Reading? No Judgment Here by LA Bourgeois
Let’s welcome back LA Bourgeois as she shares with us “Reading? No Judgment Here.” Enjoy!
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When it comes to reading, my desires are flagrant.*
Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, history, writing, knitting, cooking, art, creativity, mystery, fantasy, humor, sci-fi, graphic novels, graphic nonfiction (Have you discovered Lynda Barry and Alison Bechdel yet?). All of these book types exist in my paper and virtual libraries. My reading apps currently hold over 1000 electronic books, both regular and audio. And I still haunt public libraries to research, find out-of-print tomes, and delve into new-to-me writers.
Thus, judgment about what and how people choose to read feels like a misuse of time. I mean, really. Have you ever heard (or perhaps said) something like this?
- Is that a stack of romances? I re-read Ulysses when I want something light.
- War and Peace? What a doorstop! Give me a collection of short stories any day!
- The latest Louise Penny? Oh God, NO! I only read NONfiction.
- She told me she “read” an audiobook. *eyeroll*
Look, we all have our favorite ways and types of books to read. And all ways and types of reading are valid.
For me, paper books only get read during the day. For some reason, I learn more with a paper book than virtual, perhaps because of the movement of my hands as my pencil scratches marginalia beside sentences. And nothing feels more luxurious than reading fiction in the sunshine with a cup of tea and perhaps a little knitting to break up the words.
At night or while waiting in a line, my phone lights the way. Libraries worth of books get consumed in the last hour before I fall asleep, when waking during the night, or as Martha figures out how to use the automatic cashier at the grocery store.
You go, girl! Take as long as you want. Murderbot’s in a real pickle!
Audiobooks fill long drives, plane rides, and dog walks with mystery and fantasy. Sometimes I do pop a nonfiction book into my ears with the hope that the words will just infuse into my brain like sleeping with a textbook under my pillow.
But more effective than that. Because I actually heard the words.
No matter how I read a book, the author makes their way into my head, as intimate as a lover. Influencing my worldview. Playing with philosophies. Delighting me with high-speed chases, romantic dances, and cozy found families.
Isn’t reading just the BEST?!
So why close yourself off by judging how others read? Give yourself a break and try something new. Or old. Just different.
Take a chance and listen to a book on audio. Rejoice in the artistry of the narrator as well as the words. Sometimes people put together entire “radio play” productions, and they thrill and inspire! If you’d like to try one of those, I recommend starting with The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
A book on a reading app on your phone makes waiting at the pharmacy or post office an almost pleasant experience! FYI—along with the usual suspects, your local library has an app where you can check out electronic books called Libby.
Explore a genre you don’t usually read. Never cracked a romance or fantasy novel? Grab one of the newer ones and see the sophistication that’s emerged in the genre. Mystery not your thing? Find one that shuffles up against a genre you love and see what unfolds.
Ease into nonfiction with a memoir, collection of humorous essays, or one of Mary Roach’s fabulously funny explorations.
Dive into another world and find meaning there. Delightful books comfort, the salve on a soul at the end of a hard day. Difficult books challenge, change our thinking, pop our minds open to new philosophies. Instructional books invite curiosity and increase our knowledge.
And they do all of these things no matter how you read them.
*“My desires are flagrant,” comes from Ursula K. LeGuin’s essay, “In Your Spare Time.”
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ABOUT LA BOURGEOIS
LA (as in tra-la-la) Bourgeois is a Kaizen-Muse Certified Creativity Coach and author who helps clients embrace the joy of their creative work and thrive while doing it.
Get more of her creativity ideas and techniques by subscribing to her newsletter at https://subscribepage.io/unlockyourcreativity.
