Reading in Public No. 79: Back to basics with a one book reading challenge (Reading Well Challenge #1)

Press pause on the quantity goals and spend two weeks reading well with me

Jul 09, 2025

At this point in the year, I often find myself in need of a reading reset. The midyear checkins, the anticipated books lists, the best of the year (so far) posts—both writing and consuming this type of content overwhelms me. I love it, of course, but it also makes me feel a bit frazzled. I can get in my head about all the new releases I haven’t read yet, the new books hitting shelves in the second half of the year, and the unread backlist titles sitting in my piles staring at me as I type.

It’s around this time of year that I like to refocus and remind myself that how I read is just as important to me as what I read. I would rather forego some of the year’s best books if that means reading the books I do pick up with clarity, intention, and focus. With that in mind, I want to get back to basics today offering a few reminders about what reading well can look like and inviting you to participate in a lightning-quick, one book reading challenge with me.

Here’s the gist: over the next two weeks, I’m challenging you (and me!) to read one book really well. You can choose whatever book you want (more on this in a minute) and over the next three Reading in Public posts, I’ll offer some guidance on how to read your book in a way that helps you get even more out of it. This is going to be a true back-to-basics approach—nothing fancy or overly academic—because that’s what I personally need right now. My hope is that this offers you a way to slow down with a book you want to sink into and an opportunity to practice reading well rather than reading more.

Here’s the brief schedule of the challenge:

Wednesday, July 9 - Introducing the challenge and sharing initial steps and tips for starting well
Wednesday, July 16 - Considering themes and getting deeper
Wednesday, July 23 - Finishing strong, contextualizing, and reflecting on reading well

So if you’re ready, let’s get going on our midyear reading well challenge.

Step 1: Select your book.

Let’s be real: this is probably the hardest step of this challenge. I know for myself that there are a gazillion books I want to read, and I can put undo pressure on myself to pick “the right one” for this kind of challenge or project. My best advice is to go with your gut. What is one book you’ve been meaning to read or one book you know you want to finish this year? What were the first books that came to mind when you thought about slowing down and reading one book well? Don’t overthink it! Jot your ideas down somewhere. Remember that if you end up really enjoying this kind of deliberate reading experience, you can do it with another book another time. (And if we like it collectively, we can do it again here!)

Now let’s get practical:

What book do you have on hand? If you want to get started in the next day or two, make sure to choose something you have readily available or can pick up from the library immediately.
What book can you reasonably finish in two weeks? Now you certainly don’t have to do this challenge on my timeline, but if you want to finish in time to reflect on July 23rd you’ll want to keep length in mind. This is also an opportunity to devote some slow reading time to a shorter work. Often big books get the attention when it comes to slow, deliberate reading, but shorter works can be read this way too and often provide a lot of room for analysis because you can keep the entire picture in your mind more easily.
What book do you want to read? Do not should yourself for this project! Too often we save reading well for classics and books we think of as particularly important. This challenge is all about how we read, and I believe you’ll enjoy focusing on the how more if you choose something you are genuinely excited to read. Have you been itching to read that new summer blockbuster that everyone’s raving about? Go for it! Is there a classic you’ve been meaning to get to forever? Perfect! Do you have a book on your shelves that you suspect you’ll love, but have been waiting for the right time? This is it! Romance? Of course! Mystery? Yay! Nonfiction? Duh! Truly, any book will work as long as you want to spend time with it.

Finally, remember that a big part of reading well is focus. For me, this means my challenge book is going to be the only book I’m reading in print while I read it. I might dip into something else on audio, but I want my print reading time to be focused on whatever book I select. If you, like me, know that being in too many books at once frazzles and distracts you, I would recommend clearing the deck before you start this challenge by either finishing or deliberately pressing pause on books you’re in the middle of. Alternatively, you can do this challenge with a book you’re currently reading!

Here’s my go-with-my-gut list:

I’m going to immediately rule out Perfection. I do want to read it, but I’m not sure it’s a book I want to really linger over. I don’t have God Help the Child on hand. I’m sure I could easily get it from the library but because I’m writing this post right now, I’m going to eliminate it as well. A Pair of Blue Eyes is out because while I do think I could finish it in two weeks, that would take a lot of effort and I don’t want to choose a book I’m going to feel stuck in. The one that keeps jumping out at me is Black Water. I just finished Fox by Joyce Carol Oates so I’m interested in going right into another book of hers and I own a copy already. I also know Oates’ writing well enough that I know I’ll be able to read it the way I want to plus the fact that it’s based on a true story might make for some interesting research as part of this reading well challenge. I’m going to hold this selection loosely, but I’m definitely leaning towards Black Water.

Note: If you want some extra support and community with your read, I have some ideas.

Chelsey Feder

is reading William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream this month with her Substack community.

Traci Thomas

is celebrating her annual Morrison Month with podcast episodes on God Help the Child. If you like the sound of this but can’t get going until August (or want to do it again next month!),

Kolina Cicero

is hosting an Elena Ferrante read-along. And I’ll be sharing my Margin Notes for R.C. Sherriff’s The Hopkins Manuscript with paid subscribers on July 30th if you want to double dip on reading with me.

Step 2: Start deliberately.

Earlier this year, I wrote a whole post filled with tips for starting books well.

