In praise of reading, part I
Still life with book and beverage

In praise of reading, part I


I missed the flip. The pause that comes with the page curve and turn. Bending a corner. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until Michael asked me a question: "What's the best book you read last year?"

Turned out I hadn't read any books that year. And the horror? I hadn't even really noticed.

Like a lot of folks, I grew up defining my life in part by books and authors. Judy Blume led to Narnia. Heinlein to Vonnegut to Garp. Be Here Now showed up somewhere along the line. Then one of my brothers introduced me to Richard Brautigan, and my love of Brautigan got me to run a lil poem-of-the-day mailing list for a few years. Wonderful times. Wonderful writers.

But sitting there with Michael, aghast!, I realized that over the last decade, I'd changed. I was still a book owner. Sometimes a book buyer. But rarely a book reader. 

So that was then. In the last 12 months, I've managed to find my way back to book world bit by bit. And this? This is a post for my fellow lapsers – folks who, like me, have let book reading sort of slip away.

Just a few days after that coffee shop chat, I picked up a small book I'd skipped over in college. From there I read a pair of wonderful graphic novels, several non-fictions, some poetry, and a modest stack of fabulous novels. Several modern classics. Some light reading too. I'm still not one of those 50+/year folks, but books have become part of most days, and every week.

Page by page, I’ve been surprised to re-learn just how good reading is for my brain, for my mood, for my life. (And yeah, I went all the way to "for my life" because reading also makes me excessively bold in my "third item in a list of three" choices. Who knew?)

For much of the goodness that reading brings, it seems to almost not matter what you read as long as you enjoy it. The very act of reading a book has value. 

For me, it's meant:

  • A little less time on my phone, on social media, watching TV. I enjoy all these things, but like almost everyone, I'm looking for balance.
  • Being a bit more present, more focused, even when I'm re-reading sentences when that focus slips. Book reading demands (genially) that you single-task.
  • Following a thread from day to day. And the flip side – the gift of closure. Boy I missed that sensation of putting a book down, done.

Above all, it's meant a return to seeking out a special, golden kind of solitude – a little more time spent in my head. Me, the author, and their world.

Looking back, I had somehow convinced myself reading was a virtue. That I was being good by reading, bad by not reading. That's not much of a motivator.

What I forgot was that book time can be the best kind of selfish act. A massage for the mind.

And with all that, here's my advice: If like me you've wound up on the wrong side the reading rainbow, don't sweat it. Even better than having a best book for 2019 is having a first book for 2020.

Next up: A few practical tips helped me get back into the reading habit I'll share those in the morrow.

Rob Russell

Content Analyst at LinkedIn

4y

Due to the convenience, I confess I've tacked too far in the direction of audiobooks.  I need to get back to the almost meditative feeling that comes with a real book.  Cheers to 2020

Julie Steele

Director of Product Design at Reveal HealthTech

4y

That first sentence really got me, too. Since becoming a parent a couple of years ago, I've switched to reading almost exclusively on my phone, in the dark at night or during naps, after the little one has fallen asleep on me. I read 10 books on my phone last year (so Goodreads tells me), and 2 on paper. Guess which ones I actually remember? That flip and pause and curl of the page are so visceral, and one of the many pleasures of reading. But I hadn't realized how much the cover art (which I see every time I reach for a physical book, but only once at the start of an electronic book) and the page layout—the typography, the line spacing, where the page numbers sit—are part of the personality of the book that actually helps me recall the story. For me, electronic reading is better than no reading, so I'll take what I can get in these early years of parenthood. But your post made me resolve to put the effort into doing more reading of real books this year. Thanks!

Helen Monroe

Head of Rights at O'Reilly Media

4y

not allowing my phone in the bedroom has done wonders for my book reading, and finding that 'golden kind of solitude'

Karen Liubinskas

Experienced B2B SaaS marketer

4y

Great post! I re-read The Hobbit these holidays and thoroughly enjoyed reading an actual book again versus something on my Kindle. I am also finding it a great way to connect with my son who's a heavy reader but not very communicative... books give us something in common to talk about.

Dan Brodnitz

Head of Global Content, LinkedIn Learning (he/him)

4y

Thanks all for the excellent comments! Getting back to books has been a huge thing for me this year. It's been a treat to share that and hear your thoughts. If you're curious about the "tips and tricks" follow up post, that's now live. And if you've got tips/tricks that have worked for you, please share 'em! Best.... -Dan  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/praise-reading-part-ii-dan-brodnitz/

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