Has anyone else been meaning to read more
On resolutions and reading
Years ago at a party I hosted in college, a friend pointed at my bookshelf and asked how many of those books I’d actually read. The party attendees laughed at the provocation. They were English majors, a demographic with a tendency to acquire and display books. And, being English majors, they also knew that many people prefer displaying books to reading them.
At the time, I was able to honestly say that it would be easier to point out the books I hadn’t read. But years have passed, my bookshelf has grown larger, and the ratio has flipped.
When I talk to people in their 20s and older about their reading habits, many express with slight guilt or wistfulness that they don’t read as much as they probably should or as much as they’d like to. Some have barely read since high school or college. Others, despite their January ambitions, don’t reach their reading goals by the end of the year.
I’m solidly among the latter, having set lofty reading goals since my freshman year in college without being able to complete them. Every January, I think to myself, this will be the year. I’ll read in the evenings. I’ll carve out time on the weekends. If I read even two books a month, that’ll be twenty-four books by the end of the year. Twenty-four is close to twenty-five, so surely I can swing the nice round number. And every year, I’m wrong.
Some years I get closer than others. I read a particularly good book that reawakens my hunger to read, and I read two more that month. I read books with friends to help with accountability and to add the incentive of getting to discuss it with my friends along the way. But, always, I fall short.
There are endless explanations for why I—and many others—don’t read as much these days: shorter attention spans from social media, physically and mentally draining jobs, all of life’s other obligations. One that I don’t see cited as often despite plaguing me endlessly is the decision paralysis of choosing which book to read next. I told a friend I’d read this book, but I’ve had that book sitting on my shelf for years. There are so many books out there, and every moment reading one is a moment not spent reading another. I spend so much time and mental energy wallowing in my indecision that it often sours whatever book I end up choosing.
I’ve decided to try a different strategy for 2025: outsourcing my decision to a random number generator. I’ve catalogued the unread books on my shelf, and when I’m unsure of what I should read next, I’ll generate a random number that corresponds with a book on the list.
I don’t think I’ll go as far as to completely automate my decision-making since I want to leave room for my own shifting priorities, but I’m curious to see if this will make a difference. At the very least, I have a much clearer idea of how many books I’ve left unread on my shelves than I did several hours ago. And if there are any books you’d like to add to my list, I always welcome recommendations.
Personal Updates
Thanks for sticking around through the end of this post and the end of this year. This has been an odd, difficult year that didn’t go as I expected, but I’m glad I’ve been able to keep writing. I hope you (and I) will continue reading. Happy New Year <3