FictionMatters

Reading in Public No. 62: On starting books well

This year I’m committing to being a better reader of the books I choose to spend time with. I think that, for the most part, I’m both a generous and careful reader, but the pressure I feel to read a lot can cause me to focus on finishing books rather than really…

7 months ago · 173 likes · 33 comments · Sara Hildreth

I highly recommend checking out this post, but I’ll reiterate the three most important things for me.

First is selecting my format. I read more closely and deeply when I read physical books. This isn’t the case for everyone, but I think most of us have a preferred reading format that makes us feel like we can really sink in.
Second is blocking out a solid chunk of time for beginning my book. While fitting in 5-15 minutes of reading throughout the day is a great way to read more, for me, 15 minutes is not enough to start a book well. Ideally, I’d love an uninterrupted hour to begin a book I’m reading deeply, but that’s hard to find! I would say choose a spot in your calendar when you have at least 30 uninterrupted minutes to begin your book. If you simply can’t find this in your schedule, that’s okay! Just choose a time when you feel you can focus.
Third is allowing myself to subvocalize, or “say” each word aloud in my head as I read. This helps me slow down, but more importantly it allows me to hear patterns and rhythms in the text and notice what the author is imbuing with significance. I will likely keep up this subvocalization for my entire read, but it’s most essential for me in the opening chapters.

Step 3: Notice and take notes.

Here comes the trickiest of balancing acts. As you read, I want you to notice and take notes without getting in the way of your reading momentum. I know! It sounds impossible. But you are not writing a dissertation or even taking a reading quiz on your book. You don’t need to highlight every detail or major theme. Instead, try to practice a kind of metacognition where you notice what you’re noticing as you read. What catches your attention? Let yourself notice that, then keep reading.

Remember, a book isn’t a puzzle you’re trying to crack. Reading well doesn’t mean trying to find the “right” answer—it means paying attention to how the book is working on you as a reader, thinker, and human. What is the book doing to you as you read? What questions is it making you ask? What topics is it bringing front of mind? What emotions is it drawing up?

Noticing is the most important thing, but for memory’s sake, I also like to make notes of my noticings somewhere. For me, this is right in my book. I underline, ask questions, and note my initial reactions right in the margins, and I use the dedication or title page to keep track of overarching observations. You can do the same wherever works best for you. If you don’t like writing in your books or are using a book from the library, note your noticings in a journal or on a post-it. Sometimes I use the notes app on my phone—especially if I’m listening to the book on audio or reading on my Kindle. If you’re a verbal processor and can keep your phone by you without getting distracted, voice memos can work well for this too. There isn’t one right place or method. Like choosing your book in the first place, the most important thing is to pick something you’ll stick with.

Some of you may have tried and true annotations processes or feel comfortable with this kind of metacognitive reading. If so, awesome! Do what works for you. If this is new for you, here are some general questions and practical tips to get you started:

Notice what the author is asking you to pay attention to at the start of the book. What big ideas are introduced early on? What is the author repeating or spending a great deal of time with in the first pages? Often books teach us how to read them by cluing us in on what’s important early on. Notice where your attention is falling and make note of that.
Think about tone and mood. I, former English teacher, give you permission to conflate these words, especially when it comes to reading fiction. Technically, tone is the author/narrator’s attitude towards their subject, audience, or characters. Mood is the feeling the book creates in the reader. They are intricately tied if not always the same thing. As you start your book, ask yourself: what is the tone/mood of the book in the early chapters? Here are some examples of tone and mood words: mysterious, flippant, extravagant, serious, satirical, ironic, joyful, sorrowful, exuberant, dark, playful, epic, sweeping, brooding, contemplative. Remember, landing on a “right” answer isn’t the goal, but considering tone and mood is a great first step to thinking about prose and how an author is creating a particular atmosphere through their word choice.
Make your annotations work for you. The point of annotating is to have a conversation with the text and help you remember what you read. I like to read with a pen in hand but that is not necessary for reading well. Unless I feel like I need to know a book backwards and forwards, I try to keep my annotations limited to about 3 buckets. For example, I might decide to make note of authorial voice, character development, and one theme. It can be hard to know what to pay attention to when you first open a book, so I might mark more things initially, but I try to narrow my focus as soon as I figure out what’s really grabbing me. If annotating or taking notes while you read bogs you down, don’t do it! You can’t read well if you’re not reading at all. If this is you, rather than annotating while you read, spend one minute at the end of each reading session and write down (or voice memo!) what stood out to you as you read. This could be big ideas or character developments or plot points or thoughts on style and structure or questions you have—just get out what you noticed without overthinking it.

Step 4: Read your book for what it is.

We all go into books with expectations—it’s unavoidable! But to really read a book well, I believe you need to read it for what it is, or what it’s trying to be. As you read, keep asking yourself, “what is this book trying to do?” This is a big question (perhaps THE big question) for any reading experience, and we’ll circle back to it in greater detail next week. But for now, just keep it in the back of your mind as you begin your book.

Questions for you:

I’m excited to make this challenge a little more community-oriented so I’m including some questions for you, which I’ll answer the questions in the comments as well. Next week I’ll include some questions about what you noticed in your reading so far.

What book are you choosing for your reading well challenge?
What is one skill or practice you’re going to focus on as you start your book?