Reading the Long Weekend: a Three Day Attempt to Read As Many Books As Possible

I'm about four books behind on my Goodreads goal already, though it's definitely not for lack of trying: I've started and stopped in five (!!) different books for the last month or so. They've all varied pretty significantly - Nonfiction, Mystery, Romance - so getting burnt out on one genre is not the cause, and in spinning my wheels, I'm exhausting two of my most-reliable slump-busting tricks (reread a past favorite, and pick from your reliable favorite topics). 

I have no idea what's causing this slump, nor how to fix it. Clearly, some kind of change has to be made.

It's not the first time I've been faced with such a challenge; if anything, I'm kind of an expert. In the past year, I published two of my favorite-ever posts on the subject, with a distinctly D&D lens, in the "Lawful Good" and "Chaotic Neutral" guides to reading more. 

I'm also pretty darn well-versed in regular practices to ward off slumps, by way of staging Speed-Dating rounds with my TBR shelves - which, you might remember, number into the hundreds of titles - which has been documented on my blog before, as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like not knowing what to read next is my problem... instead, it's just simply sitting down and dedicating myself to the task. 

So you might not be surprised to see me taking my own advice from 2019, and staging a bit of a read-in for one this weekend.

Why Now?

It's President's Day Weekend! The three day break from normal life is a great reason to disconnect a bit from social media, take a perspective shift from my regular day-to-day focus, and dedicate myself to getting back to the renewing hobbies that matter to me. 

There's more of a general lack of people in the house. I live at home with two parents and a younger sibling, almost all of whom are actually - somewhat miraculously - absent for bits and chunks of time this weekend, for reasons as different as wanting to catch up with work, or having musical rehearsal. I'm not begrudging any of it at all; in fact, I'm looking forward to using the silence for my best advantage.

There's also a lack of distracting events or activities taking up my time and attention. Last weekend was an absolute jam-packed social schedule, as my younger sibling was celebrating a birthday that happens to coincide with Valentine's Day, and next weekend is going to be even worse, because I actually have to spend extended periods of time away from my house. As soon as I had drawn up my schedule for February, though, I immediately penciled this weekend in for myself, and I want to make sure I'm making use of that limited down time. 

How I've Been Preparing:

Cleaning up my home spaces so that I feel like I have an easy reason to exist without getting distracted by clutter or "things I should really be doing instead." Do I still have a few things on my to-do list, to tackle before the end of the weekend? Absolutely. But now I know that my affairs are in order to complete them easily, without disrupting my flow too much. 

Picking out a stack of books that vary in size and intensity, and even format (hello, trusty Kindle!). I'm meshing these with some of the books I've been trying to read already, so with any luck, I can finish off a few of those while I'm here, too. 

Making sure the family knows. Yes, it's hardly the first time I've done a self-imposed "Readathon" weekend, so they know the drill, but then again, the last four times I've attempted to use a meditation app in this house, I've been interrupted by either someone calling my phone or kicking down my door. 

The Books I'm Reaching For:

A couple of library audiobooks. I'm still not a huge fan of audio-specific "reading" - not like my podcast-obsessed younger sibling, nor my brother, who manages to make his way through audiobooks at a truly blistering pace - but I'm getting used to it, and saw some success with listening during my last-ditch December run on my 2021 Goodreads Challenge. So, I picked out a few new reads, limited to nonfiction (particularly Food and Memoir), and low-intensity Romance. 

Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett

Working on a Song: the Lyrics of Hadestown, Anais Mitchell

Network Effect (the Murderbot Diaries #5), Martha Wells 

I'm also trying to wrap up a couple of recent reads that I haven't necessarily DNF'd yet, but have stalled out somewhere in the middle over. An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler, is actually one of my favorite foodie reads, but one I don't feel like I can speedread, and A Murder is Announced, a classic Agatha Christie, hasn't been one of my favorites of one of my favorite authors, but I don't feel like giving up on it just yet (but if there's at least one more bizarrely stereotyped depiction of German people, I'm going to lose my mind). 

Alright, team, how many books do you think I'm going to get through? (Here's a hint: it's at LEAST one, because I managed to make my way through an audiobook just this afternoon!) Let me know, in the comments below!

Chaotic Neutral Book Hacks: The Rule-Breaker's Guide to Blasting Through Your 2021 Reading Goals

If you've read my post on a similar subject last week, you know that in the past year, I've been seriously missing playing DnD with my friends. You'll also know that I've been highly conscious of my lack of ability to finish multiple books a week, another favorite hobby of mine that has suffered in the past year, as my sense of motivation and focus took a debilitating nosedive in the face of a pandemic. 

So, I decided to look up some favorite reading hacks from people across the web, detailing how they manage to make reading such a primary practice in their daily lives. Then, I decided to sort through each of those sources, and sort the practices I liked the sound of into various groups: those that abide by scheduling, intention, and organized progression (aka, the "Lawful Good" way to read), and then... the ones collected in this post. 

The "Chaotic Neutral" pile of quick-and-dirty, spontaneous, minimal-fretting and maximum-effect means of getting your Goodreads to its highest-ever score. 

Don't get me wrong: the "Lawful Good" set of advice, I think, was not only more my speed, but was much more in keeping with the sort of advice you're used to regularly getting from members of the Bookish Community. "Schedule reading into your day," "remove distractions," "set time-based goals," blah blah blah. It really is very helpful, but it's also stuff we've all heard before (and most likely ignored before, too). 

The "Chaotic Neutral" advice, on the other hand... I don't know if I've ever thought about some of these tactics, but I'm absolutely willing to give a few of them a shot.

So, which camp do you think better suits your own alignment? I think that, in a couple of different ways, both sides have quite a bit to learn from each other. At the end of the day, we're all just trying to do our best, and sometimes, our best looks a little different to each person. So, give yourself some grace, let loose a little bit... and give some of these crazy reading hacks a try! 

attack of opportunity:
make the most of what you've got

Only reread books, instead of reaching for new titles. There are multiple benefits to this: you don't have to buy, find, or loot (just kidding) any new material, you can pick it up and put it down easily without getting lost, and chances are, you already really like it. Rereading, to me, is a regular part of my reading practice, and every once in a while, I like to pick up books that are sources of comfort in my life. Once you get into the practice of only pursuing those that are chosen winners for you, you might feel more driven to branch out into different, new material. 

