Often, I’ll tuck into my reading corner and emerge after a couple hours, completely forgetting where I am. Something about slowly imagining the feelings of characters in a novel transports me outside of this reality. I’m forced to consider my own morals and values while observing others live out theirs. It’s certainly not an endorphin-inducing activity but it’s an unequivocally satisfying experience.
People read much less these days, to no surprise. It’s like taking a slow walk through the park compared to a rollercoaster. Why read a book when you can giggle away hours on TikTok? While I can’t say no to a goofy dog Reel, I like that reading affords delayed gratification. It makes me more contemplative and less reactive, which serves me extremely well in a people management role.
Reading tastes are unique and can tell you a lot about a person. I read almost exclusively fiction; I really like female authors, temperamental interpersonal relationships and stories about people simply trying their best. Here are a couple books I enjoyed recently.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Story about friends making video games. This was so fun to read because people settle into themselves in their 20s as the majority of people experience grief and unfairness. One thing that stuck out to me was the advanced lexicon that appeared sporadically, but was always perfectly appropriate usage.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
It’s a story about Achilles so we all know what happens but there’s a lot of pre-story to the war that builds up the Achilles character and fills in this hero with human obligations and desires. Nothing short of beautiful writing.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
This was like a modern day Little Women. It had a weak ending like the author’s other book Dear Edward, but the rest of the story made me grateful to have siblings. We have fundamentally different personalities but no one else will quite understand us.
Here I am on Goodreads.