52 Weeks and 52 Books, a Surprising Journey Back to Reading

I love reading, the nourishment, the joy of learning, connecting and escaping into the page. 2023, was the year I set about reading one a week for the entire year as a way of getting back to the written word.

Christmas of 2022 was the first time in years that I had the focus, energy and capacity to read daily.  I lost my way for many years; work, life, the busyness of parenting, leading, being too much, not enough, all culminating in a tiredness that sleep couldn’t remedy.  I was exhausted into my bones.

Work related board papers, emails, necessary professional reading being the most common interaction with the written word meant I had largely lost the memory for reading for fun.  Don’t get me wrong, I grabbed the old holiday novel once in a while but there was no consistency or routine nor a desire to make one. 

I realised I missed something I loved and I was neglecting a tool that was necessary to developing as a professional. 

The process of learning to love reading again did not entirely fix me; it was so many little things together; refocusing my career aspirations (I changed careers after thirty years), practicing yoga, resting, doing less but better and having the stewardship and support of a great coach. Then, I read. First The Myth of Normal, Invisible Women, then Essentialism.  One book led to another.  I read fiction, consuming greedily; Alka Joshi, (the Jaipur series) and Lessons in Chemistry.  I would dip into non-fiction while reading novels.  Books on coaching, making and keeping habits, how to be resilient, biographies (some entertaining and some awful), best sellers and some, plain outright rubbish.

I didn’t really have a reason for this goal, it just seemed like a good intention with which to begin the year. Perhaps it was the steadily increasing pile of titles by the bed; a nagging reminder of the lack of commitment to my professional development.  The guilt and regret stacking up every time I crawled into bed.  I felt like achieving even one goal would prove I could keep a promise to myself.

Maybe I was always going to make my way back to words.  Dad was a veracious reader. He kept a typed list of everything he read in the last few years of his life.  Each title annotated each with one line of comment or review.   After Dad died, Mum made her way through his list feeling each time she picked up a new book, she was having a conversation with him.  

I spent more time in the library.  When I didn’t have to be in the office, I sat in my favourite café so I could read but that I would not have to be at home. I wrote notes and read some more.  I journaled about what I had learnt and what I might do to practice the knowledge. 

I made connections.  Observing the barista at my local reading behind the counter, we got to chatting about the graphic novel he was pouring over.  In return, he asked what I was reading and I recall being quietly relieved I had a repertoire of recent reads I could draw from. What a delight to have something to tell him. I had made wonderful new networks and when we talked about the politics, philosophy, gender equality and the very best of fiction, I had something of value to add.  We often put our ideas into practice. I paid attention to the authors; I have noticed there are so many ‘best of’ reading lists featuring only male authors, so I made a point of trawling for recommendations for women and, indigenous authors with subjects relevant to today’s challenges. I plan to do better in that regard this year (better by my own standards and value – better in terms of reading things I wouldn’t normally, better in terms of balancing some of the views and thoughts I am already attached to).

I re-connected (in a literary way) with my children (who, as teenagers I thought were well beyond being read to, but it turns out they are not too old to enjoy a pre-sleep read), my brother (who can link the most obscure thoughts and lessons to anything) and my Mum who we lend and gift books on a regular basis.

I kept track of my goal. I wrote down every book I read in the back of my diary, sometimes with a note.  It is true what they say; what gets measured gets done.

I started to integrate the learning.  I tried some new techniques.  I stood back from my previous style of leadership and tried some new things.  I became kinder to myself, less wedded to ideas and being right and more comfortable testing theories.  I didn’t always agree with what I was reading but I can hold things with much less tension.

It was a few weeks short of December when I reached my goal of 52 books, and since then I have read a couple more. So what was on the list?  I will drop a few short reviews as I traverse through the year and especially as I see the relevance to what I am working on.  But for now, some of the highlights include; Atomic Habits by James Clear where I learned the concept of habit stacking.   Good Inside by Dr Becky Kennedy which helped me understand how behaviour is a window to emotion and I was reminded to assume good intent always.

It is my absolute favourite thing to be lent a well-worn novel and to imagine the previous readers thumbing over pages and laughing or sighing as they read.  A Gentleman in Moscow – by Amor Towles was one such novel.  Perhaps my favourite read in the last year.  Mum told me her friend, saved the last chapter until she was ready to part with the book for good.  I understood, as I too left the last chapters until I was completely alone, without distraction and able to savour every last word.  This story was a pure delight in every way; in the language, the storytelling, the historical setting and most importantly, the portrayal of the hero Count Rostov.  What happens when freedom is taken away from you, does your world shrink or does it expand to include the richness of every detail, relationship and moment?

I’ve started Rodham by Curtis Sittenfield (I love her work) as well as Think Again (Adam Grant).  I am waiting for Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta (How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World) to pop up on Libby (the lifechanging library app that the Wellington City Libraries issue their online books in and that has literally saved me hundreds of dollars).  Saving Time by Jenny Odell is sitting on the bedside table and I am going to re-read Effortless by Greg McKeown (I am listening to his podcasts on essentialism and enjoying working on what I am taking out and doing less but better).

This year I have set the goal of reading 60 books.  I know I can achieve that, but even if I don’t, I know reading daily will continue to bring me joy, connection and learning.  It's become less discipline and more of a way of being.

I’d love to hear about your favourite reads, your experience with learning to love reading or even if you would like to set a reading goal; get in touch.