Read "disposable" books. Cheap, mass market paperbacks, backlisted titles no one's reviewing on Goodreads, skinny little paper things that you dug out of the $1 rack of a secondhand bookstore. Giving yourself access to titles with as little hype or preconceived notions as possible frees you up from any kind of social pressure to either read or enjoy it, and you don't have to feel bad if you end up getting rid of it when you're done. Honestly, it just feels better to tear through something weird you paid $2 for, then slog your way to the final pages of a $25 hardcover, and that's what's going to help you get back into regular practice. They don't all have to be winners, you know. 

Read dramatically under or over your own reading level. You may be in your mid-twenties, but there's never a wrong time to give Percy Jackson a try. Same with being a high schooler who's just really feeling driven to pick up some Shakespeare you've never attempted before. In one direction, you're taking a step back to reinvest yourself in fun, fast-paced, easily-accessible literature; in the other, you're taking a shot at the stars. While it may be easier to tackle one than the other, that sense of variety and accomplishment will help propel you forward. 

Only read two pages a day. Seriously, I'm not joking. Simply make the commitment to yourself to only read two pages a day. Sure, you can go ahead and read more than that, too, if you'd like... just make sure that no matter how busy your schedule is, you just make the time for those two pages. Steadily, over time, you will build back up to reading more. It's just getting into the daily practice that's important. 

Only read on certain days of the week, like weekends. Don't have any time for reading, due to work, school, and other kinds of time commitments during the work week? No problem. Only read on weekends. When you remove the expectation, you can focus more on what needs to get done during the week, but you also free yourself up to focus squarely on reading during the weekend. That way, you do away with all that guilt and self-flagellation, and the act of picking up a book rests squarely in the relaxing, indulgent frame of mind. When you aren't so busy, and can take more time for yourself during the week, reading on a weekday will then feel more like a joy than a chore. 

multiclass weaponry:
mix your media 

Get a little bardic inspiration: plug in a pair of headphones that cancel out noise, and keep your brain focused while reading with some accompanying music or white noise that you enjoy. Try out one in millions of reading-associated playlists on Spotify, or take a gander at some of those "coffee shop ambience" sound-mixed videos on YouTube, and see if they help! My brother occasionally goes even one step beyond, and listens to an audiobook at 2x speed while he reads along with a physical copy. I do the same when I read Shakespeare, too! 

Make your technology work for you, like utilizing the Audible / Overdrive app on your phone, or keeping your Kindle app available on multiple devices. If you're someone who's totally addicted to social media - it's okay, there's no shame in it - then try dedicating that attention to the Kindle app, instead, by swapping their locations on your phone. The "eReaders aren't real books" debate is a tired, old thing, and it's more than okay to read books on a digital device... which applies to your actual phone, as well. (Fun fact: my younger sister used to bookmark fanfiction to tabs on her phone browser before we'd head into the Parks on trips to Disneyland, so that she could read them while we were waiting in line... it's easy, convenient, and chances are, you'd be looking at your screen anyways!)

Watch the movie first. It makes way too much sense: read books that were adapted into movies or television you enjoy! Fans of Bridgerton should pick up the romance novels, and those who love PBS mysteries should grab an Agatha Christie or two. You'll have a general idea of what's coming, and it will help pull you further into the story as you anticipate the parts you recognize. My sister saw Gone Girl before she read the book, and guess what? She still loved it! Even the classics - like Pride and Prejudice - have plenty of solid adaptations made of them, and watching the drama play out on screen first might find you speeding through, so you can get to your favorite parts. (This method also helps steer you away from reading stories that you didn't like, which frees up your reading time for more worthy material, too!) 

Similarly, take a look at the Sparknotes summary of a classic before attempting it. Specifically, look at major themes and motifs, and read through some of the main characters and settings, as well as get a quick author bio about the kind of person who wrote it, and the time period in which it was written. It can help orient you to the novel, and tell you what you need to be paying attention to while you read. 

roll for insight:
optimizing your habits

Don't be afraid to skim! This might sound blasphemous - as I'm sure the reason we're all trying to read more books is to actually read them - but in actuality, not every word you read is going to be totally necessary to your sense of understanding. Don't be afraid to gloss over parts that you don't really feel like reading... if a Self Help book offers ridiculously circuitous advice, or a Romance has parts that aren't keeping your attention, feel free to do the bare minimum of intake until you get back to a section that holds your attention. There's nothing wrong with speed-reading! 

Furthermore, DNF ruthlessly. DNF like crazy. Pull absolutely no punches about what you're reading! Read one or two chapters, and put it down if you're not feeling it... and that goes for any point in time in a read, too, so don't worry about page count sunk costs, either. If you don't like it, you're not going to want to read it, and if you don't want to read it, you're going to find it a lot harder to read much of anything. Give yourself a break, and move on, fast! 

Get interactive about what you're reading, by annotating and highlighting the text itself, marking pages that speak to you in pen, or even dog-earing important passages. Each of these practices is, for some reason, almost unspeakable in the bookish community, but honestly, I endorse it fully. (Notable exception: if you do this with a physical library copy, you are one of the worst kinds of human being, right up there with people who fail to use turn signals. Do not mark up library copies!) For instance, as I'm reading through my Big Box of Paranormal Romance, I dog-ear the hell out of the books I'm reading, to flag important conversations and plot points, as well as highlight things I find particularly entertaining or ridiculous. Engage with the content, by whatever means that works for you, and that includes marking things up. This isn't Boy Scouts; leave a damn trace! 

Set a reward. Come up with some kind of external prize for your good habits. While there are plenty that say the act of reading is prize enough, I say sometimes things are more fun when you involve stickers. Mark your progress with things you enjoy, like having a favorite snack available while reading, giving yourself a short break from work, sitting in a patch of sun with your comfy chair, etc. I have a friend from college who spends about thirty minutes unwinding from virtual working-from-home every day, by parceling out a half an hour or so before making dinner, and simply sitting with a fun custom cocktail and whatever book she's reading. While we don't all have that kind of regular bevvie money, we do have the chance to give ourselves more of a pat on the back for pursuing good habits. 

area of effect:
managing your surroundings

Make an absolute mess. Leave books all over your house, in your car, in your bag, in front of your closet door so you have to move them in the morning before you get dressed. By using the power of suggestion and surrounding yourself with reading material, you're far more likely to pick it up... and maybe even someone else in your house might, too! Nothing more compelling than the looming terror of tripping over a novel and braining yourself on the edge of your desk to compel you to clean-by-reading. 

Read during mealtimes, or when you're busy doing other tasks. Whether this looks like waking up your brain at breakfast, keeping yourself company at lunch, or making reading a treat that comes with dessert, you can find plenty of pockets for reading time during the regular progression of the day, by tying it to meals. This goes for other times of day, too: double up and listen to an audiobook while you're busy doing physical activities, like cooking, doing dishes, or making your bed. My younger sister makes her way through long reads by blasting audiobooks through her apartment while she's cleaning up on the weekends, or during hard workouts. My brother likes to listen while he's walking on his college campus to the cafeteria, and continues while he's eating, which makes for a nice mid-day break, too. 

Read during the commercials while you're watching TV. Don't think of reading as some elaborate thing: you don't need perfect conditions, you don't need your favorite comfy chair and your ideal snack, you don't even need to be reading a perfect or especially life-changing book. All you need is to have something to read nearby... fifteen minutes in a parking lot, twenty minutes in between classes, a few minutes here and there really add up over time. Those little attempts at reading can even make those long marathon sessions feel all the more precious and special, and plus, all of this keeps you off of scrolling your phone!

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you sit down at your desk, ready to tackle a big project, but you just can't bring yourself to type anything into that glaring, white, blank document box. So, you spend an hour scrolling on your phone instead. Next time this happens, pick up a book! If you're not actually working, might as well be doing something productive. Read when you're supposed to be doing something else. Make procrastination work for you! 

adventurer's guild:
never go it alone

Get competitive. Measure up your reading challenge numbers against someone else, or start a buddy read and see who can finish their title first. By finding someone to read with, you've automatically tied yourself to a like-minded individual, who makes the same priorities, who can help give advice and reassurance when you're having a hard time, and compel you to continue making the effort. If you really want to get intense about it, make a bet, write dares for the loser to complete, or even put money down, to see who can really make it work.

Put it all out there online. Get social about your reading accountability by making an Instagram or Goodreads account, and invite all of your friends to follow the page. On one hand, you now have a group of people you can chat with about your reading habits; on the other, there's also the element of social pressure to post regularly and read compelling material. I've been blogging for almost eleven years, and still feel the expectation to perform, and post content that doesn't suck every once in a while. Make peer pressure your ally! 

Go read in a public place somewhere, and don't leave until you've finished two more chapters. Be safe about it - duh, Covid - but make sure its a suitably populated environment, like a picking out a bench along a busy sidewalk, or packing a camping chair to lounge in at the park. Better yet, bring someone along with you for the journey. It's like when you did homework in the library back in college, and felt like you couldn't have Facebook open on your laptop, or everyone around you would think you were a slacker. The pressure to read will keep your eyes on your book, and the presence of other people might just keep you focused. (And even if you get bored and distracted, huzzah! You left the house today!) Remember to pack a hat, some sunglasses, and a comfy snack... or, true to the chaotic mindset, just leave the house with whatever you've got on your person right now. Or for the more socially-anxious among us, like me, think about it like a self-kidnapping: set a timer for half an hour, and read with the expectation that you're not allowed to go home until the time's up. 

Whether you're a tank fighter looking to muscle your way through to your best version of your reading self, or a healer just trying to find a little more time to relax with your favorite hobby, I hope you find a few ways to make 2021 a magically bookish year to remember. 

And I also hope I get to play with my buddies again soon, because let's be real, there are only so many Dungeons and Dragons podcasts out there to listen to. Makes me want to find some other way to spend my free time... I just don't know what... 

Are you a Lawful Good reader, or a Chaotic Neutral one? What was your favorite piece of advice from these posts... and which one are you thinking of trying out for yourself? Let me know, in the comments below!

Lawful Good Reading Hacks: The Rule-Follower's Way to Upping Your Goodreads Game in 2021

Over a year's worth of quarantine has meant many things: changes to daily routines and means of living, losing out on major life changes and opportunities, and having your regular social interaction facilitated by way of a litany of various screens and browser windows. And, of course, no Dungeons and Dragons meetings with some of my best friends. 

So you'll forgive me, of course, for wanting to go with a bit of a theme? 

I've talked about it on and off for the past year, but while Covid may have unceremoniously dumped a surplus of free reading time in our laps, it did not exactly yield the kind of mental state that led to wanting to make best use of it... at least, not for me. I lost out on my Goodreads Challenge for the first time ever last year, and even into 2021, it's been a bit of a struggle. 

But with the oncoming Spring, I've found myself considering making a bit of a lifestyle change: what if I gave it a real shot, a good one, to reinvest in myself and my readerly lifestyle? What if I made a plan and a deliberate choice, to plot out my TBR and schedule my reading time, thereby doing something that is beneficial for both myself and the people around me? 

Sounds like the sort of thinking a Lawful Good person might employ. 

So I struck out on a research assignment of my own making, scouring blogs - including my own - and YouTube channels galore, seeking out some kind of hint or hack that might make it easier to bring my own reading hobby back up to personal par. I wrote down what I felt was some of the best advice, organized it based on what I felt was a sensible direction, and drafted out a blogpost... but found frequent recommendations that might not align themselves exactly with my own favorite D&D alignment. 

Some of them, actually, came out a little bit more... chaotic. 

With that understanding in mind, I drafted out a second blogpost, too: whereas this one is more for the structured, plotting, rule-following among us, I've got another just up the pipe that gets a little more loosey-goosey with our favorite habits. Not that you won't find some kind of advice that appeals to both sides of yourself within these tidbits of advice... work with what makes sense to you! 

But at the very least, if you're like me - someone who's had a real devil of a time in trying to make sense of yourself and the world around you in the past year - I hope you give this post a read. We could all use a little help, after all. Maybe this way, you'll find a tip or trick that can help load the dice in your favor... or at least give you advantage on your next roll. 

favored terrain: 

it's all about environment

Get rid of time wasters with app blockers, screen time monitors, and more. Log out of accounts that are easily accessible to you, and the extra effort it takes to log back in might serve as enough of a mental check to keep you focused on your path, instead. 

Remove distractions from your reading environment. Find a quiet space, or use headphones or earplugs. Grab a blanket or some fuzzy socks if there's a chill. Bring your water bottle with you. 

Do you have what you need? Consider large-print books, or adjusting the view on your eReader device, which usually also come with a dyslexia font function. Make sure you're not straining your eyes by reading somewhere that's not getting enough adequate light. 

Take yourself out on a reading date. I sometimes get annoyed with the amount of pictures on my bookstagram that show someone chilling in a cafe, with a pretty beverage, with a book and journal out in front of them on the table... but honestly, that's the perfect way to make sure you get reading done, if that's what it calls for. You get a nice afternoon to yourself and a nice book, get to enjoy a hot beverage and the fun environment of a coffee shop, and even can make for a moody picture to post to the 'Gram about it later (but only after you're finished!). Other options include an outdoor picnic during the Spring and Summer, chilling out on your patio or balcony, or even in your car, on the road! Just make it something new and different than what you normally get to experience. 

bag of holding: 

what've you got?

Make best use of bookish systems that work for you, be it a Goodreads account, keeping an Excel tracker or a book journal. Book journals are an especially good choice, because they can help you keep track of what you've been reading in a physical, hands-on way... they also serve as a great place to keep your goals and habit trackers in regards to reading, as well as jot down a few notes about books as/ after you read them, so you can remember them better later on!

Get some cute bookmarks, and use them. They're pretty to look at, and you'll want to show them off! 

Make sure you always have something new and exciting on hand. Whether this means you stalk local book sales, check out other retailers, like Book Outlet or Thrift Books, or get good with your library's eBook and hold systems, it's easy to generate lots of new material, for a much less daunting price than buying new, especially hardcovers. By prioritizing easy access to new material, you know that you'll always have compelling reads close on hand. And by keeping track of things like sales, going thrifting, and especially making best use of your library, your new favorite hobby ends up being pretty darn cheap! 

Keep a book always attached to your phone. Consider them a bound-together kind of pair... that way, you'll always make sure you have both in your purse, sitting next to you on your desk, etc. 

Use page flags to mark your aspirations for how far you want to read in a day. Want to make sure you make it to at least 50 pages? Slip a post-it note or second book mark as to where that segment ends. Work your way towards it at your own pace, but make sure to keep going until you hit it! 

roll for initiative: 

it all takes practice

Read "at your level." Are you so desperate to claim or reclaim your title as "book-reading smart person" that you're reaching for The Brothers Karamozov before you'd even really cemented yourself back in the habit? Try taking things a little slower. Meet yourself where your skills are first, and build up from there. 

Change up the genre direction. Nonfiction, memoirs and informational reading. Literary fiction, romance, fantasy, mysteries. YA, NA, middle grade. Short stories or novellas instead of novels. Even try your hand at a comic book, or a manga! 

Set time- or activity-based goals while you're reading. For instance, "If I read for twenty minutes, I can take a social media break for five." "If I read for half an hour while the cookies are in the oven, I can have one fresh instead of putting it into Tupperware." Or you can think about time blocking your reading in a similar fashion: one episode of your tv show could instead be another 75 pages in your recent read, or one social media binge could amount to another chapter. Set expectations as to how you want to invest your time, and use it for either goal-setting or as a reward. 

Go for a reading sprint, where you dedicate a certain amount of uninterrupted time to reading, seriously, as much as you can. Even some twenty minutes of singularly-focused, dedicated reading a day, can lead to you finishing a book in a week or two that you might otherwise not have read! 

Get multi-media. Read a book your favorite movie or television show was based off of, look up inspired playlists on Spotify, try a recipe mentioned in your most recent read, or listen to a podcast discussing a book you've been dying to get to. By connecting the things you're reading to other favorite parts of your life, it inspires you to continue on. 

Find a niche subject you're especially interested in, and pick up a whole bunch of books on that subject. I have somewhat irrational fixations on both Culinary School and Urban Gardening, and have entire stacks organized around such subjects tucked into various corners of my room, not to mention that giant box of Paranormal Romance novels hidden behind my reading chair. Find what compels you! 

Join in on a Reading Challenge: one of my favorite things, every summer, is when the Seattle Public Library puts out their Book Bingo Reading Challenge. It guarantees that I'll pick up something unexpected over the summer, and I absolutely love the sense of validation that comes from checking off squares! 

party of adventurers: 

find your team

Join a book club! It's fun, and there's accountability in groups. It's easy and convenient to meet virtually, but it's also fun to meet in person. Go to an author event together, or a book festival, etc. and you'll find more ways to connect with like-minded, book-loving people. 

Which is important, because you should really try and surround yourself with other people who love books. If there aren't people in your real-life you can talk about reading with regularly - for instance, my younger brother and I have regular Zoom calls about Romance, while I chat with my friend Keller about Science Fiction - I would also recommend considering something like making a bookish Instagram account, where you can connect with book people around the world. There are a ton of different Facebook group pages where people meet up and talk about favorite authors and genres, too! 

Have a "Reading Party." I have only the best of memories about various Read-Ins we'd have in elementary or middle school, where we'd have entire hour blocks - or in one memorable instance, a whole afternoon! - dedicated to reading. We were allowed to bring in pillows and blankets, took snack breaks, had music playing softly in the background, and we could read wherever we wanted, including along the walls, underneath other desks, next to our friends, etc. Preserve that magic with your loved ones, by having a reading party all your own... grab a buddy or two, find somewhere quiet, and pull out something cool to read. Don't have any reading-minded friends? Ask if you can stay in a room with someone who is playing video games or cooking, doing a craft, etc. and make use of the time and proximity to read while they're busy. 

long rest to regain HP: 

take a break

"Go to bed" - or at least your bedroom - early. This forces you to either do a little reading in bed to wind your way down after a busy day, or it makes you sleepy and you wake up earlier, which gives you more time to read in the morning before you get your day started! 

