How’s your reading life going?
When was the last time you checked in with yourself as a reader?
For the past four years, I’ve begun almost every online and in-person workshop with these questions. The teachers, librarians, and school administrators I frequently work with jump at the chance to discuss their reading highs and lows. When I work with young readers, I ask them how their reading experiences have changed the past few years. Everyone has an answer.
Some people read more than ever. During the shutdown in 2020, they discovered audiobooks and ebooks. They finally set up the online checkout for their library cards. Some of them acquired library cards. Others joined online book clubs or began following #BookTok.
If you’re like my spouse and me, we buy a lot of books and comics. They live with us like paper children. We dust them and keep them out of the sun. Eventually, we read most of them. In 2020 and 2021, we read a lot of books we already owned.
Here are some of the titles I read along with my #QuarantineBookClub friends in 2020 and 2021.
For weeks at a time, Don and I didn’t read anything but the news. Settling into reading challenged us both. We were too worried. Too confined. We weeded flower beds and listened to podcasts on headphones.
Quite a few readers tell me that they read less since 2020. They read more slowly. They abandon more books. They stopped going to book club meetings. They only read with their kids. They’re grieving, and they can’t find the emotional energy. Many readers tell me they feel lost, detached from their reading selves, and unable to motivate themselves to pick up a book.
So, how’s your reading life going?
No matter the answer, you’re not alone. All lifelong readers experience slumps in our reading lives. Our reading enthusiasm ebbs and flows. We have periods when we read a lot and times when we read much less. The pandemic slump may mark the most significant setback in many readers’ lives, but it’s not unprecedented.
Recognizing that reading slumps commonly occur, what can we learn from other readers about navigating our own dry spells? What do readers do when we aren’t reading much? How do readers reboot reading motivation? Here are the most common tips for kickstarting your reading habits again:
- Take a break.
- Reread an old favorite.
- Choose “lighter” fare.
- Pick something short.
- Read a series.
- Try audiobooks.
- Connect with other readers.
- Plan for future reading.
Do any of these tips match your behaviors when you aren’t inspired to read? How do you manage your own reading slumps?
I’ve studied readers’ habits for more than two decades and I’m still learning what engages people with reading. While kids and adults have different priorities, readers of all ages share some similar advice. I continue asking readers how their reading lives have changed and solicit their suggestions for managing the inevitable slow periods.
I’ve missed blogging and writing as a thinking space for exploring ideas. I don’t miss trolls on my blog or the pressure to write on a schedule. After talking with other educators and librarians about how I can be useful to them, I’ve started another free space to share my thoughts. Earlier this summer, I began a Substack titled, Our Reading Lives. (You can decide how to pronounce the last word.)
In regular posts, I’ll share ideas about reading motivation and engaging young people with reading. While many of my book recommendations and tips will be directed at educators and librarians, I hope that the general suggestions for maintaining a joyful reading life will interest readers of all ages.I’ll continue this conversation in future Substack posts, but let’s address Suggestion #1: Take a break. I know, I know. If reading and books have been a crucial part of your identity, it can be difficult when you feel disconnected. Like a loose ring, reading doesn’t fit.
If you’re not reading much these days and you miss it, give yourself some grace. According to Daniel Pennac’s The Rights of the Reader, we must accept that sometimes readers don’t read. There are reasons why we might not feel like reading today. You may be distracted or sad. You may not have anything engaging to read. You may be tired or overwhelmed. Your thoughts may be consumed with the book you recently finished. You may prefer watching television tonight. Reading is a forgiving pastime. It will wait for you. When you wander back, reading will welcome you home!
Donalyn Miller is currently scheduling both in-person and virtual school and library visits and conference appearances for the 2024-25 school year. If you’re interested in hosting her and would like more information, please contact The Author Village.