{"id":831,"date":"2022-05-26T15:52:20","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T05:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/being\/?p=831"},"modified":"2022-05-26T15:52:21","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T05:52:21","slug":"cultivating-an-enjoyable-reading-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/being\/cultivating-an-enjoyable-reading-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivating an Enjoyable Reading Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
We explore how to nurture a more stimulating and fulfilling relationship with reading.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\nWords TESSA CONNELLY\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I learned to read perched on my grandmother\u2019s knee. She was chair-bound, I was about four years old. I remember the shimmering scales on the book The Rainbow Fish and my nanna\u2019s finger skating beneath each word as she read out loud. As a child, reading was at once a solitary journey \u2014 my first independent adventure \u2014 and an exercise in connection; a shared joy. This paradox remains just as true and thrilling today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not to say that my relationship with reading is an uncomplicated one. Very often, reading is not easy. It can be difficult to summon the concentration. I\u2019m sucked into the vortex of my phone. Or I dip fretfully in and out of five books before landing, grateful, on something that feels right. My friends describe similar experiences, lamenting their reading \u201cruts\u201d and lack of time. When I think of all that reading gives us \u2014 escapism, pleasure, knowledge, that vital experience of feeling understood \u2014 I\u2019m frustrated that it\u2019s sometimes so inaccessible and just so \u2026 hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A regular reading practice has demonstrated benefits. Studies published by psychologist Raymond Mar and professor emeritus Keith Oatley in 2006 and 2009 found that individuals who read fiction score higher on measures of empathy and \u201ctheory of mind\u201d \u2014 the ability to think about others\u2019 thoughts and feelings \u2014 than non-readers. As author Joyce Carol Oates puts it: \u201cReading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another\u2019s skin, another\u2019s voice, another\u2019s soul.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Examine <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
When I read, I am cracked open. I see and am seen. Alongside life\u2019s abiding movement \u2014 new jobs, big loves, heartbreak, grief, growth \u2014 my reading life has been a steady current. But, like most worthwhile practices, it demands consideration. I spoke to a bookseller, a bibliotherapist and an English teacher about the barriers we face when it comes to reading, and how we can overcome them to foster more stimulating and fulfilling relationships with stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to discover books that captivate and delight us, we need to challenge the assumptions we have about our own taste. Just because you only enjoyed reading memoirs five years ago doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019ll have the same preference now (although some things, like my love for Helen Garner, are eternal). Choosing what to read can be overwhelming, and with endless suggestions \u2014 from bestseller and prize-winner lists, to recommendations from friends, social media and critics \u2014 decision paralysis is common. Fortunately, help is available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jaclyn Crupi, an author, editor and bookseller of 10 years, says that while people are sometimes hesitant to ask for guidance, the aspect of her bookselling job she enjoys most is the matchmaking part, \u201cwhere you\u2019re putting the right book into the hands of the right person at the right time\u201d. She typically begins by asking a customer to list some of their favourite books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think knowing what someone has loved before can be really helpful,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut then I also ask, \u2018What are you in the mood for now?\u2019 You might tell me some really heavy-hitting, literary prize-winning novels are your favourite books. But, right now, you\u2019ve just had a baby and you can\u2019t focus and you have no time. So, suddenly, your needs are different. I try to match what was great about those favourite books with where you are now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A time-poor lover of fiction might find satisfaction in the discrete pleasure of short stories, and a heart-warming, funny novel might be a welcome comfort for someone overwhelmed by their stressful job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you feel drawn to deeper self-enquiry, you may even want to consult a bibliotherapist. These professionals employ literature \u2014 typically alongside more traditional therapy modalities \u2014 to guide people through life\u2019s challenges and support their mental and emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sonya Tsakalakis is a bibliotherapist and co-author of Reading the Seasons: Books Holding Life & Friendship Together. People seek out her help for all sorts of reasons: some are on the precipice of change, some feel disconnected from their reading habit and some want to learn how to read for enjoyment again after periods of heavy, analytical reading for work or study. According to Sonya, knowing where to begin can be daunting. She approaches this by addressing the way her clients structure their lives. She asks them: \u201cHow do you spend your time? How do you fill your days?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make space<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It takes effort to develop new habits, especially in a world where distraction abounds. Sonya has noticed the increasing demands on our attention over the course of her career, as \u201ctechnological disruption becomes more and more real\u201d. In the past couple of years, this has been exacerbated by a lack of distinction between work and home. \u201cThe blurring of those boundaries is affecting our ability to engage with books,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet Mestitz, a secondary school English teacher, is witnessing similar challenges in the adolescents she teaches. Her students are not only suffering from far too much screen time, but also from the more profound psychological impact of social media. \u201cThere\u2019s an all-consuming pressure of always needing to know what\u2019s going on with others,\u201d explains Harriet. \u201cThere doesn\u2019t seem to be much quiet time going on in these kids\u2019 lives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet invites her students to read a book of their choice for the first 10 minutes of every class. \u201cIt works a bit like meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of the stuff that\u2019s been happening in their lives disappears while they concentrate on their book. I\u2019ve found that it\u2019s twofold \u2014 one, they realise they can find something they like to read, and two, it puts them in the right mindset, more relaxed and present. For a moment, they\u2019re not in their own heads.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Jaclyn, this kind of deep reading requires pragmatism. \u201cYour phone should not be with you,\u201d she says. \u201cMove rooms, find a comfy spot and really let the book work its magic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Play <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Adult life can be serious at the best of times, but we\u2019re currently living through a period of significant social, economic and environmental stress. It\u2019s no wonder, then, that we\u2019ve forgotten how to be playful: to engage in activities not because they\u2019re worthy or productive, but just because we want to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a case to be made for viewing our reading lives through a more playful, curious lens. In Reading the Seasons, Sonya describes the joy of a client reflecting on their fondest childhood book memories. \u201cAnd while doing so,\u201d she writes, \u201cI am thinking, \u2018What books can I prescribe that will cast the same glow?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to forget all the rules we\u2019ve been told about reading. There\u2019s no shame in abandoning a book if you\u2019re 30 pages in and aren\u2019t enthralled. Reread with indulgence. Join your local library: it\u2019s free, which means there\u2019s no financial risk in trying something outside of your comfort zone. It\u2019s also worth experimenting with format: Jaclyn, Sonya and Harriet all sing the praises of audiobooks, not only as a means of bringing a text to life, but also as a way of inviting stories into your day while you\u2019re doing something else, such as cooking or exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is exquisite luxury to be found in stealing back 20 minutes before bed to embrace this idle-seeming activity. As Jaclyn says, \u201cReading is a way to do nothing while you\u2019re doing something. I think that\u2019s the beauty of it.\u201d Tessa Connelly is a writer and publishing professional interested in books, bodies and the natural world. She lives in the Victorian Otways with her partner and their dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article was originally found in Being Magazine Issue 10<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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