Lovely post and I totally relate to that. I often read something that’s not on my original list! But it’s okay to procrastinate or not start a book, as long as you are reading happily, it’s fine! But I do sometimes force myself not to annotate too many quotes in a book, I feel like if I shouldn’t annotate everything, that’s why it is a ‘highlight’. Ultimately, just do what you want and read what you want! Happy reading♥️📖
Oh gosh, I so relate to the experience of going too hard with annotations. That's why I decided to only annotate my most favorite books and let the rest of them go. In an ideal world we would do it all, but sadly, not an option for me.
My favorite experience -- which is one of the things that I love about being a mood reader -- is when you find yourself "cheating" on your reading by reading a book that you are too excited about... When you get a hold of something that you are so thrilled about that you abandon whatever it is that you are reading currently mid-way or skip lunch or start reading at 10PM because you just can't wait... Impatience at its best!!!
I agree and I do that all the time! I’m about halfway through this book and it’s December! So of course I’m gonna abandon it and put my Christmas read first😂
Petya, I spent a year with John Steinbeck which was a profound experience. Not only did I read all of his works, I did it in chronological order of when they were published. I was able to see his development as a writer and it gave me a much better perspective on him.
I love how you combine a plan with some spontaneity! As you know, I also use a plan but give myself lots of latitude to deviate as desired. I am looking forward to this next year and I can't wait to hear about your own reading experiences.
I am so jealous of your Steinbeck year!!! I got a little glimpse of that with my Didion October and it was just so fulfilling. Something about the intensity of the experience, just going back to back on the work made it so much deeper. In yoga, we are always saying that all you have to do is show up, you don't have to TRY especially hard to progress forward or change. I feel like that type of reading project is similar - don't overthink it, just read the books one at a time but keep reading .. and the change in understanding just comes. That's what Amor Towles and his reading group seem to be doing - mostly author projects, one by one. Mostly older stuff. I am thinking on how to do a project like that - want to pick an author that I've read some so that I know I would like them but also someone with a rich enough body of work...
I have taken a lot of inspiration from staring at your spreadsheets. I am trying to let go of my tendency to think about my reading choices as an all-or-nothing propositions. Not wanting to have a specific plan should not have to mean that all intentionality should go out the door. Thank you so much!
Absolutely. I think if you build some sort of a framework it helps to keep you honest and intentional. If there is something on your plan that you really don’t like you can always discard it and move on to something else. Also, sometimes what we are reading will lead us down interesting rabbit holes in search of something wonderful. As I read through Steinbeck’s works I also read several biographies of him and this enabled me to correlate things in his life with aspects of his writing. Then I explored his personal letters which was an entirely different level of insight.
I don’t know that I would do something that intense every year but it was a great experience. I love Amor Towles but wasn’t familiar with his reading group’s practices. That is very cool.
Just occurred me.... did you read them back to back or did you allow for other books in between and just made sure that you were making progress on the Steinbeck list?
I read other stuff in between. I made a chronological list (publication date) and I followed it but I did read other stuff throughout. I think he wrote around 25 works plus his letters and then I read three biographies. Altogether it was around 30 books I believe. I spread them out over 10 months.
A Reading Life is not even a year old? Brava, my friend! You’ve created something truly lovely. I love what you said about your heart versus your brain. I can see how that might make reading selections challenging. You’re doing it right though 🤗👏🏽
Thank you so much! I had a newsletter before A Reading Life but didn't write about books because I was insecure and also knew it would be a lot of work and I wasn't sure I would be able to sustain it. I was right about it being a lot of work but also finding that when you are working on something you are truly excited about, you kind of don't mind putting in the hours.
I find that too! Sometimes friends will say they don't know how I write a full essay every week, but I just love it so much! And having the (albeit self-imposed) weekly deadline really helps my procrastinator tendencies.
Yes, totally! I think something about the rhythm or habit of sitting down every week and thinking about reading/writing/what's going on around me and asking myself: what/who do you want to talk to people about this week? Just pushes me in a way that I need.
Also, how phenomenal is it that Miranda July started a Substack?! I am trying my best not to fangirl all over it…
2024 was the first year of many when I didn’t set a reading goal on GoodReads. I felt like I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself to “accomplish” reading and it was taking the joy out of it. I probably read fewer books this year — I’m not counting — but I tried to read more deeply and with focus. I think I might skip the goal next year, too.
Gosh. I know. Setting a number goal for reading is just the worst idea anyone ever had. I am so glad we are all learning how to listen to our own hearts and do what actually feels better.