Don't read in your actual bed, though. Make sure you're relaxed and comfy, sure, but try not to read in the place where you spend a lot of your day sleeping, too: on one hand, it may knock you out, and on the other, it may make it more difficult for you to sleep later.

In the words of my HR-focused, mission-minded sister, "try and take it back to the why." Give yourself a chance to really consider why you are so focused on reading more. Is it for the right reasons? Are you doing it because of positive pressure, or negative? Once you do some reflection on why it is important to you to make reading a priority, consider making those reasons into some form of external record: hang a poster next to your bookshelf, or write it on a bookmark to take with you. There are plenty of good reasons, but you need to find one that is most personal to you. Commit to making reading a priority. 

Think about how you feel when you read. What does reading, as a practice, feel like for you? Do you feel drained, frustrated, distracted? Do you feel renewed, introspective, rested? Where do you feel the effects of reading in your body... are you more relaxed, or do you feel cramped and claustrophobic? Were you constantly getting interrupted, did you feel like you couldn't relax, were you unable to focus for a long period of time? Listen to how you react to reading... if the overall experience is negative, then something needs to be changed, be it the location where you're reading, or the genre you're paying attention to, etc.

Don't try to force yourself if you're not having a good time. Sometimes there are just more important things to focus on, or you have other places in your life that require more attention. Reading should be an act of personal enjoyment, fun, a hobby instead of a chore. Don't be too hard on yourself if you're really not in a good place to be reading. 

Still, there's one more thing worth mentioning: at the end of the day, it's going to be the act of reading more that makes you... read more. Not only do your skills improve and you find yourself reading faster, but also, putting yourself into the habit makes reading a more likely way for you to pass the time regularly. 

Of course, if none of this all worked for you, there's another blog post coming in the next couple of days that might strike you as more helpful. (Particularly those of us who skew a little more to the Chaotic side of the alignment.) 

Whether you're a barbarian who dogears the pages of their Historical Fiction, or a warlock who needs to have at least one cup of hot tea and their favorite blanket to get comfortable with their favorite Romance author, I hope you find a way to read today! 

What's your favorite D&D alignment? Are you trying to up your reading goals in 2021, too? Let me know, in the comments below!

A Seriously Slumpy Summer: Where I've Been, and What I Haven't Been Reading

Not really feeling up for a bit of a self-involved pity party? Feel free to skip this one. But if you're looking for a little more insight as to why I've been pretty silent on this space this year, here's an attempt at explaining where I've been. To be honest, it just felt good to write all of this out, whether or not anyone feels like reading it.

You'd think there'd be plenty of time to read while everyone is stuck at home, right? Unfortunately, for me, that hasn't been the case. While seemingly everyone else I know has been racking up major reading lists in 2020, my own has completely stalled. I'm currently trailing my own Goodreads goal by almost ten. 

That isn't to say I haven't been reading: that number would be different if I counted every single book I read, like romance novels and cookbooks. However, I don't count those towards my goal (something I've been considering changing for multiple reasons, none of which inspire me to do so five-sixths of the way through the year). So, while I am still actively pursuing and perusing new reading material - as well as cooking more than ever before - I am certainly not up to the level I'd hoped I'd be in 2020. 

Reasons I Haven't Been Reading, shorthand:

• My mental health hasn't exactly been conducive to accomplishing goals, large or small scale... being that we're in a pandemic, during an election year, at a time of major social and political upheaval. 
• I've been occupied with other tasks, like managing my garden and, again, cooking way more lasagna, chicken pot pie, and vegan cinnamon rolls than a regular person probably should be.
• Major family events have required my input, involvement, and emotional investment, like coping with a 2020 family wedding, sending my youngest sibling and only brother off to college, and more.

I've been incredibly jealous of those who've been able to use this time as a springboard for bigger and better projects (Two separate friends have started two separate podcasts, one relaunched her professional website, more than five turned furloughs and layoffs into a reason to head back for graduate school, and countless others have suddenly found themselves engaged! And according to the Washington Post, it's not just my social circle who've become masters of lemons-lemonade alchemy). 

Maybe I've been having a hard time reading because I also feel very stuck in other various parts of my life. A sense of purposelessness, shame over still living with my parents at 27, confusion over how to proceed with a professional career... all at a time where the economy is fluctuating wildly, and the coronavirus death toll continues to climb higher. I find myself feeling guilty for not being able to operate at my best, when the resources and support I have are highly-recognizable kinds of privilege. 

It's clear that it's not just my reading habits that have taken a hit, either. My dedication to journaling has suffered, as have my willingness to attempt practices I've found helpful in the past, like yoga, taking long walks, listening to podcasts, and more. It's hard to feel intentional when even the act of buying jeans - for the first time in two years, after three pairs fell apart over the summer - takes the wind out of your sails. 

I had lofty goals for this month, too: It's Fall, a season of renewal for me, and more than that, it's my birth month. I wanted to use this time to rededicate to my favorite healthy habits, and quickly pledged to myself that in October, I'd read for at least half an hour every day. By the third day of the month, I'd already had a misstep; by today, ten days in, I've only spent half of them making a concentrated effort to sit down, unplug my brain, and lose myself in something new. 

This is all especially frustrating, as reading habits have a very clear and important role in my life, with defined and consistent results at improving my happiness:

• It cuts my amount of screen time, sometimes by hour-wide margins. In a world where everyone now finds themselves connected virtually, it's a rare chance to rest my eyes. 
• It redirects my anxiety: instead of being trapped in my own head, hyper-fixating on my own frustrations, it offers me not only a way out, exploring problems being my own, but also some perspective on issues I'm currently facing. 
• It gives me a chance to connect with other people. Whether it's talking to like-minded readers on my bookstagram profile, or chatting with my brother on Zoom, engaging in bookish culture provides a foundation for further conversation, and important social facet I've been missing.

