Reading in Public No. 51: How knowing why I read helps me choose better books
"Why" might be a better question than "what" when it comes to the reading life
Hey, readers!
One of the things I love about the bookish corner of the internet is how encouraging it is in helping readers find books they like. While I am a big proponent of critical reviews, I really appreciate the overall attitude of “this is not for me, but it might be for you.” The recognition that for almost every book, there will be a reader who appreciates it is healing for readers who came of age being told what to read and how to appreciate it.
However, as much as I think it’s important to consider what we like in books, I have found it much more useful in my own reading life to think about why I read. Asking what we like can lead to pigeon-holing our reading. Selecting books by genre, character-type, or trope (I may need to write another essay on the overuse of this term…) can be great, but it can also lead to a reading experience that feels repetitive and contained. Telling ourselves, for example, that we like short chapters, contemporary time periods, and likable characters means we may overlook wide swaths of books that would be wonderful reading experiences for us. It can also lead to confusion. We might keep picking up books because they contain these demarkations we know we like, but for some reason we’re not enjoying them.
This happened to me a lot when bookstagram first boomed. I started reading more new releases when I’d previously been a strictly backlist and classics reader. This in and of itself is a good thing! Variety is good in all directions. But I found myself choosing books over and over that I ended up not liking. It wasn’t the hype that was getting me—this held true for buzzy and more under-the-radar recommendations alike. I kept wondering what was wrong with me. I like character-driven novels. I like eerie house settings. I like books about the female experience. I like the Regency era. I like portal fantasy. Over and over I was striking out even though I thought I knew what types of books I enjoy.
And this is when I took a step back and instead of asking myself what I like in my books, I asked what I wanted to get out of my reading. In other words, I started focusing more on why I read. This practice has been revolutionary for my reading life.
Thinking about why I read has freed me up to explore stories, genres, and styles I would not have readily defined as to my taste. It has helped me approach books with a more open and curious mind. It has given my reading life variety and meaning. And as an added bonus, it also helps me appreciate more of the books I read.
Because this is best demonstrated through examples, here are some of the reasons I read:
I read to make connections between books across place and time. This might be the most interesting thing about reading to me. I am fascinated by the ongoing conversation about what it means to be a person, how to tell a good story, the efficacy of language, and more that is ongoing within literature. Noticing how authors respond to, push back against, and inspire inspire each other across centuries and across the globe.
I read to be in the presence of great art. Great literature is great art that we get to bring to life in our brains and let live in our houses. How crazy cool is that?! I read to find prose that stops me in its tracks with its beauty and its resonance, but also to investigate what other readers have considered great throughout time.
I read to sit inside other perspectives. I want my reading to take me into experiences I will never have and the minds of people I will never be. My favorite books remind me how many different ways there are of being in the world.
I read for the mindf*ck. I wish I had a better way to put that concisely, but alas, that’s the best I’ve got. I read for the feeling of being completely at the mercy of a trusted author who is building an ever shifting sandcastle under my feet. My favorite reading experiences take me on a ride and when I discover the destination, I want to go back and see how it all happened.
I read to see my own flaws and reflect on what it means to be a person in the world . This may be an unpopular opinion, but I love reading unlikable characters because they help me articulate things I don’t always like about myself. Books can be mirrors in a way that allows me to think through who I am and who I want to be.
I read to understand the world as it was and as it is. As a lover of stories and details, novels are often the best way for me to experience what it meant to be a human in the world in decades or even centuries past. But I also seek out nonfiction from our great contemporary thinkers who provide me with frameworks to think through where we are now and how we got here.
I read to contemplate how different writers explore similar ideas. There are an abundance of near-universal topics that I see authors return to again and again. I read widely because I enjoy, for example, seeing how a contemporary science fiction author’s exploration of time and memory compares to that of modernist writer of realistic fiction.
