How to read (more)
Some more tips and tricks for reading more books, to 'read recklessly'
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Bloody ages ago I wrote an article titled ‘How to read more than 50 books a year’. I edited and re-published it on my newsletter in June last year. It’s good, though beware, it’s quite long, and has maths in it. Well, since writing that one I’ve learnt other tricks and ways to read more. In fact, I stumbled upon another article (linked at the end) which articulated the same things I’ve been thinking rather well. So, I’ve stolen a lot of inspiration from them and re-contextualised the useful bits here.
Books make the best souvenirs (and gifts)
About five years ago I was in Cuba for two weeks and we were driving from Havana to Viñales Valley. Along the way we stopped for a break from the noon day sun and there was an incredibly old woman with very few teeth, a large bookshelf, and a till. Most of what she had was in Spanish, but there were a few English books that were obviously for ignorant tourists like me. She barely looked at me as she took my tourist pesos but I never forgot her face.
I picked up a book about the life of Che Guevara and for the rest of the trip I flicked through and learnt about the Marxist revolutionary. Now that book sits on a shelf in my parents house in Wales and whenever I’m back I see it and I think about the trip.
Books have two layers of memory. You remember what was in the book, and you remember what was around the book. I’ve been reading a lot recently on the bus to work, and when I pick up the books I’ve read and finished on that bus I get weird memories of bus stops and speed bumps. If you get a book on a trip, and read it as you go, between those pages will be two stories, what’s written, and what’s around.
Similarly but not really, gifts. If you know someone’s taste in books and are confident they’ll actually read it, you should get them a book as a gift. Last Christmas for secret santa I gave books and was gifted a book. It was great. Recently I had a work meeting in Berlin, my boss bought each of his team a book about leadership. One he’d used and appreciated himself. People should do this more. Gift books so your friends can read more, and so they’ll think to gift you books, so you can read more.
Always be browsing (A.B.B)
Whenever I knowingly pass a bookshop, I go in. I wander around, I read some spines, and I see if anything calls to me. This helps me read more because it gives me more opportunities to get inspired and find something I like the look of.
Even if you don’t end up reading or even buying anything when you go in, it sets your mind to thinking about books. And book thinking is good thinking. So whenever you pass a bookshop, or a library, or you’re in someone’s house and they have a good looking shelf, be curious, A.B.B for what you might like.
When critical consensus and your personal proclivities align, act.
If you hear on the radio, or in an advert, or from the town crier that there’s a new book out there winning awards and being acclaimed critically, and it’s in a genre or about a person you’re interested in, get it. For goodness sake get it.
Yes you’re jumping on a bandwagon, and yes it’s not cool to be like everyone else, but who cares about that. If it’s winning awards and getting attention it’s probably good. And if it aligns with what you like then there’s a high chance you’ll enjoy it. If it makes you feel better you can pretend you discovered it yourself because you should A.B.B. If you get it, you’ll give it a go, and more than likely you’ll read it all. Good job.
Read short books
Short little books are a great way to mix up your reading routine that let you take risks you might not otherwise take. A few weeks ago I dipped into a small collection of short stories translated from Spanish called ‘The Dangers of Smoking in Bed’. It was well outside of my usual ‘zone’, they were horror, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was easy to pick up and get through because it was so small.
A friend of mine recently self-published a tiny photograph book of his favourite photos from the year. He’s something of a good amateur photographer so it was really quite good. Anyway, now it’s sitting in my book shelf reminding me that short books can be awesome. Also also, someone I’ve talked about in this newsletter before Austin Kleon was written some really awesome short books.
Trust a staff pick
You know what I mean here right? When you go into a bookshop and there are little notes around some books where someone who works there has written a quick review or recommendation? Yea, well the people who write those are book people. These are people who somewhere in their lives made the best decision anyone could make. They decided to work amongst books. This means they probably read a lot and more often than not, they read them for fun, not to be a critic. All that is to say, these people know what they’re talking about. If a bookshop worker says it’s good, it’s worth your time. You should read it. Go on, at least give it a try.
If you set a reading goal, cheat with abandon
In my other article that I referenced earlier I talk about setting a goal, heck it’s in the title to read 50 books a year. This is good, setting goals are good. It creates focus, it gives you something to aim for, and more importantly, something to plan for. But we’re talking about books here, stories, not your yearly work targets or some shit. If your goal is to read 50 books, cheat, count magazines or long articles, or research papers, or especially indulgent labels on beer bottles.
Cheat with abandon on your goals, but don’t cheat yourself. If you cheat in any of the ways I just mentioned for example make sure you talk about it somewhere and rub it in someone’s face, otherwise what’s the point of cheating?
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The aforementioned stolen inspiration:
