re your tags on this post: "i post for the girls who used to read obsessively but can no longer pick up a book and also are no longer girls" - yes i would love some advice
How I started reading again, a guide by someone who read voraciously as a teen, stopped reading in college, but was able to pick it up again at age 27
1)Read the things you used to read when you liked to read. This one comes from TikTok, and is probably the best piece of advice here. You don’t have to read books for adults, whatever that even means. If you devoured a John Green YA novel back in the day, either reread the one you liked, or read one of his newer books you haven’t read yet. I fuckin DESTROYED the Hunger Games back in high school, so the Hunger Games is what I read to get me back into it.
2)Read the things you like to read as an adult. A corollary to the above, but like, I realized I like romance books. Teen me would have HATED that I like romance books. Suck it up, past me, we’re in the melodrama zone. This also works the other way. Maybe you loved h*rry p*tter as a kid but the terf-who-must-not-be-named has ruined it for you now, so skip those. Tip: Graphic novels, comics, and fan finction all count as reading!
3)Momentum is important. This manifests in a few ways.
3a)If you’re not feeling a book, HIT DA BRICKS. You don’t have to finish every book (or even most books!) you read. Even if you think you Should like it. Even if you’re like “well maybe this will get better,” but the thought of picking it up to look at it again feels like a chore. It’s not worth it. Remember how I reread Hunger Games? When I got to Mockingjay, it felt like a slog, so I put it down. Not worth it. Even though I had read it before and knew I liked it, I wasn’t feeling it! So I hit da bricks!
3b)Have a book already lined up to read and in your possession after the one that you are on. That doesn’t mean you have to keep the same order - so like, if you find a new book you’re excited about, but you already had one on deck, don’t be afraid to put the exciting one on deck instead. For me, this means grabbing a bunch of books by an author I know I like, or a series. (*But don’t buy a series or author until you know you like them! Because if you buy/borrow a ton of books, and you read the first one and realize you don’t like it, you’ll have a pile of Guilt Books staring at you and that isn’t good for anyone). Having a book on deck also helps keep momentum if you have to Hit da Bricks.
4)Sensory Considerations - hello fellow neurodivergent friends, this one is for you, especially. (Though it truly does apply to everyone!)
4a)Read where you’re comfy! I recommend this reading light because it charges easily, has a bendy neck, and clips on wherever you need it, so wherever your comfy spot is can now be your reading spot.
4b)Read what feels good, like, to your senses. For example, I know I prefer paperbacks because hardbacks are hard to hold (tactile). I also know I prefer owning a new book to borrowing from the library because library book smell bothers my nose.
4c)Hear what you want while you read. If you like silence, maybe this means investing in some active-noise-cancelling headphones if that’s something you can afford (this is a reasonably-priced pair that I own that works beautifully, maybe check for sales). If you like music, put that on. There are a lot of places to find chill wordless reading mixes online. But, if you have the particular brand of brain that I have, you’ll want something more upbeat that still does not have words. I suggest video game soundtracks! Darren Korb of Supergiant (Hades, Bastion) is a go-to for me, or Krelez on YouTube has great chiptune mixes.
Congrats! You’ve made it to the Book Rec Zone.
I’m not going to overwhelm you with a big list here. Rather, this is a choose-your-rpg-class kind of situation.
First Book: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Twenty-something son of US President and the youngest prince of the UK hate each other… until they don’t.
On Deck - Any other Casey McQuiston book.
First Book: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. Space opera with a lot of focus on the social differences among alien cultures, and how that plays out on a multi-species crew.
On Deck: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Next book in series. Have not actually read this yet bc I’m still waiting on my dang delivery from bookshop.org to come in)
First Book: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Also have not read this one yet, but it was a rec from a friend as an easy, devourable read, and I trust her. Gay love story between adults that take care of magical children, I think.
On Deck: Next book in series
First Book: Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World by Carl Hiaasen (yeah, the guy who wrote Hoot, which you probably read in middle school). This is super short (90 pages!) and was written in 1997, but is a really interesting dive into how weird and manipulatively shitty Disney can be. Good if you like Defunctland.
On Deck: Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor by Kim Kelly. Exactly what it says on the tin. Roommate is reading this and is a fan.
