Where and How I Read a Lot

Hello, fellow book lover! Reading is a big topic here and I literally cannot find the words to describe my joy at having found a community around it. Books have been my closest and most comforting friends throughout my life, and anything that improves my sharing of this friendship with you deserves immediate, high-priority, VIP attention. So here I present the answers to what’s probably the second most popular category of FAQs on Instagram after thrifting-related Qs-

Do you buy all the books you read?
Where do you read them?
How do you find the time to read so much? and so on.

I got you. Let’s dive in.

I resist the urge to quantify my reading, causing it to morph from a pleasurable hobby into another millennial hustle, but if I absolutely had to, it’d say about 4-5/month. Under normal life circumstances and the books being ‘normal’ <400 pagers. Also, Kushal tells me I’m a fast reader so there’s that too. If your competitive spirit is rearing its head right now, let me say this - don’t compare! I think of my reading as neither more nor less; it’s just how much I’m able to read at my pace with my time. It’s one of those lifestyle-based custom-tailored habits, y’know?

First thing about it though, I don’t buy books. Now that I think about it, it’s been years since I bought a book for pleasure! My physical book collection is from my teenage and early adulthood years in India, and it’s only my dear husband who’s added to it since. 100% of my reading in the last 5-6 years has relied on borrowing books from the local public library. I’ve always been a library stan (my mom is a librarian 🥰) but it isn’t until I started using the public library system in the US (S/O to the Belmont Public Library for being my first!) that I realized what a NATIONAL TREASURE I’d been sleeping on. Membership is free! ✓ It’s well-stocked with old and new titles in every possible genre! ✓ It’s a community resource with so many more services than just the library! ✓ I will never not be blown away.

I’ve read probably 100s of books now at no cost, thanks to the Bay Area public library system. ❤️ 3 years into having developed my much-loved routine of visiting the library to borrow physical books though, the pandemic began. Like any rational book lover, I zipped over as soon as news broke and brought home my full allowed borrowing limit to tide me through the next few weeks. Remember our hopeful naive 2020 selves lolz?

When it became clear that the weeks would turn into months and possibly years, I resorted to what I had heretofore considered the most unforgivable faux pas a true book lover could commit- reading e-books. Present me laughs scornfully at the purist notions of past me, but at the time, the grieving of the smell, the touch, the sound of the turning pages of an actual book was intense. But I persevered, and found my life changed. For the last couple of years, I have read e-books exclusively on my tablet through a free library reading app synced up to my free public library account, which gives me indescribably convenient access through a few clicks to the library’s ginormous e-book collection. The app you use differs based on the device- it’s Libby on the iPad and Axis 360 on the Amazon Fire, for example. Between Kushal and I, we use and enjoy both. The tablets themselves have been a one-time investment well worth the daily use they get, but I have no doubt that phone and computer apps are available if you prefer them. At the risk of sounding braggy- this savvy setup has been a game-changer for us! As countless DM-ers on Instagram can attest by now, I will be singing the praises of reading apps & the public library for ever and ever more. 🎤

Moving on to technically the hardest part of all this- how to make the dang time to read?! ⏱ If you’re still here reading this non-expert advice column, I’ll safely assume that you don’t suffer from lack of motivation. So then maybe it’s time-management, misplaced priorities and/or the very worst one of them all, lack of me-time? All familiar problems, all fixable problems. Even if one makes the time, focusing on a particular hobby when most of us contain multitudes of interests is hard. I get it. I want to read, watch a good show, write for the blog, do a stretchy pilates class, shoot for Instagram, cook a nice meal AND go on a long walk when I have some free time! How to choose?!

Here are some things I do that have helped me develop a solid reading routine.

• Scheduling it in.
  I’m contradicting myself here by saying something that makes reading sound chore-y but what I mean is to simply make a set time the deciding factor to read. It could be as simple as 15 minutes in bed before your head hits the pillow, or one chapter at lunch break, whatever works for your days. I typically do 45’-1h before bed, and whenever else possible during the day is an added bonus. If I tried to spontaneously get it in every time, I’d never read!

• Read books that I want to read.
  You’re probably like duh of course, but it isn’t uncommon atleast in my home that one of us is trying to read something that we’re just not into. My husband is an undisputed gem of a person, but his unending devotion to stay rooted in reality with non-fiction I will never understand. I, on the other hand, can digest nothing packaged as educational beyond the 9-5. This means that every once in a while, he’s trying to make me read an Empire of Pain and I’m trying to make him read a Project Hail Mary. We each struggle through it for about 167 days before giving up, having verbalized some choice sentiments for the other in the meantime. I’m exaggerating, but you get the point. I’m efficient when I’m enjoying what I’m reading, so I try to just do that. 😅

• I DNF (do not finish) when required.
  I had this unhealthy need to read books I hated to the very last word, but in 2020, I drew a line in the sand and said no more. Like with most other life plans, failing early is the best bet to success here too. Book reviews, friends and family be damned, bid that book goodbye if it isn’t serving you. ⚔️

• Tracking what I read.
  This was something I discovered very organically after starting to use reading apps- documenting my reading really motivates me. Seeing a nice and tidy list of books that I’ve read in the last few months is SO satisfying to me, as is checking titles off of my TBR (to be read) list. 💯 That familiar endorphin spike keeps me excited and planning for the next book at all times. Took me 30+ years to realize- being meticulously organized is the one Type-A trait in me. 🤓

• Making it a community thing.
  Doing something together makes the thing more fun- we all know this. This is basically the business model for Peloton and every group-based workout plan that exists, no? Apply the same logic to reading and voila, book clubs! It doesn’t have to be an old school physical gathering with notes in hand, it could a bookstagram account, a Book of the Month subscription, a book rec/review podcast, or maybe just a friend who swaps recommendations with you- so many options! For me personally, you the reader of my blog and you the follower-friend on Instagram make up my book club. I write the series Recent Reads here and share my thoughts on the books I read on Instagram because my DMs are peppered with conversations around this shared passion. And I love that sooo much. ❤️

• Romanticizing reading.
  Last but probably my favorite trick of them all- think of it less as an action item and more as a magical, wholesome, luxurious experience for yourself. Make a picnic of it in your yard or neighborhood park with a favorite beverage and a blanket. Pull a chair up to the window and read while your favorite music plays. If you are a soaker in the tub, a candle and some flowers could make your next reading session luxurious. I love shopping my own home to find ways to elevate the experience, and almost always come away craving for it again! It’s something I look forward to on the weekends or on stressful days, when it feels like I don’t have to go on a vacation to spoil myself. ✨

I hope these prompts help you enjoy reading more! If you want to talk more books, you have my permission to slide into my DMs anytime. 😎 Have a great week ahead!
XO Sushmitha :)