Not every book is meant to change your life, lean a bit closer and let me tell you why.
Try to imagine a book with over 256 pages where an author uses plethora of ideas just to get a point across, at the end that is what a good read is meant for, bring you to the understanding of what the author is trying to put across.
As someone who recently got into the reading habit I somewhat find that quite fascinating. But one annoying ideology that I find quite crippling is that every book is atleast meant to bring you a step closer to change.
As someone who is slightly rooted in the self help culture, I see this ideology alot and frankly I sort of find that misleading. I hate it when people talk about books as a tiny life guide that will smoothen all your crooked paths and make life more easier. It goes to the extremes where some assume a book can fix habits, well from where I stand it can give you ideas atleast but it can never do the work for you.
My passion for reading started around a year ago, I never once thought there could reach a time where I'd carry pieces of writing let alone think of writing articles. All this was by virtue of a few friends who pushed me into reading after them creating a book club where every weekend we'd converge and share our different takes on any book of our choice. That meant diving into different chapters and taking notes in order to grasp and retain pieces of information. Was it the best thing that happened to me? Definitely ,in the sense that it instilled in me an identity of a committed reader but the approach is something I would never recommend to any first time reader.
Best approach
To someone who's a first time reader I would never recommend reading with intention and I know that may sound counter intuitive but please listen.
Read into different pieces whether it's love fiction or just sadism, let the brain conclude if the piece is something you'd want to pursue further, this is me speaking from a lense of a creative and a consumer. I don't know when it happened but along the way humans have lost the art of immersing themselves into reading. Because the intention drifted from enjoying to expecting.
If a book has no positive impact no matter how enjoyable it appears it's viewed otherwise as a waste, because it won't push change. I also won't lie to you, prior to this year I held onto the same line of thoughts, now I see it differently. I believe reading should be fun regardless of what genre it stems from
Again people are different in the sense that what works for me might not necessarily work for you. For my part atleast, It was much easier to jump into reading given the friends I had who all shared that one common factor. For someone with no reading record, and no single soul to hold them accountable I'd suggest them taking my advice seriously.
There are plenty of genres to read from, try checking in with each and see what works for you but never make the mistake of thinking that a book can change your life, the power to do that lies in you and not in a book.
Unfortunately, many of these high expectations came from school, where every step was monitored and every detail mattered. That mindset taught us that once we start a book we must finish it even if it’s boring because we’ve already invested time in the first chapters. Having traded those hours, we feel obligated to keep going through the same dull pages.
In my previous statements, I talked about immersing yourself in different reads, but immersing yourself doesn’t mean you have to stay. If a book is boring and you’re struggling to get past the first four chapters, drop it. Pick up something else that feels more relatable or actually keeps you interested. You don’t get extra points for forcing yourself through a book you’re not enjoying. Sometimes, knowing when to put a book down is also part of becoming a better reader.
Conclusion
In closing, if you want to become an effective reader who enjoys reading, ditch the burden of expectations. Not every piece should inspire, and not every piece should keep you glued. Just choose what works for you.
