I enjoyed this episode! I’ve always been a reader but in the last couple of years had kind of fallen off. And my attention span had gotten noticeably shorter. I’ve been trying to sit down at lunch with a book rather than my tablet. And, shockingly, quitting my Kindle in favor of physical books has been very good for my reading life.
Hi Erik, thank you so much for sharing this. It's a topic which doesn't get much attention. Also, your reference to the competition between screen time vs spending time with books reminds me of the book called Farhenheit 451!
Thanks, Erik! I'll echo a few of your thoughts and share a couple more I've learned from trying to get restarted in reading for pleasure & leisure. When I graduated undergrad college, a school that didn't have a humanities school, I hungered for reading wider & deeper. Catching mass transit helped buy some reading time. Someone else doing the driving, bus or train, bought me time. I read a lot in my work, so doing more outside that narrower range - well, where does one get the energy? Still, this past six months I've been working on it - in part thanks to your Substack newsletter & your example. My tips for getting reading again more consistently: start with short stories and novellas. This was sparked by reading How To Write Short by Roy Peter Clark. Reading & writing - book ends! If you want to write short better, read the best short writing. Audio reading - I sampled 15-20 minute short stories or radio dramas while driving that led me to the written word of the authors. Plus reading & driving? Quiet time to read - a word from Lebanese Arabic: Soubhiyé - quiet time to yourself (often first thing in the morning). Ah, there's no better time. Finally, thank you for your gift of sharing your book discoveries - I now have the Moser illustrated King James bible - all hefty 6 lbs of it, and have added the Moser Moby Dick to my library - I might actually get it read this time! A copy of The Authentic Confucius just arrived and I'll read that before hitting the Analects. Now I'll shut up for a time - to read, think, and maybe write a bit. Keep letting us know what you're reading and discovering!
I enjoyed this episode! I’ve always been a reader but in the last couple of years had kind of fallen off. And my attention span had gotten noticeably shorter. I’ve been trying to sit down at lunch with a book rather than my tablet. And, shockingly, quitting my Kindle in favor of physical books has been very good for my reading life.
Hi Erik, thank you so much for sharing this. It's a topic which doesn't get much attention. Also, your reference to the competition between screen time vs spending time with books reminds me of the book called Farhenheit 451!
Thanks, Erik! I'll echo a few of your thoughts and share a couple more I've learned from trying to get restarted in reading for pleasure & leisure. When I graduated undergrad college, a school that didn't have a humanities school, I hungered for reading wider & deeper. Catching mass transit helped buy some reading time. Someone else doing the driving, bus or train, bought me time. I read a lot in my work, so doing more outside that narrower range - well, where does one get the energy? Still, this past six months I've been working on it - in part thanks to your Substack newsletter & your example. My tips for getting reading again more consistently: start with short stories and novellas. This was sparked by reading How To Write Short by Roy Peter Clark. Reading & writing - book ends! If you want to write short better, read the best short writing. Audio reading - I sampled 15-20 minute short stories or radio dramas while driving that led me to the written word of the authors. Plus reading & driving? Quiet time to read - a word from Lebanese Arabic: Soubhiyé - quiet time to yourself (often first thing in the morning). Ah, there's no better time. Finally, thank you for your gift of sharing your book discoveries - I now have the Moser illustrated King James bible - all hefty 6 lbs of it, and have added the Moser Moby Dick to my library - I might actually get it read this time! A copy of The Authentic Confucius just arrived and I'll read that before hitting the Analects. Now I'll shut up for a time - to read, think, and maybe write a bit. Keep letting us know what you're reading and discovering!
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing, Brent. So cool about the Moser KJB!