How To Fall In Love With Books

I’m a firm believer that there is no such thing as a “non-reader.” Actually, I think that saying you hate reading books is a little like saying you hate eating food. You may hate certain types of food, but you still like food, right? Reading is the same, and if you disagree I would argue that you just haven’t found the right book yet! So how do you figure out which books YOU personally enjoy? Here’s a few things I have found helpful in my own life:

1. Track your reading and watch for patterns in it. Keeping a simple list of what you are reading helps you pay attention both to what you ARE reading and what you’re NOT. If your list mainly consists of fiction books, maybe it’s time to stop buying so much nonfiction? This doesn’t mean you have to swear off nonfiction reading forever; the point is that you are going to enjoy reading so much more if you aren’t trying to power through a book you hate. When I started tracking my reading a few years ago I quickly realized that I rarely finish theology books. This isn’t because I dislike studying theology; I just don’t enjoy the style that many contemporary theologians write in. I prefer to get my study of theology from biographies of great men and women of faith and those who write in a conversational, real-life style. So I stopped buying those chunky theology books and instead I sprinkle books like The Screwtape Letters, The Hiding Place, and Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Duggar Vuolo throughout my year.

2. Don’t try to recreate someone else’s reading list. Every year, around January 1, I find myself browsing other people’s reading lists. Years ago I would copy down their lists, determined to read every single book I saw someone recommend online (really I just want to read ALL THE BOOKS😬). Any idea how many times I finished those lists? Yup, ZERO. I’ve yet to meet someone who loves reading who simply reads what other people tell them to. I don’t have the exact same reading tastes as anyone I know, and I doubt you do either. This is what makes reading such an individual, creative hobby! By all means, pay attention to book recommendations that spark your interest, but don’t try to follow someone else’s reading plan.

3. Don’t feel guilty for reading a lot by the same author. It used to bother me when I would read a lot by the same author; it can feel, in a world with an endless amount of options to read, like we should be sampling from lots of different authors, styles, and genres. But remember how we have been talking about reading for depth, not width? Depth is best achieved when we are reading similar things, whether it’s works of the same author, books in the same genre, or a topic that we want to explore further. Sarah Mackenzie goes so far as to say we should choose a “literary mentor,” an author whose works are sprinkled throughout our year. She is referring to classic, time-tested authors, but the principle applies to any author we truly love reading.

4. Don’t put yourself in a box. Anytime I meet someone new and they ask what I do for fun my first answer is always reading; they usually follow by asking what kind of books I read. Honestly, I hate answering that question, mainly because trying to answer it succinctly is pretty much impossible. I once had someone interrupt me as I tried to answer and respond with “Oh, so you basically read novels?” with a slight tone of derision in their voice. Yes, I love reading novels; I think fiction holds so much value for our lives in so many different ways. But I also like classic theology like I mentioned earlier; I love reading practical books that teach you how to be a better parent, how to homeschool well, how to manage a home, etc. I love children’s literature and poetry, books that make me think deeply about ideas that are so much bigger than my own small world, books that challenge the way I think about things. Don’t be afraid to love many kinds of books, and don’t be afraid to hate others. Let your reading life carve its own path.

Let me issue you a challenge today: if you aren’t sure that you actually like reading, then take the next month and try. Try a different style of book (I know many who have fallen in love with reading through children’s books), pay attention to what you are reading (and what you’re not), read another book by an author you already like, and be brave enough to pick your own book. Learn to have fun reading, if not for yourself then for your kids, who won’t enjoy reading if you don’t. You really are their first role model.