It's ok to be different. Some of my favourite characters in the books I read are quirky individuals who view life through a different lens to everyone else around them. Many of them are completely at ease with who they are and although life can sometimes be a challenge for them, they never lose sight of themselves and what they stand for. My favourite of these is Molly The Maid, from the series of the same name.
2. History isn't always what you think. Anyone who knows my family knows we are a family of history buffs. However, there are so many periods of history that I know little to nothing about, particularly if it involves history outside of Britain. I have realised that my school history lessons included a very one-sided view of the Empire years and this is something I have been endeavouring to correct through my reading.
3. You don't have to finish something you're not enjoying. Giving up on a book is not a failure on my part. Sometimes, a story just doesn't grab your interest and if that's the case then it's perfectly acceptable not to finish reading it. Sometimes, if it's a book a friend has recommended I'll persevere with it ('The Golden Notebook', I'm looking at you...) but generally, if by page 100 I don't care about the characters, I will put it to one side and move onto something else.
4. It's ok to read more than one book at a time. When I was younger I quite often had half a dozen books on the go at any one time, but as I got older I found I couldn't focus on more than one book at a time. However, in recent years I decided to test this theory to see if it was still the case. Generally speaking, I tend to have a book I'm reading and at least one book I'm listening to (sometimes it can be more than one if I'm listening to one with my son as well). However, on occasion I will break off from what I'm reading to dip into a book on my kindle as well. This usually happens when I'm travelling somewhere and need to have a smaller, lighter way to read, rather than carrying a huge book around with me!
5. It's really important to read diversely. One of the things I realised a few years ago was how limited my reading had become both in terms of genre and authors. I made a conscious decision to ensure that I read more widely. The first task was to branch out into other genres so I asked friends to recommend books they'd read that were just a little bit different. Doing the Masters also helped as I had to read so many different books for that. The next step was to ensure that I included some books each month that were non-fiction and others that were written by authors from a different background to my own, whether that be race, sexual orientation or nationality. made me read books I might otherwise not have considered and I've read some fantastic narratives as a result. I've also learnt a lot about seeing the world from other people's perspectives.
6. It's vital to have representation. One of the things I've spent a lot of time reading about is women who have been erased (or almost) from history. Until recently, there were women whose names should have been familiar to everyone, who I'd never heard of. This made me really angry. It also brought into focus the fact that everybody needs to be able to read about people like them. It makes us feel validated and accepted. Yes, it's important to learn about other people's experiences (see no.5) but it's even more important to know that we are not alone in ours.
7. Reading can help your mental health. I've talked about this many times before. I judge the state of my mental health by how frenetically I read. On average, I get through about 15-20 books each month. I know once it starts to go over 25 that I need to take steps to sort out whatever is causing me stress. I use reading as a way of blocking out the noise of the things I can't cope with, particularly audiobooks. Consequently, unless I know that I've been doing a lot of journeys on my own, or have been listening to lots of short books, I know that if I've done more than two audiobooks in a month, there's a problem I need to address. However, in the short term, reading does provide that release from life and helps me to relax.
8. Reading friends are important. Many of the recommendations I get for books come from one particular friend. She reads almost as much as I do and if either of us have particularly enjoyed a book, we often pass it on to each other before it's returned to the library. I couldn't begin to count the number of books that we have both read and enjoyed because of this arrangement. It also means that I have someone to talk to about characters who have stayed with me and who understands that sometimes they get into your system. This same friend has now also become a trusted reader of my own writing at the first draft stage.
9. I both love and hate book lists. I hate them because they inevitably add more books to my already groaning TBR pile. However I also love them for the same reason. They make me read books I would never normally pick up because I'm a finisher and once I've decided I'm going to read every book on a list, then I will do it, even if I hate them. This gets doubly frustrating when lists are re-shared and the list is wrong, because then you've never quite finished it and yes, that would keep me awake in the small hours!
10. There is little in life I like more than being asked to recommend books. When people know you read a lot, they tend to ask you to suggest books for them. This is really difficult unless they also tell you the genres they enjoy and if they are looking for something in this area, or something completely different. There are many books I've read that I haven't enjoyed, but have enjoyed the experience of reading simply because they are different. But not everyone is like that. Most people want to actually enjoy the story and reading is a very personal taste thing. I could give you a huge list of books I've loved and you might hate all of them. I love long and detailed descriptions of locations, I know someone who hates them with a passion. Unsurprisingly, we don't often like the same books! However, give me the necessary information and I will curate you a list of books you should read, with pleasure. I like it even more if, once you've read them and enjoyed them, you tell me how much you loved them. It genuinely gives me a little glow of happiness.
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