It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? After all, why would any of us read anything but books we love and want to read. However, as with anything, reading can be heavily influenced by many other factors – family, friends, education, social media, television, film, what we think we should be reading, what other people think we should be reading . . . the list goes on.
And although, there are advantages to being influenced in our reading habits – after all an outside influence might open us up to a book or genre we would never previously consider – sometimes, outside influences can also be quite restrictive and possibly even discourage some of us from reading at all!
We all know that the key to enjoying reading is reading books, and other reading material, that encourages you to keep reading. So, if this is a book from the latest bestsellers list, or the winner of a coveted book prize, or a book from a list of ‘must-read classics’, or one with numerous five-star recommendations, that’s great. But equally, if the books you enjoy are not bestsellers, nor revered classics, are never held in great esteem in literary circles, or garner five-star reviews, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you enjoy what you are reading.
Of course it’s important to try out other books, other genres, other styles of writing, after all, you don’t know what you might fall in love with, but at the same time allow yourself to be yourself when it comes to your reading habits. And if you’re part way through a book and really not enjoying it, don’t keep suffering, put it down, abandon it if needs be (unless of course it’s mandatory reading for an educational course). Life is too short to be reading books you’re not enjoying! If reading becomes an ordeal, it stops being a pleasure, and if it stops being a pleasure, it might encourage you to stop reading altogether.
So, as with anything in life, find what you love to read and read it. All reading is valid and valuable, and a reading habit is individual.
Just like you.