Needless to say, that final component - of the socialization, involvement, and sense of expression that comes from being a part of various bookish communities - is a really big one for me. My involvement on not only the blog, but also my Instagram page (which I've only managed to post on once since May), has demonstrably shifted. Every time I feel moved to post, it feels more motivated by a sense of obligation than enjoyment. 

Why bother? Who reads what I write? Who is engaging with it, or more than that, enjoying it at all? These are pretty regular questions for anyone who engages in a creative space (especially on the Internet) to be asking, but in a year when I've felt shut off from other outlets, it feels especially crippling. 

My brain relates a little too much to my laptop at the moment: years past its best level of usability, unable to sustain long bouts of action, not really being used for its intended purposes, but still trying its best. It doesn't work if it's not plugged in, and it takes about twenty minutes to boot up, but its still serving me fine. And you know what? Last week, I took off all the clear packing tape that had been holding its screen in place, and replaced it with duct tape, instead... and while it's far from ideal, it's working better. Now I just need to find a way to duct tape my brain, so it works just that little bit better, too. At least enough so that I can figure out how to move on from here. 

Maybe reading is the way to do it. Journaling, walking, listening to podcasts, too. I know what's good for me, it's just the energy it takes to change my behavior feels a little out of reach at the moment. I'm still trying to figure out how to get that energy back. 

 How have your own reading practices been challenged or bolstered by this blockbuster year? What do you spend your time on when you're not in the mood to read? Let me know, in the comments below! 

BACK TO THE BOOKS: READCHELLA DAY THREE

As you may have seen in my first post last Friday, I've been suffering under a really disheartening and oppressive reading slump lately. With the advent of the weekend, I'd decided to do something about it: hosting what was, essentially, a readathon for one, coinciding with the first weekend of Coachella!

I gathered the necessary provisions, gave the required apologies, and strapped in, for what I hoped would become a weekend of pushing through difficult mental blocks, to reach the great, green, bookish landscape on the other side. By day two, as detailed in my second blog post, I had somehow managed to make it through two novels, and was about halfway into a third.

And now, the weekend is over, and I reflect back on how my Readchella ended. So, what do you think? Did I make it through the third book?

saturday pm -> sunday am

• So, I actually ended up finishing The Proposal... at about 12:30am. I stayed up a lot longer than I should have in order to finish it, but the momentum I'd built up to that point just wasn't ready to slow down yet! 
• The next morning - Sunday - saw a lazy breakfast, packing my sister off for an HR convention, and chilling out around the house. All told, I actually didn't end up sitting down to read until a little before noon, which had begun to make me a little anxious about whether I could finish at least one more book before the challenge was over... 
• Little did I know that my fears were pretty much unfounded. I managed to make it through Space Opera, by Catherynne Valente, a little bit before 8pm last night, leaving me to bask in the glory of a weekend well spent... 
• As well as pick up the next book I plan on reading! Consider this slump over! 

bookstack! 

Like I said, I ended up completing four different books this weekend. I think I'm going to save reviews of the new reads for a different post, because they're all worth delving into a little more than just a cursory paragraph would allow, but I did want to say a little bit about how each of these specific selections served to help push through my book block.

The Darkest Part of the Forest, Holly Black

an old favorite that I could probably retell in my sleep, with enough action and romance to keep me engaged and reading 

Nancy Drew and the Moss-Covered Mansion, Carolyn Keene (1941 edition)

a collector's piece I've been meaning to revisit, intended for young audiences and with enough chapter-ending cliffhangers to keep me enticed 

The Proposal, Jasmine Guillory

a fluffy contemporary romance, with an LA setting, that helped distract me from the weather outside, and also served as the first non-reread of the weekend 

Space Opera, Catherynne Valente

a slightly more difficult science fiction novel, with jaw-dropping descriptions and a highly comedic concept, that helped slowly maneuver me into feeling up to reading harder books again 

I also started a fifth novel, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but didn't include it here, because I didn't make it far enough into the book to feel like it warranted a spot. However, I did want to mention it, because a. It's my blog, and I think it belongs on the list, and b. because if I had tried to pick up this read a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have made it past page one. And yet, here I am, well on my way back into an old classic! 

getting it back, and going forward 

One of the first things I did when planning out this readathon weekend, was look up the best advice on how to get out of a reading rut. Here's what ended up being the most helpful: 

• Telling myself to stop being stubborn, and just DNF the book already. One of the first orders of business on my Readchella weekend was putting down one of my recent reads, for good. I had been slogging through Lauren Weisberger's When Life Gives You Lululemons, but kept getting put off... somehow, it's strange writing style and irritating characters made me feel both too young and too old for the story. However, I kept at it, mainly because I knew it was a really hyped book last year, and I wanted to stick with it... but when I finally gave it up to the Goodwill bags, I felt so much better! 

• Changing up the format of how I was reading. I was actually pretty surprised at how much easier everything became once I was reading a book on my Kindle, rather than a physical copy. Maybe it was the low handling effort required, or the fact that the percentage of completion was always in view at the bottom, but it felt like it went by a lot quicker, and I was less distracted from the brightly lit screen. Of course, there were times where I had to put it down and walk away, but it also made it a lot easier to pick back up again when I needed to, and come right back to the same place. 

• Reading something tested and true, that I knew I liked. There's a reason I picked Holly Black for my first read of the weekend: I'm an old fan of her work, no matter the audience, and I knew that I could get lost in her books, no problem. While I could have opted for The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King, those aren't exactly my favorite... The Darkest Part of the Forest is just enough of an underrated hit for me to keep reading it over and over again, and the story is so familiar to me, I could probably tell you the whole thing myself at this point. Same goes for the antique Nancy Drew I read, too! 

• Finding my footing in familiar genres, like Contemporary, Fantasy, and Romance. Bite-sized, easy to read, and not require a ton of brainpower to decipher, the first three reads I reached for were all very much popcorn books, which highly differed from the realm of meaty nonfiction I'd been trapped in. 

• Reaching for reads under 400 pages. One of the key elements of keeping my readathon moving, was not devoting a ton of time to each of these novels. Even the one that took the longest, took no more than a day to finish! This not only helped me gather back my confidence - hey, I can finish a whole book! - but kept me engaged enough to where I felt like I was always making progress on my challenge. 

