reading rules

I made them up!!

Hey! You’re here. Thank you.

How are you holding up? It’s all….. a lot. It feels a little silly to tap out a newsletter about books and reading with all that is going on around us. But when has that ever not been the case? And yet here we are. Here you are. And we still need books. I need books, that is for sure.

Do you know those signs that people put in their lawns that say “In this house we believe…” and list out basic core progressive values? They are everywhere in my little town. Like anything you stick on a lawn sign or a bumper sticker the message starts to feel like cheap virtue signaling, but nonetheless I love the idea of stating simply and plainly what you believe. Corny as it may be, I like the idea of creating a list of your values and making them visible.

With this mission in mind, I thought I would create a list of my reading values. I spend a truly insane amount of time thinking about books, talking about books, and, of course, actually reading books. If you’ve read this newsletter for any amount of time you know it’s more than a hobby for me.

So what are the principles that anchor this way of life?

I feel a little silly just listing out “rules” but I really do believe in these and they serve me well so I want to share them with you.

I’m going to channel my inner Fran Lebowitz and just tell you what I believe.

But you know the real trick of it? I made it all up! So, please, in the comments tell me your made up rules for reading.

Reading is a morally neutral hobby

This is not exactly a hot take, but I think it’s worth saying. Reading is morally neutral. Reading in your free time no more makes you a good person than watching Love Island on a constant loop makes you a bad person.

Do I think reading can build empathy and help a person look outside themselves? Of course! Do I think helping young people build a practice of reading for pleasure can set them up for success in life? Duh!

For me, reading is a cornerstone of a life well lived. That said, I realize that many, many people do not spend their precious free time this way and it’s possible to live a rich, meaningful life without ever cracking a book spine.

So take the pressure off!! Read if you want to. Read one book, read ten books, read one hundred books. It’s what you do with what books give you that actually matters.

The number of books you read doesn’t actually matter to anyone besides you and you get to decide how much it matters to you.

For those of us who read for pleasure, it can be so easy to turn reading into just another mountain to climb. Just another box to check on the self-actualization to do list. Once again, I have to refer to my queen Fran Lebowitz.

I love reading challenges like The Stacks Mega Reading Challenge because it connects me with a community of readers and forces me to read outside of my comfort zone. Plus I live for the dopamine hit of hitting goals I set for myself.

The number of books you read really only has meaning in the context of your own life! So if you want to read more books that’s a fun and laudable goal, but don’t forget that it’s also very personal and probably no one cares about or is judging your “numbers.”

I love using Storygraph to track my progress toward my reading goals. It’s instant dopamine and gives me a sense of control in a world that feels out of control. But I also really try to remember that I made this mountain up.

Read for pleasure sometimes, read to learn sometimes, and always leave room for overlap between the two.

Once again, this seems obvious, but it’s worth repeating, right? Reading for pleasure is essential to my well-being. When I discovered romance novels I was shocked to learn we are allowed to have this much fun. But as I continued to read in the romance genre, with the help of my romance fairy godmother Grace, I quickly learned that these books are much more than just “pleasure reading.” Romance novels are a container in which I have read about grief, neurodivergence, consent, recovery, class inequality and more, more, more. And that’s all before I read Heated Rivalry….

I wrote about reading for pleasure vs. reading for a better world immediately after the 2024 election and it’s a principle that has served me well in the time since. We can do both and sometimes (shocker!) the binary between the two is not set in stone.

Ask people what they are reading.

Every Friday on my instagram I ask my followers what they are reading and share some responses in my stories. It’s a simple tradition that I absolutely love. I know this seems obvious, but if you know someone who is a reader: ask them what they are reading. Reading is wonderfully solitary, but it’s so much richer when you can talk about it with someone else. So just ask!

Build your own canon.

I think many of us feel reading shame (boo!) because we are taught that reading only really counts if you read certain capital B Books. The canon etc.. etc..

But if there is one thing I believe in as a reader and a bookseller it’s building your own canon. Pretend you are in charge (spoiler: you are!) and pick the books you would place at the center of your own life.

You already know mine, but I still put them together here because just seeing those books together makes my heart pitter patter and reminds me why the practice of reading is one I will cling to for my whole life if I can.

Yes, I finished The Long Game. No, I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am it’s over for you fools.

me trying to talk about the books I love.

Even if you are like me and you think about books constantly, I think there is so much value in returning to your own canon, reminding yourself of the books that built you and continue to shape your world.

Okay I think that’s enough pontificating for one day! Tell me in the comments. What are you YOUR rules for reading?? Let’s make them up together.

I love you.

I’m glad you’re here.

Love,

Rosamond

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