HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR READING? WHAT ARE MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES?
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.
– George R.R. Martin
For those who personally know me or follow me on social media, it is no surprise that I LOVE READING. Reading has always been my #1 passion and my escape from the world. Books are my companions. Through reading, I have learned more about the world and the people in it. From the comfort of my couch/bed, I traveled the world and learned about places and cultures. Through reading, I became a better writer as well.
There is a question I get so often that I decided to dedicate a blog post to it:
How can one read more? How can one become a ‘reader’?
My answer is and always will be:
Make time for reading. Read what you like–not what you think you should be reading.
Start by reading one chapter a day. In this day and age of social media addiction, we have to sacrifice and make time for the things we want or like. For me, I sacrifice watching TV or being on social media to read. You have to make time for what you care about, even though it can be difficult. Instead of scrolling through social media to pass time when you’re bored, pick up a book. If you work a 9-5, read during lunch, or set a time right before bed. If you’re a stay-at-home/work-at-home parent, like most of us right now (lol), read when your kids are taking a nap.
How to know what you like to read?
I suggest you try and buy/borrow a few books in different genres to have a feel of what you think you like to read: fiction or nonfiction? science fiction or literary fiction? business books or self-help? religious perspectives or not? There are such wide-ranging books to choose from.
For me, I prefer to read fiction and memoirs (non-fiction). As far as fiction, I mostly enjoy books that have an international theme/appeal. It can be romance, literary fiction, or contemporary women’s fiction. I occasionally read thrillers (especially ones about marriage/family). I enjoy reading diverse stories from diverse writers. Back in my middle school and high school days, there weren’t many of those books getting published, so I read them every chance I get; authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Yaa Gyassi, Etaf Rum etc. This doesn’t mean I don’t read books by white authors because I do as well, specifically Emily Giffin, Liane Moriarty, and Dina Silver.
Diverse voices were silenced, but are on the rise today.
For nonfiction, I enjoy memoirs. I am not a fan of self-help books, but I do occasionally read books on spiritual living.
So what are my top 5 all-time favorite books?
A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin
I read this when I was in high school. At the time, I was a dancer so I loved books that talked about the lives of dancers. A movie was even made out of this book. Such a beautiful story.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you have not heard of this one, where have you been? I could relate so much to this book as an immigrant to this country. It is the kind of book that makes you think and laugh at the same time: profound + humorous conversations about the immigrant life in the diaspora (UK and U.S.)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyassi
Ahhhhhh, this book was life-changing for me. All I can say is that you will not regret reading this! We often forget what our ancestors had to go through for us to have the freedom we have today, but this book is much more than that. Seven descendants of two half-sisters tell their stories (one in Ghana and one as a slave in America). It all comes full circle at the end.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
This was actually assigned in my African-American lit class in college but ended up being one of my fav slave narratives ever. It really transports you to those times and taught me a lot about slavery in America (what they don’t teach in schools).
Hand-me-Down Heartache by TJ Butler
I read this while I was in high school. I finished it all in one night. The writer may not be the most popular writer, but this book touched my heart in so many ways at the perfect time. I was going through a rough time so it just really inspired me when I needed it the most, so it remained one of my all-time favs.
Some books leave us free and some books make us free.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
All right, folks, I hope this blog post was helpful! What do you struggle with the most when it comes to reading? Share some of your favorite books!
Until next time,
Deb