Hooray, my readathon is over! (Or is it just getting started?) What should I pick up now that my Readchella weekend is over? Let me know, in the comments below!

BATTLE OF THE BLOCK: READCHELLA DAY TWO

I promised you an update post yesterday, so I'm here. Granted, I don't really especially want to be writing this post right now, but I am. (Hey, two blood orange margaritas, and a boatload of chips and salsa at dinner, can do that to a person!)

You might have seen my blog post yesterday, about the book block I've been enduring these past two months. With only two Goodreads updates and two blog updates to show between both March and April thus far, I think that my statistics stand for themselves: sure, they still might be better than most people - according to my overly optimistic Mom - but they sure aren't on par for me. Far from it, actually.

And this might be a little "too heavy" of a moment for what is ostensibly a lighthearted topic, but it's necessary to include here: while "slowing down" and "taking a break" might be the advice I received from most people, it doesn't help my situation. While it might be okay to take a break from hobbies I've had trouble with in the past - like embroidery, or cooking - reading has always been an important part of my ability to self-regulate, and the absence of it in my daily routines can lead to spikes in anxiety and depression, both things I try to mitigate as much as possible on my own.

After a really hard anniversary came up again this past week - a week when I was, unfortunately, spending a lot of time by myself, and which passed by with little recognition from others - and I wasn't able to read through it, I realized that it was important for me to come up with a plan on how to fix things on my own.

And thus, Savannah's Readchella 2019 was born.

I've already told you what I planned to do about it, so here's what I actually ended up accomplishing last night, and so far today. Good news: it's kind of a lot!

friday night delight

Armed with my bevy of information, and with minimal amounts of forewarning to my family, I embarked upon my readathon weekend with as little overthinking as I could manage. I focused a little more on preparation than just simply reading, but still managed to get quite a bit done: 

• I cleaned up my room and parts of my house, so that I'd have relatively clear reading spaces (or at the very least, I'd be less called away by the distraction of chores later on). 
• I picked up a new cookbook from the library to glance through, as well as stalked through the movie section in order to pick up something that might serve as a suitable break, should I get burnt out on reading. In the end, I went for Brooklyn (2015), because I knew that I could probably get my film-buff sister to sit down and watch it with me! 
• In the end, I did end up DNFing one of the books that I had been stuck in before: When Life Gives You Lululemons, by Lauren Weisberger. I'll end up talking about this more once my Readchella is over, but it just wasn't serving me as either entertainment, or interesting reading material. So, I took out my bookmark, thanked it for its service, and sent it away into the donation pile! 
• I posted my first Readchella blog post (obviously). 
• And I downloaded, and started to read, Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest on my Kindle from a local library ebook database. I only got to about 50% through before I went to bed... which actually left me a little worried as to how much of this personal challenge I'd be able to complete. 

saturday distractions... and success!

To be honest, while I was okay with the progress I had made on Friday, it still wasn't too much to be excited about: sure, I'd written a blogpost, and gotten through half of a book, which was still a lot more than I had been managing up until that point, but it certainly wasn't the kind of outcome I'd been hoping for. 

After an impromptu family breakfast at IHOP, and family chores completed around the house, I buckled down and got ready to read at about 11am. Here's how the rest of my day has gone: 

• I finished reading The Darkest Part of the Forest at about 12:46pm, making it my first completed read of this challenge! Needless to say, I was stoked... and wasted little time picking up another read. 
• I figured that TDPotF had been such a success because it was 1. short, 2. compelling, and 3. familiar, so I aimed for a variation of that set of principles for my next read, with the expectation that the momentum would continue. I'd been looking for a reason to revisit one of my old WWII editions of Nancy Drew novels for a while, so I picked up my 1941 copy of The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion! 
• By 2:24pm, I'd finished that read as well, and had a really good time doing it. Again, more on this later, but I think the fact that it was such a nostalgic and slightly more juvenile read made it easier to get lost in. Readchella #2 complete! 
• Without wasting any time, I jumped back into reading as quickly as I could, getting started on Jasmine Guillory's The Proposal. Contemporary Romance was one of the more recommended genres to try and break a slump with, and I can see why: within a twenty minutes, I was more than 30 pages in! 

Unfortunately, my habits got a little waylaid after that point: I spent an hour and a half playing a board game with my sister and her girlfriend - Ticket to Ride is the best! - but it was a little too long of a distraction for me. Then, when we were finished, it was decided that the family was going to go out to eat for dinner. 

Filler time struck again, when we arrived at the restaurant, only to find that we wouldn't be able to be seated for a little while, which ended up taking a little over twenty minutes. Naturally, I had forgotten to bring my book along for the ride! It's a good note to be taking forward in this challenge, and any others I might undertake in the future: simply having a book at your side, is a pretty good way to guarantee you'll find time to read it. 

what's up next?

So, that brings us to now! I'm going to try and get a little further into The Proposal tonight, but being that I'm only at page 87, I can't imagine I'm going to be able to finish it before bed (not when it has Saturday Night Live and picking up my brother from his school musical to compete with). 

Here's my plans for tomorrow: 

• FinishThe Proposal
• Get started on another book... I'm leaning towards Cat Valente's Space Opera, a lighthearted science fiction read I had anticipating getting to on my Oregon vacation
• Maybe spending some time at a local cafe or restaurant, in order to get some reading done outside my own home 
• Make some good reading snacks (I've had a craving for Rice Krispie Treats for the past two days... specifically, Mickey Mouse shaped) 
• Taking the opportunity to do a little more blog drafting for posts coming up this month

For the most part, I'm trying to keep things loose and non-committal, so I can change up the plan if the mood strikes me! But you can bet that I'll get at least one more book completed (please!), and another post just like this one coming your way tomorrow afternoon. 

How do you think I'm doing? Any more tips for how to beat a slump? Let me know, in the comments below!

HOW TO BEAT A BOOK SLUMP: READCHELLA, DAY ONE

So, I'm not going to mince words: I feel completely trapped, at the moment.