I read to see what new and different shapes a novel can take. Freshman English classes teach students the plot arcs of canonical novels but there are so many different ways to tell a great story. What is considered effective storytelling varies from culture to culture, and then within those storytelling traditions great writers play and adapt which means the shape of the novel is constantly evolving. I read to consume as many
I read to consider ideas and styles that have entered the zeitgeist. I like to read what’s popular and lauded to think about why various themes and forms are “having a moment.” I read from prize lists not so much because I think they feature the very best books written in a year—though that’s what many profess to do. I read from them to consider what the prize and the jury are holding up as important literature of the moment. I find it fascinating to think about why certain ideas are being spotlit, why certain styles are gaining momentum, and what future readers may think when they look back on these lists.
So, how does this actually help me find books?
At this point you might be wondering how this could possibly be helpful. After all, books are not marketed in a way that centers why readers read; there isn’t cover copy saying “for readers who enjoy contemplating how different authors portray similar themes.”
My first response is, just trust me! And just try it! Consider why you read. Enjoyment and entertainment might come to mind first, but push yourself to see if there’s anything else. It is perfectly wonderful if enjoyment is your number one reason, but I know there are others! Then, next time you pick up a book for consideration as your next read, instead of running through a checklist to see if it is likely to contain things you like, ask yourself if you think it might fulfill one of your why’s. Does this seem like a book that will allow me to sit inside another perspective? Does this seem like a book that’s exploring big ideas I’ve see in other books? Does anything about this book lead me to believe its in conversation with classic literature? Whatever your why’s are, just pose the questions. I promise that although it’s impossible to get it right every time, your reader gut will kick in and give you a pretty good answer.
Additionally, you will start to pick up on terminology that clues you in on books that fit your why’s. This terminology might be in the cover copy or—more likely—in other readers’ responses and reviews. I choose books that people describe as weird or experimental because that might mean the novel is playing with shape and structure. I choose books that people describe as dense or difficult or layered because that can be a clue that the prose is literary and artistic. I choose books that people describe as wanting to start over again immediately after finishing or ones that make readers explain “what the F did I just read?!” That’s a good sign that I might have found a mindf*ck of a book. I choose books whose characters describe as unlikable or hard to connect with because these are likely to allow me to experience another perspective or reflect on my own flaws and foibles.
Knowing why I read has also helped me narrow in on great recommendation sources for me.
helps me find nonfiction books that provide critical frameworks for examining the present and the past. helps me identify books that are having a moment and see themes that have popped up across time. helps me discover romance and fantasy novels that are working with themes I typically enjoy in my literary fiction. I’ve started seeking out books from the International Booker and National Book Award Translated lists. I pay attention to the books authors say they read over and over. These sources (among others!) have consistently put books in front of me that have satisfied one or more of the reasons I read.Finally, identifying my why also helped me understand that there are reasons other readers read that are not the reasons I read. This information is vital to me. I don’t really read for comfort or for escape. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy those things, but it’s not something I’m looking for in my reading life. I prefer challenging books and easy T.V. I’m also not necessarily looking to connect deeply with the characters. While I do read for deep interiority and to witness a character’s psychology, I don’t need to connection to get a lot out of a book. Knowing all of this helps me prioritize my own reasons for reading in the face of reading FOMO.
And best of all
I mentioned above that this framework has helped me appreciate more of the books I read, and that may be the best part of identifying my reasons for reading. When I realized that what I want from my reading is beyond enjoyment and more specific than education, I started getting more out of every book I read. I have come to realize how many books inside and outside of my wheelhouse are infinitely worth my time because they speak to why I am a reader.
Tell me your thoughts! Why do you read?
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-Sara
I read mostly to connect and build community. To be in conversation with the author (more abstract), other readers (directly) and the ideas themselves and their connection to the larger world.
This is so spot on! It takes works to figure out what moves you, but the work is so worth it. I have come to realize that I love deep psychological studies which typically translates into super introspective, character driven novels... I am still unpacking why but it had a lot to do with how I grew up and generally being discouraged to express anything but positive emotions. So I like my books raw and my characters going THROUGH it.
I am also keeping a point of resisting the pressure of the publishing PR machine and remind myself that reading is such a life force for me and I have to do everything I can to protect that for my own sake.