Slow reading my way through life

An appreciation for slow reading and sharing some pebbles

The end of the month seems to catch me by surprise each time. Time is just flying by these days, and I cannot fathom how quickly the days seem to pass, but here we are, at the end of another month.

As we have reached this half year mark, my social media platforms (YouTube and TikTok) have been filled up with creators showing us how many books they have read the past six months or how many books they finished in June. People have been reading! Looking back on my own reading year, I am…satisfied. Which is a bit surprising to me, due to the fact that I have not had many books I have devoured or been extremely hyped about. Nor read an insane amount of books like I have during some years.

Yet, I find myself very much satisfied with my reading habits, my reading vibe and with my actual reading. It is…calm? I have been in a whirlwind this spring, or well, to be fair I have been in a whirlwind the last twelve months - but that deserves its own post later on. So, that my reading cup feels filled up with satisfaction and calmness, is a good thing that I am really appreciating.

The one change that helped me find this tranquility in my reading mood and vibe, is slowing down my reading speed. I have been slow reading a lot more this year, and it has become very clear that this is where my satisfaction comes from. Spending a lot more time with each book has brought me more joy than anticipated. And even when I have to speed ahead (I could not put Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel down!), I was very much savoring every page.

This month, I have actually only finished one book, which also became a personal favorite, Flowers to Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Maybe I’ll actually finish one of my current reads this upcoming weekend, but I am not rushing anything. I am just…existing in this calmness, where there is no rush to do anything or finish anything within a certain date.

At the start of my writing journey here, I was still in a bookstagram mode. Reading and writing reviews as fast as possible, to stay up to date, to not miss a weekly review or produce a relevant post. Now however, I am at a point where I do not want or need to rush. I just want to read for my own pleasure, to review when I have something to say about the book.

I’ve noticed that because I spend more time in here, my writing vibe has changed. Inspired by other writers, my head and commonplace notebook has been filled up with ideas, quotes, thoughts - some bookish, some not - about things I would like to write about. I am yet to decide how I want to structure this newsletter and how my weekly post to you should be. Do I have the energy and time to write more? Or do I stick to my calm and weekly newsletter? How much do people want to hear from me? Do I have anything to say?

What I do know, is that I will need some structure and time. Otherwise it won’t work, I am very mindful about my energy, my writing and overall what I want to spend my time doing. So for now, I am going to stick to the weekly newsletter on Thursday’s. However, do not be surprised if there suddenly comes an extra newsletter here and there.

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

The pebbles

This newfound rhythm of life, has found its way into more parts of my life including how I read posts on Substack. At the very start I was trying to read as many different newsletters as possible, mainly so I could find the ones for me, but also to have a bunch of good recommendations to give. Lately, I have slowed it all down, making it more of a habit to spend more time with each post that I find interesting.

It has been delightful as I have found myself returning to certain publications on multiple occasions as something has reminded me of them or something they wrote about. This month I have found a few pebbles that have left me, well, very satisfied:

• The most memorable characters by

  ItsBookTalk & More

  To me, characters are memorable if I’m able to bring them to mind quickly, remembering names and details as if they are real people who made a lasting impression. Because I read so many books each year, to remember these characters, often years later, is a big deal. They stand the test of time.

  Oh, I loved this post. It had me go down my own memory lane, remembering some of my absolute favorite characters in books I’ve read. Each one of them making an imprint on me, to the point where it feels like they are my old friends. They bring back not only memories of the stories they told, but of my own life - where I was, what I was going through, where I read this story and who was with me at the time.
  
  I cried for Addie, I laughed and learned to actual like math with Rocky, I went on a long journey with the fellowship and with so many others. I am such a character driven reader.

• Why you should read what you love by

  Lover of Stories

  I know not everyone is going to love the books I read. And at the end of the day it doesn’t matter — because I love the books I read.

  This was such a good post about reading the books you love and not feel pressured to read things that might not be your cup of tea by others. I have not thought about it before, but I came to realize that my time on bookstagram, kind of did that. The hyper fixation on certain books, the very clear message that if you did not like this book you were not a good reader, the uncomfortable feeling of “now I am about to say a very unpopular opinion about this book” - it was gradually pushing me to avoid to say outright that this book was not for me. Luckily for me, this is one the parts of my life I have never been afraid of standing for my own opinion - but it still did feel uncomfortable.

  
  That shift, that it was no longer about you actually reading, but more about what I was reading was what in the end started to me to dislike that part of the community more and more. I loved the challenges it brought, exposing me for new authors and genres, interesting and complex debates - but I hated the entitlement certain creators had in telling you what you should and should not read.
  

• Sorry I was late, I was ruining a man’s day by

  Jess Pan

  It was hard to watch myself shape shift into a nosy aunt at Christmas saying, “The clock’s ticking.” I was now part of the problem. It was like a cycle of abuse: it had been done to me and then I did it to Walter. Deep down I merely wanted men (or at least one man) to carry that anxiety with us for once.

  This is one of those posts I have come back to a million times this month. I have not commented, just liked it. But it is STILL on my mind. I am a happily child free woman, and even when everyone kept telling me I would change my mind if x, y and z happened - I have spent an absurdly amount of time actually discussing this topic not only with myself, but my closest female friends. Such a good post - they should share that anxiety with us.
  

• “Can you tell me something helpful?” by

  Chris Guillebeau

  “Can you tell me something hopeful?” 
  Yes, I told her. We will both be better this year.
  How do you know? she asked.
  I just know. 

  A post that not only is saved on my app, but I have also written down a few of the quotes in my notebook that I carry with me everywhere. Sometimes, you just need one thing to look forward to. Hope can be so elusive, at least it has been for me for a while, but this post reminded me of the very important part of it: often, hope can be found if we go looking for it.
  

• Under the sea by

  M. E. Rothwell

  There’s an old legend of uncertain origin that tells the story of Alexander the Great descending into the sea in the confines of a glass barrel. Why he did so depends on which version you read.

  Is it a silly story that most likely is not true?
  Yes.
  
  Did I still google it on multiple occasions?
  Yes, I did.
  
  Did I tell my coworkers about this funny but very nerdy newsletter I follow and show them all the pretty pictures?
  Yes, I did.
  
  Sometimes you just need to embrace your inner nerd.

Five wonderful pebbles that have kept me company in June!
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