I went on two vacations recently, to Victoria, BC, and Sunriver, OR, and as someone who's dedicated entire posts on the importance of a Vacation TBR, and who packed upwards of six books for that second vacation alone, I totally disappointed myself. Out of both vacations, I only finished a grand total of two books... and one of those, I had actually already started a few weeks beforehand. These also happen to be the first books I've managed to finish since February. 

And that's not where this permeating feeling of failure ends: I am currently stuck in the middle of two other different books, one of which I've been reading since March. I'm nearly going to DNF the second, despite being more than 100 pages in. I set a Goodreads Challenge for myself this year of 60 books - totally doable, given my track record - and I am currently SIX books behind where I'm supposed to be. This blogpost will only be my third time actually having posted within the past two months.

We've all been here. I'm stuck in a big, bad reading slump. 

I've already gotten plenty of comments from others that I shouldn't be forcing myself to slave over a hobby, but to be very honest, this mental break has gone far enough. I miss reading... and this might sound slightly insane, but I can feel it physically when I haven't read in a long time. The escapist aspect of getting lost in a good read has been one of my longest-exercised means of mitigating my anxiety, and without it, I feel like my body carries a lot of tension, the relief of which I definitely don't experience when I do something like watch television or a movie (in fact, those both usually only serve to heighten these issues!).

So you can see quite plainly, I really need a good reading-specific break, rather than a break from reading itself. But I'm having a huge problem actually picking up a book!

So, I turned to the Grand Ol' Internet, and decided to check out what other people had to say about beating a reading block. I'm going to assemble the advice, get my self-care artillery in line, and take down this slump once and for all, over the course of the next three days, starting tonight. 

And, you know. It's the first weekend of Coachella. So, Savannah's #Readchella2019 it is. 

let's hear from the experts 

Here's what book bloggers, BookTubers, and other assorted writers and book lovers had to say across the web, about how to take down a reading slump:

Book Roast on YouTube: Make reading a special occasion
"Set a time, set a place, set a meal, set it up a few days before so you have something to look forward to... make it an experience!"

Julia Seales on Bustle: Pick up something familiar
"Nothing will remind you of how much you love reading like revisiting an old favorite...You already know what's going to happen in the next chapter, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the story." 

Hailey in Bookland on YouTube: Go for something sweet and bite-sized 
"Choose the smaller books... pick up a book that is small, super quick, and, definitely, quick contemporaries are my favorite."

Charleigh from Charleigh Writes: Stop being stubborn
"There are too many books in the world to read – that you’ll probably enjoy – to stay hung up on a book you’re not into... Don’t do it to yourself – it’s not worth it and you’ll probably miss out on great books with all the time you’ve wasted on trying to finish a book you’re not connecting with."

Book Sundays on YouTube: Switch up your reading location 
"I think it's really important to find a cozy reading nook, and maybe that's a different reading nook than you're used to... You could try a coffee shop, you could try a park, you could even just run a bath!"

Haley at Whatever Bright Things: Space it out, and set goals 
"Set yourself a reasonable goal, and divide it into manageable chunks."

Paige at Creating and Co: Find a new way of looking at things, with a format shift 
"Try a different book format... what I mean, is an audiobook, or an e-reader. The human mind is a crazy thing. Sometimes it's easier to listen, or the faint glow of your e-reader helps trick you into reading again."

Susie Rodarme on Book Riot: Get away from the screens 
"Unplug. I find that the internet (gulp) is one of my main culprits for a lack of reading. Being online presents one with endless stimuli and I find that it can dampen that itch of needing to read something. Either that, or I get caught up binge-watching shows, and I can’t do both that and read at the same time." 

alright, so here's the plan

We've got our instructions, now it's time to formulate a plan with which to carry them out. I've got the next three days to wear this thing down, and I'm bringing in some of the big guns - from old favorites, to fun snacks, to genre-switching - to help me through it.

I'm planning what is, essentially, a readathon for one, so I might as well lean into the experience by making it as fun for myself as possible. My family is busy for most of tomorrow (Saturday), and that should free up time for me to do what I need to get done... and you better expect a great Trader Joe's cheeseboard, fresh fruit, home-baked cookies, and some delicious tea is going with it.

I'm also stepping away from the big books. I've been struggling through a couple larger non-fiction reads lately, as well as plenty of reference books as I try to set up my garden this Spring, so for the weekend, I'm going to be keeping away from any and all things above 400 pages.

I'm returning to an old favorite. Pretty soon after I started looking at all this info about how to break a slump, I skipped over to my library's Overdrive database, and immediately sent Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest to my Kindle. It's a Contemporary YA Fantasy that I've read a million times, and I'm about to try and read it again, in a different format than I'm used to.

I'm going to try reading somewhere new. I am absolutely guilty about pretty much holing up in either one of two places to read, both of which are conveniently placed in my bedroom. However, I'm going to try and branch out, by switching up my spots to other comfy places in the house, and if that doesn't work, I'll try my hand at one of the quieter local cafes downtown.

Of course, I'll be taking short breaks, so I don't feel like I'm losing out on my weekend. Spending time rearranging my bookshelves, and cleaning my room in general, are typically two activities that make me feel more thankful for the time I spend reading. I like cooking food for my family, and taking long walks in the sunshine, both of which will be totally doable this weekend.

Naturally, taking breaks to write blogposts is definitely going to be a factor, too... because let's be real, this blog has been really suffering at the same time my reading habits have been.

friday night plans: readchella, day one

• figure out whether I want to DNF either of the books I've been struggling with, or put them away for the weekend
• check out some fun rewards and distractions from the library - like a new cookbook, or a movie adaptation of a fictional work you enjoy - to serve as reading breaks 
• decide which blogdrafts to work on and finish over the weekend 
• finish downloading The Darkest Part of the Forest to my Kindle, and start reading

I'll check back in with you tomorrow, to see how my first day's worth of reading has gone, and let you know of what my plans for Saturday and Sunday look like. 

Welcome to my Readchella! (Tagline: Because reading on my couch is still better than sweating my butt off in the Californian desert.) 

So, wish me luck! Do you have any recommendations for helping break from a reading slump? Let me know, in the comments below!