It’s no secret that good reading practice makes for better writing craft. A diverse and thoughtful book list challenges us to grow and invites learning from a variety of voices and perspectives. But honestly, when was the last time you took a good look at the monstrosity that is your ever-growing TBR? If you audited your last year of reading, what would you see beyond the number of books and pages?
It might only be spring in the northern hemisphere, but everyone’s booklists could do with a little refresh. Here’s how to do it.
1. Quit the cult of volume
In a world that’s always telling us to do more with less and less time, reading becomes another part of the daily grind, rather than something to linger and marvel over. Each January, our online tracking tools reset and prompt us to choose a new reading goal, to determine the volume of books we pledge to get through this year.
While I find that a numerical goal is helpful when it comes to pacing and encouraging a regular reading habit, it hasn’t translated into my reaching for diverse, challenging, or meaningful books. It’s done the opposite. Frankly, I’m unlikely to try and tackle Paradise Lost, One Hundred Years of Solitude, or A Little Life when I’m staring down the barrel of my ill-advised promise to read 99 other books before New Year’s Eve. Nope, I’ll reach for what sits neatly in my comfort zone.
This past winter, I missed my numeric goal. As the deadline drew closer, I had zero desire to speed read my way through another five books. Instead, I lazily worked through Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo over the winter holidays, and found it was a relief to finally slow down. So, this year, I set a very different challenge for myself: to read fewer books, and to quit the cult of volume.
Now, I’m not saying we need to throw numbers to the wind. The structure of due dates and timelines are something many of us need. I’m also not saying you should eliminate comfort reads from your TBR. But by shifting your focus from how much to who and what you read, you and your writing are much more likely to benefit.
2. Mind the gaps
However you choose to log your reading—be it an online tool, spreadsheet, or real-life notebook—sit down and take a good look at your reading history and the books living in your TBR. There isn’t really a wrong or right way to do this assessment. You can make charts, diagrams, thought clouds, or just eyeball it. What matters is being open to asking yourself what is, and more importantly, what isn’t on these lists.
The process doesn’t need to be long. Really, you only need to come up with a single gap you’d like to work on. And trust me, there will be plenty to choose from.
Here are some questions to help guide your reading audit:
- Do I consume mostly fiction, nonfiction, or poetry?
- What genres are missing from my lists? Are there any I tend to avoid?
- Whose voices are underrepresented in the books I choose? What are the identities of the authors on my lists?
- What formats do I engage with? (e.g. print, audio, comic)
- Are there any trends in the narratives or themes of the books?
- Were any of the books originally written in a different language?
Now, armed with this knowledge and the sweet freedom of numerical goals in your rearview—it’s time to set specific and attainable goals (just like your high school teachers always wanted).
3. Make it personal
By this, I mean, set goals and adjust your reading life in ways that make sense for you. The point of spring cleaning is to open the windows, let fresh air in, and purge what you don’t need. It does not involve putting all the things you love and use every day on the curb for pickup.
If you find your joy in a certain type of book, please maintain that joy. Find a balance, specific to you, between books that challenge, comfort, distract, and teach. Focus on growth, diversity and learning from different perspectives.
This could look like adding emotionally difficult books thoughtfully between your comfort reading, actively seeking out the voices of authors historically excluded from publishing, or simply reading outside your usual genre.
Here are some potential ideas to inspire you:
- Fiction in a genre you actively avoid
- Audiobooks of books you’ve already read
- Books in translation
- Queer poetry
- Fantasy written by women
- Essay collections
- Science fiction by Black authors
- Books about the craft of writing
- Writing about grief
- Graphic novels
- Plays
Once you decide on your reading goal, my suggestion is to find one or two books that fit your needs. Start small and give yourself time.
4. The purge
Now, if you’re like me, over the year your TBR begins to take on a life of its own, growing and growing until it blocks out the sun. At this magnitude, it stops being helpful, reflecting my fleeting 2 a.m. obsessions more than the books I actually plan on reading (picture me adding every book by Dickens, knowing full well that I’ll never read every book by Dickens).
So, in case you needed it, this is permission to purge your TBR. Clear out the cobwebs. Make space for growth and exploration in your reading life. Keep what excites, comforts, challenges, and inspires you. And let yourself slow down a little to linger over the experience.
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