First, A reasonable goal. Will attack 2 larger books, my main and bonus reads a month with podcast and then try to go with a few books of a new author. My devotional & bible is morning time for me. Yes, the podcasts are so plentiful on the subject of books. That mostly fills up my time on the oblong. I will need to eject myself from so many. I am not an e-reader, but audible is okay. This article is a good one. Great insight. Thank you.
Years ago, I would read on average a book a week. But that number has dropped over the years due to the “oblong”, and I’ve also recognized this pattern. Books have always been my best friend, and I’ve got a stack pulled from my shelves and ready to go. I’ve also deleted all social media apps from my phone, so I don’t feel the need to check in. I am shifting back into the quiet energy I love--energy that gives me the space to create and to learn. I actually just wrote about that in my last substack post.
I just checked out your post. Good stuff. I periodically remove social media apps from my oblong and then, forgetting how great it is not having them, add them back. I’m currently in a stage of not having them—and hoping it sticks.
I liked this post, especially toward the end when you were talking about how phones can sabotage our ability to apply immersive focus and concentration. I struggle with scrolling in bed at night, and the solution to put my phone elsewhere is a little complicated because I also use my phone to read (and prefer reading on devices as opposed to hard copy). Anyway, at the beginning of December I invested in a non-proprietary ereader (an Onyx Boox Note Air). It uses the Android platform and I can read ebooks from any store or lender- Kindle, my library, scribd, etc. Although I guess I could scroll on it (because you can install most any app, social media or otherwise), it's not built for that so it would be frustrating (the screen is also bw eink--beautiful for reading, not enticing for scrolling). Now I can keep my phone across the room when I'm going to sleep. It's helped so much! I really enjoy having a dedicated device for reading.
I also find that listening to podcasts undermines my reading life. I go through binge cycles, and during those times tend to read significantly less. My brain falls out of the habit of reading, so when I do return to reading it's harder. I intentionally delete my podcast app from my phone every few months to sort of guard against this, which helps.
I’ve only successfully read a few books through on my phone. But I do like the ereader plan. I’ve never found one that works well for me, alas.
Podcasts are a challenge. I now limit myself to three, sometimes four. And I opt out of this or that episode. So I end up limiting my podcast consumption to a couple of hours each week.
I’ve got my initial post Christmas gift pile of books to work on but soon I’ll let some books break line. Right now books about time or Russian writers are of interest.
Outside my 12 classic novel goal, that’s pretty much how my reading trends as well. If you’re looking for some books that meld time and Russian lit together, Eugene Vodolazkin’s ‘Laurus’ and ‘The Aviator’ are fantastic. I’ve read four of his novels, and these are my favorite. They deal with several themes but time, death, and repentance are primary.
First, A reasonable goal. Will attack 2 larger books, my main and bonus reads a month with podcast and then try to go with a few books of a new author. My devotional & bible is morning time for me. Yes, the podcasts are so plentiful on the subject of books. That mostly fills up my time on the oblong. I will need to eject myself from so many. I am not an e-reader, but audible is okay. This article is a good one. Great insight. Thank you.
Years ago, I would read on average a book a week. But that number has dropped over the years due to the “oblong”, and I’ve also recognized this pattern. Books have always been my best friend, and I’ve got a stack pulled from my shelves and ready to go. I’ve also deleted all social media apps from my phone, so I don’t feel the need to check in. I am shifting back into the quiet energy I love--energy that gives me the space to create and to learn. I actually just wrote about that in my last substack post.
I just checked out your post. Good stuff. I periodically remove social media apps from my oblong and then, forgetting how great it is not having them, add them back. I’m currently in a stage of not having them—and hoping it sticks.
Same here. We can do this! ;)
I liked this post, especially toward the end when you were talking about how phones can sabotage our ability to apply immersive focus and concentration. I struggle with scrolling in bed at night, and the solution to put my phone elsewhere is a little complicated because I also use my phone to read (and prefer reading on devices as opposed to hard copy). Anyway, at the beginning of December I invested in a non-proprietary ereader (an Onyx Boox Note Air). It uses the Android platform and I can read ebooks from any store or lender- Kindle, my library, scribd, etc. Although I guess I could scroll on it (because you can install most any app, social media or otherwise), it's not built for that so it would be frustrating (the screen is also bw eink--beautiful for reading, not enticing for scrolling). Now I can keep my phone across the room when I'm going to sleep. It's helped so much! I really enjoy having a dedicated device for reading.
I also find that listening to podcasts undermines my reading life. I go through binge cycles, and during those times tend to read significantly less. My brain falls out of the habit of reading, so when I do return to reading it's harder. I intentionally delete my podcast app from my phone every few months to sort of guard against this, which helps.
I’ve only successfully read a few books through on my phone. But I do like the ereader plan. I’ve never found one that works well for me, alas.
Podcasts are a challenge. I now limit myself to three, sometimes four. And I opt out of this or that episode. So I end up limiting my podcast consumption to a couple of hours each week.
I’ve got my initial post Christmas gift pile of books to work on but soon I’ll let some books break line. Right now books about time or Russian writers are of interest.
Outside my 12 classic novel goal, that’s pretty much how my reading trends as well. If you’re looking for some books that meld time and Russian lit together, Eugene Vodolazkin’s ‘Laurus’ and ‘The Aviator’ are fantastic. I’ve read four of his novels, and these are my favorite. They deal with several themes but time, death, and repentance are primary.