Reading In The Time Of A Pandemic
What worked, what didn’t and my (over-optimistic) reading plans for 2021
2020 has been an above-average year for me in terms of reading. I set out to read 30 books this year and I have managed to read 26 books, with 4 more days left before we say good-bye (and good riddance!) to this eventful year. If one thing that 2020 has taught us, it is not to be too hard on ourselves. So, I decided to stop chasing the target, take a break and pen this article down.
I am one of those people who are privileged enough to afford to stay indoors during this raging pandemic that has resulted in the loss of lives and livelihood for so many of us. With the sobering realisation that the skills I have acquired over the last many years are nowhere remotely related to essential services (so much for Heat Transfer and Financial Risk Management!), I had the opportunity to stay indoors, work from home, cook my own food and pour over my books.
I would like to put on record that I did not make dalgona coffee or get married during this year.
I also got a chance to experiment with a few things around my reading habits and the kind of books I read — some of these changes were good (and I hope to continue doing it) while some bombed big time. I plan to talk about these in this article (which absolutely no one asked for).
A case of the December Optimism and a quest to know it all
In December 2019, unaware of what was in store for the world in 2020, I was making a list of 20 books to read in 2020. Like any other human in December, I also experienced an extreme sense of optimism — the kind that makes one think it is completely realistic to read books, learn chess, play a racquet sport, learn a new language, learn cooking and lose a lot of weight in one year.
These 20 must-reads encompassed themes like History, Politics, Business and Economics (I blame the December me!) and were part of my Goodreads Reading Challenge of reading 30 books in 2020. The logic was to leave some room for impulsive reads. Where I went wrong was in the gross under-estimation of how impulsive I am as a reader and how bad my ability to persevere with tough reads was.
I ended up reading just 2 out of the 20 books (I made more progress with my cooking than this!). But, the silver lining was that I still ended up reading some really refreshing, thought-provoking books and had my learnings of how to make a realistic reading list for the coming year (fingers crossed!)
Some of these learnings are:
- Over-structuring a hobby sucks the fun out of the activity: Don’t set targets that are too steep and always have enough room for exploring impulsive reads.
- Never quit a book if you plan to come back to it later: People say that it’s okay to quit a book, rather than spending hours on something which you don't seem to like. But at the same time, never quit one if you want to read the book but not right now. “I can always come back to the book later after a quick fun read” doesn't work! Persevere through the book. It should save you a lot of time.
- Focus on a few themes: Rein in your optimism and focus on a couple of topics that you want to read. (Trying to cover books from too many topics didn’t work for me. Maybe, I will revisit this in 2022!)
Listening to audiobooks isn't too bad
I have been a proponent of audiobooks since 2019 when I listened to my first audiobook on Audible. This year has only reinforced my faith in this format. I made it a point to listen to audiobooks during my daily morning walks.
Honestly, it is a win-win situation here.
You are able to fit in more books during times that are otherwise not suitable for reading. And, you are able to walk more, as audiobooks help you to keep your mind away from the physical fatigue.
I loved listening to Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha (It is available for free at LibriVox).
Getting introduced to the weirdly refreshing world of Japanese Lit
Japanese literature was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise processed, conditioned Western Literature-laden air of my library. I read 4 Japanese novels and 2 non-fiction books this year.
The only Japanese author I have read before 2020 was Haruki Murakami (like most other Non-Japanese readers). While Murakami paints an other-worldly picture with his magical realism, I got introduced to the works of another Japanese author who manages to keep his books realistic while weaving some of the most intricate murder mysteries — Keigo Higashino.
His novel The Devotion of Suspect X is easily the best thriller I have ever read. I doubt if I will read another book that is as good as this one. The reader gets to know the killer in the first few pages, but by pitting a genius detective against an equally genius math professor (who seems to go to any extent to cover up the crime) the author has created a mind-blowing plot that will make you pull off an all-nighter to finish the book.
Another great Japanese author I stumbled upon this year was Sayaka Murata. Her novel Convenience Store Woman is about a middle-aged woman who works in a convenience store as a part-time employee. She is a misfit, who fails to understand why certain behaviours are considered normal by society while others are not. The novel beautifully portrays how society enforces this definition on anyone who fails to live by its rules.
The author explores the same theme of “normalcy” and societal expectations in her deeply disturbing second novel The Earthlings. Saying anything more about this bizarre novel will diminish the experience of reading it.
Chasing mindfulness
This year I also read a few books on the importance of mindfulness in achieving contentment and happiness in life. One of the books (audiobook, to be accurate) is The Art of Mindful Living by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. The audiobook is a recording of a mindfulness retreat he had conducted on how to live in the present and appreciate life. It was a much needed listen in 2020.
Shooting for quality over quantity in 2021
With our working lives expected to stay more or less fixed (which is the best-case scenario) at around 10 hours a day, it is becoming increasingly clear that our personal lives have to make space for the ever-increasing responsibilities coming our way. What this also means is that we might not have as much time as we had in the past to indulge in our hobbies.
This is one reason why I plan to focus on quality over quantity, going forward. Learning from my mistakes this year, I have tried to limit by reading list for 2021 to two major themes — Finance and Business. I have also brought it down to 10 books, making enough room for my impulsive reads.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Range by David Epstein
- Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
- Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles Munger
- How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg
- Narrative and Numbers by Aswath Damodaran
- How I Almost Blew It by Sidharth Rao
I hope that 2021 is the year I finish my reading challenge!
That’s all, folks! Let me know if you have read any of these books. I’m always game for bookish talks.
I’m looking forward to a better year, not just in reading but everything. And, I wish you all a very Happy New Year! :)
