how to read a lot
or, at the very least, more
This post fits uneasily within my resolutions series. Mostly because, at this point, for me, resolving to “read more” is like the Cookie Monster resolving to “eat more cookies.” It might be fine as a goal, but it is pretty much going to happen anyway. This post is adult-focused; next time, I will talk about how to raise kids who love to read.
But I do want to make some comments here for people who are interested in reading more. I know this isn’t everyone, but it should be more people. According to some research, the average American reads 12 books per year. However, about 1/2 of Americans admitted in a YouGov survey to reading zero books in the previous year. Pew Research has that number as 1/4.
Whatever the numbers, the reality is that a large percentage of Americans don’t read very much. And, for people who don’t read at all, I don’t imagine anything anyone says will move this dial for them. There are just some incorrigible rapscallions out there (some who share my blood) who just cannot be bothered to read.
I think there is an analogy here between books read and children born. If you just don’t want kids, no social policy or whatever is going to make you all of a sudden want children. Similarly, if you’ve told yourself for years that you hate reading, you’re not going to read. However, a lot of people have fewer kids than they actually want to have; similarly, a lot of readers read fewer books than they actually want to read.
This post is for people in that category: let’s call them aspirational readers. So, here are some tips I would give for how to read more. These are, naturally, highly subjective, but they are what has worked for me.
Make a list of books you want to read. There are some drawbacks to reading by a list, and I certainly don’t recommend being imprisoned by whatever list you create. That being said, a list makes for a good starting point. I’ve always found that books lead to more books, so having some plan for what you’re going to be reading next will help you stay on track. For example, if you want to read more “high” fantasy, start with Lloyd Alexander (the guy who coined the term) and his retelling of Welsh mythology, The Chronicles of Prydain. The eldest Coffman child would give an enthusiastic recommendation. Once you’ve finished the pentalogy, you will have more reading material lined up based on articles you’ve read about books similar to Prydain.
Always keep a book with you. One of my mantras to my children is, “If you have a book, you’re never bored.” I never leave the home without a book. The other day, I drove down to Denver to do a long run with some friends and brought a book. There was almost a 0% chance that I would have time to read, but if I did, I was going to be ready. You would be amazed how many times just having a book with you makes it easier to read a book. Always having a book with you is a useful signal. You’re telling yourself that you’re a reader and not a mindless smartphone zombie.
Read more than one book at a time. This one is probably a bit divisive, but I have found it absolutely essential. At any given time, I am reading between 3-5 books. They usually broadly fall into the following categories: fiction, theology/philosophy, sociology/culture/history, and read-alouds with my kids. On top of that, I am usually listening to 1-2 other books. I find this essential because some of the books I want to read are really difficult to read (I am currently in media res on a dense book on Biblical hermeneutics) while others are fairly easy and pleasurable to read (my novels usually fall into this category). Reading multiple books at a single time helps me balance the difficult, highlighter-in-my-hand, pen-marking-up-a-notebook reads with my plop-down-on-the-couch and sink-into-a-story books. If your goal is just to read a ton of fiction, this is probably unnecessary and actually unhelpful; however, if you want to amble between sections at the bookstore, this will be a helpful move.
Write down what interests you or sticks out to you. One of my fondest reading experiences was my first reading of The Divine Comedy. I have no idea why I decided to read it during the first fall of our married life, but I did. I was totally outmatched by that book, but I wanted to understand it. I figured out, mathematician that I am, that if I read three cantos per night, I would finish the book in a little over a month. So, I did just that. While Clara cleaned up after dinner, I opened a beer, got out a yellow legal pad, readied my pen, and opened to the next section of the poem. I still have that legal pad and will treasure it forever. Simply enduring through that book told me I had some future capacity as a scholar and writer.
Have some reading rituals. I mentioned opening a beer before reading The Divine Comedy. That was a signal to me, a sort of Pavlovian behavior conditioning me to read epic poetry. When my students struggle to read, it is often because they have bad rituals. For example, their phone might be sitting right next to them, begging to distract them. Their reading is fractured because they are so rarely attending to their reading. Adults suffer from the same affliction. I sit in a comfortable chair to read fiction. If it’s the evening, I will often have a glass of amber-colored spirits sitting next to me. When I am reading dense theology, I sit at my desk, get out a highlighter, a pen, and a notebook, and go to work. Sometimes, I will have a glass of amber-colored spirits sitting next to me. I also like to walk and read, especially in nice weather. Different books and different genres demand different rituals.
Watch less TV and put your phone away. It feels so smarmy and self-righteous to list this one, but I’m sorry, it’s necessary. I said at the beginning that a lot of people read less than they want and two of the primary reasons for this are television and smartphones. I recently read a horrifying article about how often television and smartphones now overlap in our culture. A lot of people look for television shows that can be “background noise” while they screw around on their phones. You can even find curated lists of shows that serve as background filler; literally, it’s a list of TV shows to not watch while having them on. Yeah, turn that stuff off. The only way to read more is to read more. I know that’s obvious and a truism, but it’s also factual. If you put your phone away and don’t watch crappy television just to have something on, you will find hours in your day. Hours. Hours with which to read books.
Happy reading, my friends.