Easy Ways To Read Books More Often
And magazines. And newspapers. It’s actually really important to the survival of democratic society.
After reading this Substack article about the dawn of the post-literate society, I’m worried about many of you out there.
People aren’t reading as much, and it is driving our world into being a darker, less democratic, and more hateful place. To say that things in the world are getting bleak is an understatement, and the lack of literacy is in part to blame. (please read that Substack article that I linked above after you finish this newsletter; it is pretty informative.
I can’t say why you’re not reading as much; that’s for you to pontificate on in the privacy of your own space. But if any of the following are an issue, let’s try to come up with some solutions together:
Lack Of Reading - Issue #1: No Time
Many believe that to read a book requires sitting down on a comfy couch and flipping through a tome for hours. And perhaps you see folks online talking about how many books they’ve read, and you think that because you can’t read 100 books a year that your efforts to read anything are worthless.
Neither of these statements are true.
If you have a book that you’re wanting to read, you could take it with you to read on your commute (if you take public transit), on your lunch break, or any other spare minutes that you might get during your day.
I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter if it takes you one day or one year to finish a book — the important thing is that you are making an effort to fit in reading.
And you don’t have to be sitting at home, cozy with a cup of tea (although that sounds nice). You can read anywhere.
If you have any hangups about reading audiobooks as opposed to physical books, then you should reconsider that view. Audiobooks are just as valid as physical books; I recommend a combination of both, but sometimes it is most convenient to read when you are washing dishes or driving on a road trip. And that’s fine.
Lack Of Reading - Issue #2: Lack Of Affordability
There are so many free or low-cost ways to read that I can’t begin to list them all here. But, I’m going to list a few.
Get a library card.
Libraries have always had it as a part of their mission to spread literacy to as many people as possible — and getting a card is almost always free! You generally have to show proof of residency if you’re getting a card in your neighborhood; usually, that’s a bill of some sort along with an ID, but check with your library on that.
My local library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, offers an incredible selection of books. But, it also offers so much more than that. Here’s a list of what they’ve got:
Read the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times for free
Free programs to learn languages
Access to Pressreader, which lets you read newspapers and magazines from across the country (and the world) for free
Career planning and assistance for free
Free access to historic copies of newspapers
Free access to Linkedin Learning courses
Movies through the Kanopy streaming platform for free
I can’t even list them all because the breadth of their offerings is so head-spinning; here’s a link to their Programs and Services page: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/programs/
Did I mention that EVERYTHING that the library offers is FREE?
Use the Libby App to listen to books (or read e-books)
Once you get a library card, you’ll have access to the Libby app, which is such an amazing resource, and I have read numerous books on the platform.
I mostly listen to books on Libby App when I’m cleaning or going through my morning routine (or eating lunch, since I work from home).
I have gotten through so many books that way — books that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to fit in due to my schedule.
Some of you with library cards will have access to Hoopla, a similar program to Libby. I advise you to take advantage of it.
Use Little Free Libraries (or other book exchanges in your neighborhood)
I showed love to Little Free Libraries in the last issue of The Manic Metallic Newsletter, and they deserve every piece of love that they get.
You get to leave books that you are done with for your neighbors, ensuring that the books are rehomed somewhere other than a landfill, and you can also take books that you are interested in back home to read.
You get to promote literacy in your wider community while engaging in becoming literate yourself. It’s a win-win.
You might have other ways of rehoming books in your community (flea markets, online social media sources, etc), and those are great resources as well.
Go thrifting
I have found some of my best art books by thrifting them! I’ve gotten books featuring the artistic work of Robert Mapplethorpe, Caravaggio, Alexander Lieberman, Edward Steichen, and so many others.
Art books are expensive! So I likely wouldn’t otherwise have been able to accumulate them as quickly as I have without thrifting them.
Here’s a tip: whenever you travel somewhere different, make time for any secondhand or thrift stores (because these stores aren’t necessarily the same) wherever you are. About 30 minutes will do, particularly if you know what type of work that you are looking for.
Sometimes, paid subscriptions are worth it and can be cost-effective
I subscribe to both Apple News+ and Spotify, and they have been amazing. Spotify gives me one place to stream audiobooks (15 hours per month) in addition to music and podcasts.
Apple News+ allows access to national and international newspapers and magazines for one convenient cost of $12.99. I could avoid this cost by using my library card’s resources, but I find that having both Apple News+ and the library card enrich my experience of reading for pleasure and staying informed.
I also have a few magazine subscriptions that I think are worth the cost. I digitally subscribe to New York Magazine because I love their work, but I also value having access to their archives (and their newsletters for paid subscribers are pretty cool too). I also subscribe to the physical version of Town and Country because it is interesting seeing their self-aware discourse on all things rich people. I also have a few subscriptions gifted to me that I love and would certainly recommend.
It might be nice to do a newsletter on all of my cultural influences (newspapers, magazines, museums, music, etc.). Let me know if that’d be something you’d be interested in!
Lack Of Reading - Issue #3: Short Attention Span Or You Dislike Reading
Okay, this one might present some challenges, but they’re not insurmountable.
The first thing I would say is that no one is asking that you become the 100-book-a-year person that shouts about every book that you’ve ever read. That would be insufferable, and some of those people who do that can be insufferable.
What I would suggest here for attention span issues is that you start small — read a magazine article. If it takes you a few days to read it, that is okay. Don’t let anyone shame you for not reading something quickly. Remember, all that matters is that you make the effort to read.
Once you begin being able to make your way through an article, then you can try two articles. And keep working your way up until you can read through a whole magazine. I’ll congratulate you ahead of time for doing that :)
In terms of books, I’d start with a chapter. Concentrate on finishing one chapter of a book, however long it takes you. Once you finish one chapter, finish the next chapter. And keep working your way up until you finish a whole book.
It doesn’t matter if it takes you a day, a month, or a year to finish reading. If you made the effort to do it — and you finish the book — then you’ve accomplished your goal.
For lack of interest issues, it’s simple: think of topics that you are interested in, and find books associated with those. If the book is heavy on visuals, then that’s fine. You can work your way up to more text-heavy materials. If the book is a biography on your favorite designer or musician, then that’s also fine.
What matters is that you make the effort to work up to reading books. There is something out there for everyone.
And our society depends on more of us making an effort to be able to read and comprehend the world around us.
As always, I appreciate you.
Liberty Imhoff