Reading Without Limits or Expectations

If I treated reading like a chore, it would start to feel like a chore.

I'm not being graded. If I start a book and I don't care about the subject or the characters after 50-100 pages or so, it goes in my Goodwill pile. The only decent exception to that for me is Stieg Larsson -- his "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books take their time getting started without being boring.

I have a marquee in the window of my apartment. At first it said “read more”. Then I realized that wasn’t adequate so I changed it to “read wider”. What you read matters more than how much, and the best way to tackle that is to read everything, particularly things outside the comfort zone.

This year I read 30 books. I'm very proud of that fact, HOWEVER.

I set a goal at the start of the year. And definitely at certain points I was optimising for that goal. And it took a lot out of me. I would have to do it rigidly, I would need to read X amount of pages.

I still enjoyed what I did. I still think it was ultimately a worthwhile goal. But this year my goal is to just "read." Not read N Amount. just to read for the pure enjoyment of reading.

Even worse than reading as a chore, is the compulsory self-expression required when studying these subjects in school. "What do you think about this theme in this book?" How about none of your business, Mr Teacher!

Last year I read about 3 or 4 books. This year I’m planning to read at least 12 books. I learn more from books than at my university.

The point about not setting a goal rings true for me. A few years ago I set a book-a-week goal and it definitely had a large influence on the books I chose to read.

I tend to read a lot of books simultaneously, but much I’m not convinced is the best approach (esp for fiction) but I’m undecided yet on if it’s a habit worth changing.

A lot of the stuff she is reading is quite light. Agatha Christie novels can be read within one sitting. She likes her crime fiction.

I was given a pile of Jon Ronson books over Christmas. I had already read one or two of them but I am working my way through the rest. He's fun to read.

It gives me a pleasure satisfactory that just comes from reading about how a person formulates their reading list.