Beginning to Read Again?

I love to read, but I am a sporadic reader, as I sometimes feel I am sporadic in almost everything I do in life. Usually, I find a book that sounds interesting or I have heard good things about and begin reading - but one of the following things often follows:

  1. I get entirely engrossed in the book and will spend every free moment I have to read. I will be carrying my eBook reader around and pulling it out to read even during a 5 minute wait in line. If it’s a long series, then this will often continue until I finish the series.

  2. I simply cannot get into the book, even sometimes when I realize that it is good. If I cannot get ‘hooked’, I most often give up only a couple chapters in. Sometimes about halfway through the book.

I just finished a book called The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin. And this time, it was neither of the above options. I was neither entirely captivated nor did I abandon the book before finishing, so it was a nice feeling to stick the book out and finish.

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin

Although I just read this book, I wasn’t reading thoughtfully and thoroughly enough to write a reflection on it to start off this “reading list”, but I can definitely say that it was a good read. I loved the parallels it made to modern social issues, and how the author was clearly trying to make a point through the science fiction world. I wish that I would have taken notes and highlighted some quotes, because it would have been a great book to write a reflective essay on - but I will hopefully do this for the next book I read.

If you are looking for a book to read, I can definitely recommend this one. While it wasn’t my most “enjoyable” reading, it was thought provoking and engaging.

Going Forward

I really hate to commit myself to much of anything, because I often hate the feeling of being “locked in” with no way out - but still, I want to try and start reading on a more consistent basis. I am going to try and make the following loose goals:

  • Just read: Try to do a little bit of reading, whether it is a few minutes a day, or only a couple times a week - try to make time to have it a part of the schedule.
  • Don’t feel obligated to finish: If I start a book and get tired of it, feel free to set it down and start something else. I can either come back to it in the future or forget about it completely.
  • Keep track of my readings here on the blog at “/projects/reading_list/”
  • While I will likely become immersed into some books that I read, the ones in which I am not, I should try to read more reflectively; taking notes and stopping/slowing down to think about it a bit more.

My wife and I briefly talked about starting a “book club” of sorts, which I think could be a great motivator, as well as encourage me to read books that I wouldn’t normally read. We’ll see if I get any traction with a more consistent reading schedule or not; but regardless, there are definitely a couple other books on my list that I have been wanting to give a shot.

– Anthony

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