Part way through last year I began to feel like I was in a bit of a reading rut…it wasn’t that I wasn’t enjoying what I was reading it was just that I didn’t feel I was making very thoughtful decisions about what I chose to pick up. I would finish a book, and just go to whatever happened to look good in that moment without putting much thought into it. Consequently everything I was reading was starting to seem very similar. I wanted to challenge my reading tastes, to broaden my horizons and expand my reading- at least for a test run! So I decided to challenge myself in my reading life and to pick up a few books that I would normally never venture toward and to see what happened!
I hoped not only to gain expanded reading taste, but also to round out my understanding of the world. I read to be entertained, yes, but I also read to learn, to understand different situations other than my own, and to gain a better understanding of world views that differ from mine.
But where to start with books outside my comfort zone? I didn’t want to challenge myself in my reading so much that I never ventured outside my comfort zone again! Historical fiction is my favorite genre, I like it to be fast paced enough to hold my interest, but slow enough to give paint a vivid picture of the backdrop, as well as having some meat to it for me to chew on. I decided to start with something just barely outside of my comfort zone, same time period as I enjoy reading about, but with a different tone from what I usually enjoy. So I started with, Where the Crawdads Sing.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
I heard all the buzz about this book and finally picked it up. There is a murder committed in a small costal Georgia town and not just anyone has been killed- the high school start quarter back, the only son of the town’s car dealer, everybody loved him it was said- so who killed him? Then there is Kya, a young girl abandoned to fend for herself in the swamp area of the town, people think she is strange, she is a definite loaner- is she the killer? Will she be the scapegoat? It took me a little while to get into this book but one I did I was hooked! The plot kept me guessing till the end although in hindsight I feel like I should have figured it out sooner. I would not categorize this book as a light read though, there are scenes with domestic violence, abuse, and abandonment. There is a mournful windswept quality about this story. The author does a fantastic job of bringing the town and swamp area to life, I didn’t feel like a struggled to picture anything the author was talking about, and though the book carries a heaviness with it it does get brighter as it moves along. No my favorite type of read but still one that I am glad that I read!
After finishing, Where the Crawdads Sing, I wanted something a little more upbeat and light. So the next book I went for was, The Perfect Couple.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
After reading Summer of ‘69, I found myself wanting to read more by Ms Hilderbrand! The perfect couple is about a couple about to get married on Nantucket. They seem happy, both families are pleased with the match but things get turned topsy turvy when on the morning of the lavish wedding the maid of honor is found dead on the beach. Was she the intended victim? Who would do such a thing? Why? Weren’t the bride and groom supposed to be the perfect couple? As the police investigation unfolds we find out that there are indeed much more going on behind the scenes…. This was a fun summer read that absolutely kept my interest, there were a few thought provoking questions to ponder but this is definitely on the lighter side- kick back and enjoy!
How to Be Married, by JoPiazza
This book too I had heard about on a podcast. It is the personal story of a travel journalist who after just about giving up on finding Mr Right, finds him at the last minute and gets married- only to realize she has absolutely no idea how to actually be married. Strong and fiercely independent she doesn’t want to give up her freedom- but how do you compromise in marriage without sacrificing who you are? She decided to use the opportunities she has as a travel journalist and to interview women on 7 different continents to see how they have learned to be married, and how marriage differs from country to country. As someone who is not as well traveled as they would like to be I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse into different cultures! Be forewarned though- this book had more swearing than I was anticipating and definitely more than seemed necessary.(Is any necessary?)
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
I enjoy reading memoirs and autobiographies so I decided to pick up something in the same vein but not about one a distant historical figure so I chose Open Book by Jessica Simpson. I, of course, knew who Jessica Simpson is, but as I have never been one to follow pop culture very closely, I didn’t know very much about her. She came from a solid middle class family, tried and failed at a few auditions before finally getting her first break with a recording studio. She has since been on reality tv shows, (in the early days of reality tv), acted in several movies and launched the first celebrity clothing line to make a billion dollars annually. Jessica also talks about her personal life and struggles which she has dealt with over the years. Jessica is a very good story teller and this was a very engaging read!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
This book had the least correlation to books that I currently enjoy reading. I had heard so much about this book- like so much. From being a pick in Reese Witherspoon’s book club, to hearing it talked about on podcasts I had high hopes for this novel. Perhaps my hopes were a little too high because this book did not quite meet my expectations. Little Fires Everywhere was about a mother and daughter who move to Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 1990s and essentially the little metaphorical fires that occur in their wake, though not directly their fault. The mother, Mia, was an art student and has never followed society’s norms. She pursues her art, packing up and moving with her daughter when the notion strikes her. This was facer paced read that kept me turning pages, and did touch on many topics that be good fodder for a book clubs; topics ranging from the struggle of an immigrant mother, to abortion, to being considered strange for not fitting in with societal norms. It also had more swearing than I was prepared for. While I’m not sorry I read it, and it posed questions worthy of deeper thought, I won’t be rushing to read more of this type.
Overall I am very happy that I decided to challenge myself in my reading life. I really enjoyed most of the books that I tried and now have a greater understanding of what I enjoy in a book. It isn’t just the setting but also the topics, tone, and imagery used within a book that all make a significant contribution to how much I enjoy my reading experience. I now have a better understanding when branching of what I may enjoy vs. what I probably won’t enjoy, with the added benefit of being able to discern better with in my favorite genre what I will really love instead of just thinking that it is ok.
A Few Tips to Help your Challenge Your Reading Life
What about you? Could you stand to branch out in your reading life? Here are a few tips to get you started! Give it a try! If you’re afraid you won’t like it just remember
- Try something similar to what you already like to read, if you already enjoy a certain setting for your books, like stories that take place at the beach for example, then try keeping the setting but time era.
- If you like a certain tone to your reads; fast paced, slow, dark, wistful, etc., try finding a book that has a similar tone but totally different setting.
- Don’t be afraid to quit a book if you really just can’t make it! We don’t like to be quitters, but really if you are reading something for leisure and are a good part of the way through and still not enjoying it just quit. That book may not be for you but there are tons out there still- go try one of them!