Love books, but don’t have the time (or the inclination) to pick one up?
This may seem like a problem that only plagues the weak and irresolute. Surely intelligent people overcome this stupidity of ‘not feeling like reading’ through sheer willpower?
Well, not really.
Unbeknownst to the vast majority of us who love to go on the I’m-not-reading-as-much-as-I-used-to guilt trip, a lot of professional writers suffer from reader’s block too.
It’s very common for book lovers to slow down or stop at some point because of a career, parenthood or other situations that take priority over Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Silver Flames. I’m no different. Making time for a quick read has become harder in the past year. All of a sudden, reading isn’t a pleasure anymore, it’s a chore.
Even the thrill of opening new books is dying out.
My bookcase reminds me every day that there are books to be read and that I’m being a lazy ass. It holds old, yellowing favourites, half-read books and brand-new ones that haven’t even been unwrapped yet.
I can’t avoid them, but I can ignore them.
I make lame excuses — like the next hour would be best spent cleaning the kitchen or that I’m more in the mood for playing Assassin’s Creed on the PS4. I promise myself that sometime soon, I’ll pick up a book, snuggle with it on the couch, give the words my undivided attention and go on an adventure.
Maybe we’ll even make it to bed together.
But the first step is always the hardest when you’re trying to rekindle an old passion. I needed a plan to fall in love again.
The first date
Picking up The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy .
The hook was in. There’s nothing more hilarious than Douglas Adams explaining Vogons and Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters (the best drink in existence). Funny is very good on a first date. I couldn’t put the book down because I was laughing too hard.
Now that the flirty stage had been dealt with, it was time to get down to more serious literature to show that I meant business.
Second base: Short stories.
Something quick, well-written and thought-provoking to get me in the mood. Every time I had a few free minutes at work or at home, I courted manga. Some of the best were:
Twin Star Exorcists: Onmyoji (Vol 12-20)
The Promised Neverland (Vol. 15-18)
Murciélago (Vol. 16)
My Hero Academia (Vol. 9-13)
Tokyo Mew Mew Omnibus (Vol. 1-3)
Star Collector (Vol. 1)
Immortal Rain (Vol. 1-6…Vol. 9-11 ARE NOT EVEN TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH!! LIKE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO END THIS STORY!!)
Your place or mine?
This is the big one.
This is the point when I actually have to read a book long enough to take it to bed with me. I’m a little apprehensive about how tonight will work out. I’m months out of practice. Will I like the book? Will the book like me? Or is it just a one-night stand?
I’m going to wear my most comfortable pair of pajamas, pour myself a drink and find out.
Liv in Literary 