Reading - Blog Posts
how to start reading again
from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.
start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.
don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.
go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.
remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)
analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.
read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.
finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.
try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.
forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.
remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!
stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.
Paras asia kun lukee kirjaa: Ei mainoksia. Ei yhtäkään. Vaan kirja johon voi kadota maailmasta muutamaks tunniks.
Muummoassa tän takia kirjat ei toivottavasti oo katoomassa mihinkään.
Best thing about reading books: No ads. None. Only a book you can disappear into for a few hours leaving the world behind.
This among other things is why books hopefully aren't going anywhere.
Me when someone asks who my favorite member of the inner circle is
i will be reading this, thank you kindly
I just read a fanfic set in the second Osomatsu-san movie, in which Ichimatsu actually does reach for Karamatsu when he finds him sitting alone in the park.
It's such a sweet fic, even though the interactions are fictional for all intents and purposes (since 18!Karamatsu is just a memory), seeing Ichimatsu think back to his relationship with his brother and how it changed (for the worse) and how HE changed (for the better) is both funny and bittersweet.
Also I just really appreciate that the fic acknowledges that the way Karamatsu is as an adult is, in many ways, what he wanted to be but was too afraid to as a teen.
Fic linked as a source!
Just ordered 3 books off of ThriftBooks! 📚 Haven't read a physical book in a minute 😅
Ooh I'm excited ☺️
Toni Carson - Writer on Reedsy Prompts
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/toni-carson/page/
Hey 👋🏾
I wanted to share some of my writing.
So, I bought a charcoal set. And, I looked up the differences between graphite pencils (I love research) and time to work on drawing people and landscapes.
Hey y'all 💜. I was wondering if this is legit? Cause it seems interesting, but kinda to good to be true, when I was looking at it.
Hey, y'all! 👋
So...I wrote something, and I would love if y'all read it. 💜
Here's a cookie🍪
Referral Time
https://upvir.al/ref/eQ26833469 BookLovers, I present a giveaway for book-related merch! Click the link and enter the giveaway (only if you want to, of course). Here's a virtual cookie 🍪 for incentive!
*ACENDS* BRO. THIS IS AMAZING! CANT WAIT FOR CHAPTER 3!!!!
Cedric is honored by the royal family beyond anything he could have imagined. But just when things couldn't be better, a familiar threat emerges...
@bettathanyou @moonypears-blog @fantadym (You guys are the best).
A little while ago the power went out. In the past when that happened I would just sit around and try to get the internet working again. However - this time around I got up and went outside to the porch. I just read a book listening to the rain hit the houses exterior. That is till a wasp got mad at me for existing- It’s not much but it’s improvement from the person I was, so I’ll take it.
𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒
Catherine “Kate” Elizabeth (née Middleton)
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𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒾𝓉𝓁𝑒
Her Royal Highness Catherine The Princess of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Countess of Chester, & The Duchess of Rothesay
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𝐵𝓸𝓇𝓃
Saturday, January 9th, 1982 in Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, England
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𝒫𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈
Father: Michael Francis Middleton
Mother: Carole Elizabeth (née Goldsmith) Middleton
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𝒮𝒾𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈
Younger Sister: Philippa “Pippa” Charlotte (née Middleton) Matthews
Younger Brother: James William Middleton
Brother In Law: His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry), The Duke of Sussex
Brother In Law: James Matthews
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𝒩𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑒𝓌𝓈
Oldest Nephew: Arthur Michael William Matthews
Oldest Niece: Grace Elizabeth Jane Matthews
Youngest Nephew: Prince Archie of Sussex
Youngest Niece: Princess Lilibett of Sussex
────── ღೋ 👑 ღೋ ──────
𝒮𝓅𝓸𝓊𝓈𝑒
His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales (M. 2011)
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𝒞𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃
Oldest Son: His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales
Daughter: Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales
Youngest Son: His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Wales
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𝐸𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓸𝓃:
English - Language Nursery School
St. Andrews School
Downe House School
Marlborough College
University of St. Andrews: Master of Arts in History of Art
British Institute of Florence
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𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓈
Culture
Chilean Culture
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Biology
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𝒫𝒶𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓈
Founder Patron:
The Royal Foundation of The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge
Honorary Life Membership:
The Marylebone Cricket Club
Membership:
Tuvalu Order of Merit
Other Work:
Accessory Buyer: Jigsaw
Ambassador: The 2012 Summer Olympics
Co-Designer: The Royal Horticultural Society
Competitor: King’s Cup Yacht Regatta
Contributor: HuffPost UK - Young Minds Matter Movement
Crew Member: The World Challenge Boats
Deck Hand: The Port of Southhampton
Event Coordinator: The Boodles Boxing Ball
Family Business: Catalogue Design & Production, Marketing, & Photography
Fundraiser Organizer: Place2Be
Initiated Heads Together with the Duke of Cambridge & Duke of Sussex
Member: The Lumsden Club
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Part Time Waitress
Patron:
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East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices
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The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists
okay it got better for sureeee!!
its a bit of a slow start for me personally, but i thoroughly enjoyed the 2/3 and then the 3/3 even more!
im not sure if i will get the sequel or not, ill read a few more books and see if im still thinking about emily wilde after that.
spoilers below
wendell and emily’s dynamic is hilarious after the proposal. they are so direct with each other normally, but when it comes to romance they just avoid actually speaking of it as such.
i really enjoyed how the town accepted emily’s way of being, that she is not good with attention or small talk or pleasantries. they didnt demand any kind of thanks from her, they knew she was thankful without it.
3.5/5 ⭐️
im reading emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries right now and im not sure how i feel about it.
like i like it dont get me wrong. i eat anything up that has fairies of any kind.
but im a very.. emotional person, and so the format of the book being emily’s diary, and her being quite a.. professional and almost stoic? person, doesnt quite engage me as much.
maybe she taps into her emotions later in the story (i’m about a 1/3 of the way through) so idk!! thats just my thoughts so far
im reading emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries right now and im not sure how i feel about it.
like i like it dont get me wrong. i eat anything up that has fairies of any kind.
but im a very.. emotional person, and so the format of the book being emily’s diary, and her being quite a.. professional and almost stoic? person, doesnt quite engage me as much.
maybe she taps into her emotions later in the story (i’m about a 1/3 of the way through) so idk!! thats just my thoughts so far
I can’t believe we never shared this one on tumblr! I’m thinking about making a gif showing each layer but I’m not sure...
This here’s a rough sketch of Lilith, a bounty hunter in X-Key.
I just finished reading all 3 books from the A Good Girls Guide To Murder series plus the prequel and all I can think about is how in the first book on the literal second page with the rules for Pips project it says "There is to be NO CONTACT made with either of the family's." And the first thing she did after having the topic approved was go and knock on Ravis door. 😭😭😭
Stfu I'm reading fanfics about little subby bitch boys
Unreliable narrator except they’re not unreliable they’re straight up lying about everything and the other narrator has to keep correcting them.
Narrator 1: I’m telling you, they’re alive. It was just a little burn.
Narrator 2: They are not, in fact, alive. They jumped into an erupting volcano.
if you traumatize him, they will come
----a person who's really good at writing hot guys
You know you have a type when you are on a rode trip reading Fahrenheit 451 and listening to Play With Fire by Sam Tinnesz.
Was thinking about, Cure for the Common Universe last night...
Almost cried.
Would recommend.
Yeah...
Usually it’s video games instead of music but this is pretty much accurate hehe
So what I do is I read books that came out this year exclusively in print and I read decades-old classic literature in my emails.
Mainly I do this in order to defy god’s will.