My Year of Reading Heavily Again
At 26 books and counting, I dove back into reading again in 2018
At some point this year (I don’t remember exactly when), I opened up a new note on my phone and starting recording all the books I had read. Now, just a few days into December, that list is 26 titles long and I’m hoping to add at least a couple more before the year ends. I haven’t kept a meticulous list like this ever before, but I can definitively say that this is far more books than I’ve read in any of the last few years.
I have enjoyed the increased time spent reading this year. Not only is the sheer act of reading enjoyable on its own, but I’ve found that spending half an hour with a book before bed is much more relaxing than a few more minutes in Rocket League or Red Dead Redemption II. The activity sets me at ease, and helps me think calmly and rationally. Perhaps most of all, though, reading more books this year reminds me of how much I enjoy good writing, and how immensely rewarding it is to finish a good book.
Looking back, I found some great titles in my quest for more books this year. I trawled through Reddit, Twitter, websites like The Verge, and others for recommendations, and even picked up a few interesting books based on passing interest alone at my library. Roughly a month ago, I wrote about Fredrick Backman’s Beartown, a novel that is still my favorite of this year. David Benioff’s City of Thieves is also another excellent read, as is The Broken Earth (and its two sequels) by N.K. Jemisin. In truth though, I enjoyed nearly every title I read. I don’t generally push to the finish line of a book I don’t like.
Even though I started reading more books that fall into the Science Fiction/Fantasy genres — and enjoyed these titles thoroughly — I struggle to decide if I have a favorite type of novel. I know that I generally enjoy fiction more than nonfiction (though Jason Schreier’s Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is another of my favorites), and that I’m drawn in by interesting writing, characters, or settings. Beyond that, I’m open to almost anything. I think, more than anything else, I realized again how many good books exist, and how many interesting ways of writing about characters and plots there are.
Compared to some, my list of 26 books over the course of nearly 12 months is laughably short. Compared to the number of books I read in high school and before, it’s also rather slim. I used to be an avid reader, and, while I never really lost that love for books, the usual commitments and distractions of adulthood took their toll to this habit. I hope to add a few more novels to my list, and to perhaps even surpass this number in 2019. I’m happy with this number, though. It may be only a personal achievement, but it’s important to me.
One observation that I made this year is that reading becomes much easier and more rewarding the more books that I have finished. I don’t know if this is a general rule or something that only applies to my own disposition, but I had much less trouble immersing myself in a story later in the year than when I was in the early stages of ramping up my book consumption in January or February. I‘m not really surprised — nearly any activity gets more enjoyable the more used to it someone is. I just didn’t expect my enjoyment of books to grow even stronger over time.
In closing, I don’t have any grand wisdom or moral to this post. I enjoyed reading more books this year, and I want to make some public note of that fact. I don’t know how many more titles I can reasonably add to my list, but I hope to get to 27 or 28, and then read even more in 2019. I’m always ready for recommendations, and I’d be happy to share more of my favorites if you’re curious.
