Welcome to The Reading Nook
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Hiii! You can already tell that I’m really excited to be here. Welcome.
Today’s post is a little lengthy, so buckle up. There are three things I want to share with you:
My September reading journey
How I reached my reading goal for the year by July
Book recommendations for October
September Books
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A spicy, second-chance Black romance about a divorced couple who try to make co-parenting and co-owning a business work but are still drawn to each other.
It deals with heavy topics like grief and mental health and I liked how therapy was such an important theme in it. I’d definitely recommend it.
(TW: stillbirth and depression)
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a short sci-fi novel about a group of women who are held in an underground bunker with no explanation at all. Nothing happens, but at the same time, a lot happens. It’s interesting how the author manages to keep you reading regardless. (P.S. The ending is sad and unsatisfying.)
The List by Yomi Adegoke ⭐️
No, no, no. This book annoyed me so much and it had so much potential but disappointed me in many ways. You can read my full rant here.
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was looking for a light-hearted fluffy book and though this deals with heavy issues like fatphobia, body image, body insecurity, etc., it did it for me.
Charlie Vega struggles with accepting and loving her fat body. It doesn’t help that her mother, who used to be fat but suddenly lost a lot of weight, is always pushing Charlie to lose weight or that Charlie’s best friend, Amelia, is skinny, beautiful, and garners all the attention, even from the boy Charlie likes.
It was easy to read and had cute friendship, cute romance, and character development. I’d recommend this too.
Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the story of Efe, a Ghanaian-British woman, and Sam and all the complexities of their relationship. It starts out with Efe running away from home and narrates the events leading up to that.
It explored society’s brazen expectation for all women to have children and many other things.
There were parts of the book I felt weren’t necessary to the plot and sometimes it seemed to drag. However, I found it interesting and that kept me going but the ending ruined the whole experience for me. The author could have done so much better with it.
(TW: depression, post-partum depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts).
Currently Reading: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and enjoying it. It’s so weird and funny and crazy haha.
Reading goal
I planned on reading 30 books in 2023, not entirely confident in my ability to reach that goal.
But here I am today. I’ve read 42 books and I’m elated. My approach to reading has changed and here are six things that helped me achieve this tremendous feat:
DNFing more books.
(DNF means Did Not Finish.)
I used to be one of those people who had to finish whatever I started no matter how bad it got. Before this year, I had only DNFed one book and I felt extremely guilty about it.
But here I am today, standing proudly with 15 books on my DNF list.
If a book isn’t working for you; if you find yourself moving sluggishly through it to the point where you question your love for reading; if you just aren’t enjoying yourself as much as you feel you should, DUMP IT like a toxic romantic partner!
Even if it’s a book everyone loves and you feel like you should too (this was me with The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett). It’s okay to let go.
There are so many books waiting for you that will give you joy and even change your life. Don’t waste your energy on the ones that do nothing for you. Give them up and make space for books that are better fits for you.
Taking breaks
I’ve discovered the idea of taking breaks from books. I recently read Circe by Madeline Miller and a little after halfway through, I got bored and lost interest. I was tempted to DNF it but I really wanted to see what would happen. So I paused. I finished another book and came back to Circe. After the other book, I went through Circe so fast.
So, kids, it’s not every time DNF. Sometimes just take a break. It can be a weeklong or monthlong break or even more. But there’s nothing wrong with taking space from a book and coming back when you feel ready.
I got the idea of making a list of these books from a friend on Goodreads and now I have a list of books I don’t want to DNF but will come back to later (hopefully).
Reading multiple books at a time
I also used to be one of those people who never understood how you could read more than one book at a time.
Austin Kleon calls this promiscuous reading. He has a book he reads when he eats and then one before bedtime, etcetera.
I experimented with reading a fiction and nonfiction book at the same time. I’d read the fiction book through the day and then for thirty minutes before bed, I’d read the nonfiction.
There was a month I read a fiction book and two nonfiction books at the same time. I’d rotate the nightly thirty-minute sessions each day with a different nonfiction book. Apart from helping me read more nonfiction, something I’ve been terrible at, it also helped me finish more books.
Sometimes I’d read an audiobook when I was taking walks or crocheting, and at other times, I’d read a softcopy book, and so on.
It keeps things interesting and isn’t as messy as I thought it would be. So give it a try and see what works for you.
Being patient
The thing about reading nonfiction books in the way I mentioned above, it will take time. It took me a month and two days to finish reading Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay. And it was a little frustrating because it wasn’t a long book and I felt as if I should have finished it sooner. But I know no matter how much I enjoy it, I have to take nonfiction in small doses; slow and steady.
And it’s the same for reading in general. I can’t tell you the number of books I’ve rushed through just to add to my goal. But that ruins the whole experience. Sometimes I try to catch up with people who are faster readers than me. But I’ve found it’s better to move at your own pace and savour the journey. That’s the only way to enjoy it.
Reading more of what I enjoy.
This was life-changing. There were so many times I picked up a book just because it seemed intellectual or was trending. Not because it was something I liked or would enjoy. If you’re doing that, stop.
You’ll read more books and enjoy reading if you read what you enjoy and are interested in. For finding both fiction and nonfiction books, think of your interests, your curiosities, and what you enjoy, and gravitate towards books about those topics.
So stop with the Price and Prejudice or Crime and Punishment or Chinua Achebe 😭(except if you genuinely enjoy those) and find your own style.
Having things lined up & just starting
Storygraph (an alternative to Goodreads, but I use both haha 🤪) has a to-read pile that lines up what you’re going to read next. This is a good strategy if you waste time between books and end up not reading at all because you don’t know what book to read next.
Instead of trying to find the ‘perfect book’ for that moment, it’s better to dive into what you have lined up without thinking too much about it. And if you don’t like a book, you can simply stop and move on to the next.
That’s all. I hope you found something helpful. Also, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break from reading if you want. You’ll come back feeling refreshed.
Spooky Reads for October
October is Halloween, and Halloween is October. It doesn’t matter if you don’t celebrate. I feel we should snatch this opportunity for some spooky reads, right?
I’m a horror girlie but I watch it more than I read it so I’ve been trying to incorporate it more into my reading journey so here are some cool ones I’ve enjoyed if you’re interested:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Our main character, Noemí, goes to the Mexican countryside to save her newlywed cousin after receiving a distraught letter from her. But Noemí discovers this deserted family house has an unsettling and ominous vibe to it.
It’s creepy and weird and set in a haunted house!
The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven
This is one of my favourite books of the year; I zipped through it. It’s dark academia, with a haunted school, unsolved murder mysteries, rituals, and angry girls. You’ll love it.
That’s all for this month! I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you have any reading tips, spooky book recommendations, or just anything to add in the comments, or reply to this email to let me know :)
If you want, let’s be friends on Goodreads or Storygraph and I’ll see you soon.
Wishing you all the good things in October <3
Love this! Can't wait for more honest reviews.