here's just a glimpse into the few themes of mine.
All images are my own. I hope you'll enjoy your reading journey, if you decide to embark on one, and that you'll discover new and amazing books. :)