I love to read. It’s my favorite thing to do besides eat cake, and it’s an activity that pairs extremely well with eating cake, which makes me love it even more. Because I am a 21st century navel-gazer, I blog about my monthly reading lists, post pics of the books I am reading on social media (#harrytimes2019reads on Insta) and post my top 10 books of the year on Facebook.
The response I get is always the same: How do you have time to read so many books? This question is usually followed by Where do you get your book recommendations? And How do you afford to buy so many books, and where do you put them? Today, I am going to tackle all of these, plus share my best reads of 2018.
How do you have time to read so many books?
- I am always reading: in waiting rooms, at sportsball practices, in the passenger seat of the car, while my husband is watching terrible TV, in bed before I fall asleep (with the help of this amazing book light that I wholeheartedly recommend), on the elliptical every morning, and every day at lunch.
- I only read books I like. If I am staring at my phone instead of reading, then that’s a sign that the book is not for me, and I should ditch it and start a new one. Don’t be afraid to stop reading a book if it’s not working for you, and trust me—it’s not you; it’s the book.
- Sometimes I listen to books. I am a huge podcast addict, but occasionally, I replace my favorite show with an audio book or two, and if I walk outside for exercise, I always have a book in my ear.
- I don’t really watch TV. I am usually watching an HBO or Showtime series or two or bingeing something on Netflix or Prime, but with the exception of Bluebloods (I am the oldest 40-year-old you will ever meet), I don’t have any weekly dates with my DVR.
TL; DR: I make time because reading is a priority for me.
Where do you get your book recommendations?
I get book recs the same place I get medical advice and cake recipes: The Google. While Goodreads is a great place to make lists, see what my friends are reading, and keep track of my own reads, it’s not the place I go for recs. I want expert picks, not crowdsourced ones, so I turn mostly to newspaper, magazine, and website editors to tell me what to read. At the beginning of every quarter, I look at The New York Times, Elle, Vogue, O, Pop Sugar, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and Publisher’s Weekly and assemble a list of titles I can’t wait to devour.
I also get book recs at my favorite library, which has a huge shelf of popular new releases to choose from. It’s also fun to go to Barnes and Noble and take pictures of every new book with a flashy cover so I can remember to check it out at the library (pro-tip: always judge a literal book by its cover, but don’t do this figuratively. Unless you’re choosing wine—then pretend it’s a book. A book you can drink. A book you can drink while you are reading a book).
How do you afford to buy so many books?
Spoiler alert: I almost never buy a book. The only exception is a book club book that I can’t get from the library in time for book club. Instead, I go to the library every week. When I do my quarterly search for best-of book lists, I open my library account in another tab and request every book on the list.
A few tips:
- Books come out on Tuesdays, so that’s a good day to go to the library—you may be able to snag some walk-in titles you’re on the waitlist for.
- Big authors usually put out a new book a year, at the same time of year. Knowing this helps you know when to request the most popular titles.
- Author web pages tell you when new books are on the way, so you can stalk your favorites and be ready to place a request.
My top 10 books of 2018—out of 200
(Note: they are all 2018 books, expect #2, which is from 2017 but won a 2018 Pulitzer, so that’s legit. For an explanation of these picks, see my blog):
10. This Could Hurt by Jillian Medhoff
9. #FashionVictim by Amina Ahktar
8. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
7. Wade in the Water by Tracey K. Smith
6. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister
5. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
4. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
3. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
2. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
AND THE NUMBER ONE BOOK OF 2018: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