I absolutely love the idea of developing "reading projects" & "directions to explore" rather than rigid goals --a perfect way to balance being a mood reader and a planner. I've always felt very similarly in-between, and what you've written about your system resonates! I'd love to be a Kitimura completionist, too-- have only read Intimacies but adored it and think about it often. And I can't wait to hear how the 5+ Ernaux project goes for you!!
What I love about the 5+ project and keeping a TBR by author is that you can still read what feels right in the moment but it's building up to .. SOMETHING.
Re: Kitamura, earlier this year we went to Greece on vacation and we spent a week on Naxos, which is one of the islands in the Santorini group. I just had this eerie feeling that I'd been there before and it felt kind of foreboding.... until I realized that my body had this really insane memory of Katie's book 'Separation' ... which is partially set on Santorini. It was the oddest experience and I even DM-ed her about it and she love it. Her new book, Audition, is coming out in the spring and there is so much buzz about it, they are already out of galleys! I am so excited.
I am intrigued by this Ernaux project too; as someone who hasn't yet read her work (I know, I know...) I was browsing a bookshop the other day and realised how many she had written! And they were all fairly short...something I love, and I thought: I need to get started on these books soon!!
Let's do something about this together. I have a couple of her books at home but haven't read anything yet either! And all my favorites quote her as an inspiration - Lauren Elkin, etc.
Thank you, Petra! I feel like I'm following in your wake as I begin my experiment in Slow Reading. It took days to select the 5 books for this first experiment which were chosen from 3 years of happenstance purchases from a local book sale. I feel the first shimmerings of a conversation between them.
I love how this post is simultaneously reminding me that I never finished my Didion piece (ugh) and also that it's probably ok I didn't but will eventually (🥹). I never used to feel guilty about my reading choices until I started writing about them??? Like announcing to the world what I would read and then not reading it... what a meta moment! I am learning to let that go but also not to set myself up for failure, which I hope is reflected in Subverse in 2025...
I love that we are all having these conversations about author completionism & the 5+ club and everything in between! It has been so wonderful to have people to talk about this stuff with. I realized that truly is why I started my substack (and bookstagram!) - not many people IRL around me read and I love love love connecting with others, not just reading in a vacuum.
anyways, thanks for your radical honesty and bookish insight 🖤
I second this! It’s been so wonderful to connect to other readers. You and Petya do such a fantastic job creating a cozy community that I love and feel grateful to be a part of where I can talk about books and get recs from people whose taste I trust. (Reading a NYT critique just doesn’t hit for me.) 💥❤️🔥
I am so proud that you know that I would never even consider pressuring you to read and/or write about anything, Didion included. I have suffered from severe burnout several times and my biggest fear is that I will end up putting so much pressure on myself and ruin my reading life with Substack. I refuse.
Remember, you have a big girl job and the level of effort you are putting into your Substack is enormous. It shows and we love your newsletter so much but nobody would want you to be stressed out about it. OK. Well, maybe a little stressed out... because that's the good kind of stress. Book-stack is such a workaholic corner of the Substack universe 😂😂😂
The completionism and the 5+ club feel such rich ideas to me. I know so many of us around here feel a need? pressure? to read more broadly... but I also feel like there is something so profound about going deep on an author. It's not the same as simply reading more books, completionism is just a whole different category of understanding. I am so on board.
Re: the community... I have thought about that a lot. Why are book conversations on Substack so great, why can't I just talk to people IRL about books in the same way... But the thing is... the space between us make it easier to share vulnerably, and it's through WRITING that many of us do our best thinking... I am not especially articulate here but I decidedly LESS articulate when I talk about books. This is definitely my favorite medium. 😂😂
Lovely post and I totally relate to that. I often read something that’s not on my original list! But it’s okay to procrastinate or not start a book, as long as you are reading happily, it’s fine! But I do sometimes force myself not to annotate too many quotes in a book, I feel like if I shouldn’t annotate everything, that’s why it is a ‘highlight’. Ultimately, just do what you want and read what you want! Happy reading♥️📖
Oh gosh, I so relate to the experience of going too hard with annotations. That's why I decided to only annotate my most favorite books and let the rest of them go. In an ideal world we would do it all, but sadly, not an option for me.
My favorite experience -- which is one of the things that I love about being a mood reader -- is when you find yourself "cheating" on your reading by reading a book that you are too excited about... When you get a hold of something that you are so thrilled about that you abandon whatever it is that you are reading currently mid-way or skip lunch or start reading at 10PM because you just can't wait... Impatience at its best!!!
