A few weeks ago, I shared that I’ve long wanted to be the kind of person who can read and write critically, but have gotten in my own way by only haphazardly reading classics and not taking the time and effort to write about related topics. At the end, I said:
I’m designing a personal pilot of sorts to read books worth thinking on and write about topics of interest (to be shared in the near future!). I’m testing whether adding structure to my reading and making space for more thinking and journaling leads to more published writing, deeper dives into ideas, and more creativity.
So here I am, in that near future, with a clearer idea of how to proceed.
ADDING STRUCTURE
I made it easy for myself by joining three substack book clubs:
John Halbrooks’s group for Emma by Jane Austen. I recently read the Lord of the Rings trilogy with Halbrooks’s substack and enjoyed his casual readalong style. This is my fourth time through Emma, and I’m excited to go more deeply into the story.
Haley’s group for The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. We’re halfway through, and I’m loving Haley’s weekly deep dives into the historical background, the plot, and the characters.
Tash’s group for Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. This is my stretch read for the first half of the summer. Woolf’s work is famously hard to get into, so taking a whole month to work through one of her books with a guide seemed like the way to go.
I also picked two nonfiction books to read on my own:
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
This Present Age by Søren Kierkegaard
None of the five books are alike: different writing styles, different authors, written and set in different time periods. But by working through them at the same time, I hope interesting connections might pop up. The substack readalongs will take me through mid-July, and I’ll reassess the summer plan at that point.
MAKING SPACE
The easy part is picking the books and sticking to the schedule. The harder part is forming the habits that will facilitate a more reflective reading practice. There are four things I have already done or started doing:
The biggest, most beneficial change I’ve already made was getting off social media. I deleted my Facebook and Twitter accounts in 2018 and deactivated my Instagram account last June. I found myself defaulting to watching and reading short form content rather than setting aside time for more worthwhile pursuits. Moderation did not work for me in this area; it had to be a clean break.
A new change I made a few weeks ago was downloading Freedom and using it to block distracting websites. I have an automated block that runs during work hours and I set up an additional “distractions” block that I can turn on whenever I need to focus.
A shift I’m working on is moving away from being a consumer and toward being a creator. Even after a full year off social media, I still sometimes see new experiences and books as things to consume rather than things to be present for and inspired by. I’m working on engaging with them in a meaningful way.
A new habit, only for books I own, is marginalia. Marking up books still feels taboo, and I’m breaking in the habit by only using pencils. But it works; I’m more present when I read, and I enjoy flipping back through books and seeing what stuck out to me. For library books, I leave stars next to sentences and paragraphs of interest and make sure to erase them before returning the book.
Have you read any of these books? Do you have follow-up recommendations?