I agree and I do that all the time! I’m about halfway through this book and it’s December! So of course I’m gonna abandon it and put my Christmas read first😂
Petya, I spent a year with John Steinbeck which was a profound experience. Not only did I read all of his works, I did it in chronological order of when they were published. I was able to see his development as a writer and it gave me a much better perspective on him.
I love how you combine a plan with some spontaneity! As you know, I also use a plan but give myself lots of latitude to deviate as desired. I am looking forward to this next year and I can't wait to hear about your own reading experiences.
I am so jealous of your Steinbeck year!!! I got a little glimpse of that with my Didion October and it was just so fulfilling. Something about the intensity of the experience, just going back to back on the work made it so much deeper. In yoga, we are always saying that all you have to do is show up, you don't have to TRY especially hard to progress forward or change. I feel like that type of reading project is similar - don't overthink it, just read the books one at a time but keep reading .. and the change in understanding just comes. That's what Amor Towles and his reading group seem to be doing - mostly author projects, one by one. Mostly older stuff. I am thinking on how to do a project like that - want to pick an author that I've read some so that I know I would like them but also someone with a rich enough body of work...
I have taken a lot of inspiration from staring at your spreadsheets. I am trying to let go of my tendency to think about my reading choices as an all-or-nothing propositions. Not wanting to have a specific plan should not have to mean that all intentionality should go out the door. Thank you so much!
Absolutely. I think if you build some sort of a framework it helps to keep you honest and intentional. If there is something on your plan that you really don’t like you can always discard it and move on to something else. Also, sometimes what we are reading will lead us down interesting rabbit holes in search of something wonderful. As I read through Steinbeck’s works I also read several biographies of him and this enabled me to correlate things in his life with aspects of his writing. Then I explored his personal letters which was an entirely different level of insight.
I don’t know that I would do something that intense every year but it was a great experience. I love Amor Towles but wasn’t familiar with his reading group’s practices. That is very cool.
Just occurred me.... did you read them back to back or did you allow for other books in between and just made sure that you were making progress on the Steinbeck list?
I read other stuff in between. I made a chronological list (publication date) and I followed it but I did read other stuff throughout. I think he wrote around 25 works plus his letters and then I read three biographies. Altogether it was around 30 books I believe. I spread them out over 10 months.
As the kids say... you are GOALS.
I think I will try this next year. Just reading about your experience makes my heart race. I have to. 😂😂😂
I love how you always dig deep to reveal your reading self, Petya ❤️
Check my conversation with Matthew! I will need help figuring out my author for 2025!
Oohhh...that's going to take some thought...
A Reading Life is not even a year old? Brava, my friend! You’ve created something truly lovely. I love what you said about your heart versus your brain. I can see how that might make reading selections challenging. You’re doing it right though 🤗👏🏽
Thank you so much! I had a newsletter before A Reading Life but didn't write about books because I was insecure and also knew it would be a lot of work and I wasn't sure I would be able to sustain it. I was right about it being a lot of work but also finding that when you are working on something you are truly excited about, you kind of don't mind putting in the hours.
I find that too! Sometimes friends will say they don't know how I write a full essay every week, but I just love it so much! And having the (albeit self-imposed) weekly deadline really helps my procrastinator tendencies.
And for me, oddly enough, writing every week is easier than writing less frequently. Is it the same for you?
Yes, totally! I think something about the rhythm or habit of sitting down every week and thinking about reading/writing/what's going on around me and asking myself: what/who do you want to talk to people about this week? Just pushes me in a way that I need.
Also, how phenomenal is it that Miranda July started a Substack?! I am trying my best not to fangirl all over it…
OMG… @Abra McAndrew and I got a little surprised by that booty video in the Subscriber chat… but YES. The comments on her substack are wild.
Ahh, that makes sense. I'm so glad you made the switch!!
2024 was the first year of many when I didn’t set a reading goal on GoodReads. I felt like I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself to “accomplish” reading and it was taking the joy out of it. I probably read fewer books this year — I’m not counting — but I tried to read more deeply and with focus. I think I might skip the goal next year, too.
Gosh. I know. Setting a number goal for reading is just the worst idea anyone ever had. I am so glad we are all learning how to listen to our own hearts and do what actually feels better.
I absolutely love the idea of developing "reading projects" & "directions to explore" rather than rigid goals --a perfect way to balance being a mood reader and a planner. I've always felt very similarly in-between, and what you've written about your system resonates! I'd love to be a Kitimura completionist, too-- have only read Intimacies but adored it and think about it often. And I can't wait to hear how the 5+ Ernaux project goes for you!!
What I love about the 5+ project and keeping a TBR by author is that you can still read what feels right in the moment but it's building up to .. SOMETHING.
Re: Kitamura, earlier this year we went to Greece on vacation and we spent a week on Naxos, which is one of the islands in the Santorini group. I just had this eerie feeling that I'd been there before and it felt kind of foreboding.... until I realized that my body had this really insane memory of Katie's book 'Separation' ... which is partially set on Santorini. It was the oddest experience and I even DM-ed her about it and she love it. Her new book, Audition, is coming out in the spring and there is so much buzz about it, they are already out of galleys! I am so excited.
I am intrigued by this Ernaux project too; as someone who hasn't yet read her work (I know, I know...) I was browsing a bookshop the other day and realised how many she had written! And they were all fairly short...something I love, and I thought: I need to get started on these books soon!!
Let's do something about this together. I have a couple of her books at home but haven't read anything yet either! And all my favorites quote her as an inspiration - Lauren Elkin, etc.
Yes!! If something is good enough for Lauren…
Such a powerful, thought-provoking issue, Petya!
This is going in my journal today:
“Didion taught me that precision needn't preclude passion, that one could be both meticulous and moved” 🥹.
So glad! Do not force yourself into choices you don't need to make!!!
Thank you, Petra! I feel like I'm following in your wake as I begin my experiment in Slow Reading. It took days to select the 5 books for this first experiment which were chosen from 3 years of happenstance purchases from a local book sale. I feel the first shimmerings of a conversation between them.
WHICH ONES!!!!!
Shown in opening graphic of https://gratitudemojo.substack.com/p/slow-reading-an-experiment. About to go read your post on annotating. ;-)
I love how this post is simultaneously reminding me that I never finished my Didion piece (ugh) and also that it's probably ok I didn't but will eventually (🥹). I never used to feel guilty about my reading choices until I started writing about them??? Like announcing to the world what I would read and then not reading it... what a meta moment! I am learning to let that go but also not to set myself up for failure, which I hope is reflected in Subverse in 2025...
I love that we are all having these conversations about author completionism & the 5+ club and everything in between! It has been so wonderful to have people to talk about this stuff with. I realized that truly is why I started my substack (and bookstagram!) - not many people IRL around me read and I love love love connecting with others, not just reading in a vacuum.
anyways, thanks for your radical honesty and bookish insight 🖤
I second this! It’s been so wonderful to connect to other readers. You and Petya do such a fantastic job creating a cozy community that I love and feel grateful to be a part of where I can talk about books and get recs from people whose taste I trust. (Reading a NYT critique just doesn’t hit for me.) 💥❤️🔥
well you are a literal angel on earth so its quite easy 😉😊
😭🫂 Ditto! You two are my book angels.
🥹🥹🥹
And I shall read Pessoa because of you! 🤓📚❤️
I am so proud that you know that I would never even consider pressuring you to read and/or write about anything, Didion included. I have suffered from severe burnout several times and my biggest fear is that I will end up putting so much pressure on myself and ruin my reading life with Substack. I refuse.
Remember, you have a big girl job and the level of effort you are putting into your Substack is enormous. It shows and we love your newsletter so much but nobody would want you to be stressed out about it. OK. Well, maybe a little stressed out... because that's the good kind of stress. Book-stack is such a workaholic corner of the Substack universe 😂😂😂
The completionism and the 5+ club feel such rich ideas to me. I know so many of us around here feel a need? pressure? to read more broadly... but I also feel like there is something so profound about going deep on an author. It's not the same as simply reading more books, completionism is just a whole different category of understanding. I am so on board.
Re: the community... I have thought about that a lot. Why are book conversations on Substack so great, why can't I just talk to people IRL about books in the same way... But the thing is... the space between us make it easier to share vulnerably, and it's through WRITING that many of us do our best thinking... I am not especially articulate here but I decidedly LESS articulate when I talk about books. This is definitely my favorite medium. 😂😂
We are a workaholic corner right??? Ugh big girl jobs ruin the party again lol
Beautifully said 🖤
19th century housewives under pressure - lol this is a nice theme. I wonder how I can join Towles reading group
I’m reading Middlemarch right now and I’m loving it.