I can always tell when I am stressed and teetering on burnout when I don’t feel motivated to read. If I can get myself to actually pick up a book, I almost always feel better and more myself, and the five minutes that I might have set aside for myself can quickly become an hour. But when I’m that far over the edge, the idea of reading can seem like one more mountain that is just too massive to climb.
I share this because stress and burnout can present in unique and understated ways. I’m also sharing because this is my first official post of a reading-related newsletter, and my own reading game has felt uninspiring as I run on empty. I want to acknowledge that there is currently enormous pain, suffering, and grief happening around the world, and the challenges I am working through will never compare and are tinged with the privilege of physical safety. In recent weeks, I have seen how many people are moving through the world with heavy hearts, and I have heard much encouragement to “practice self-care” and less acknowledgment that self-care and the hobbies that typically bring us joy can feel inaccessible or even more exhausting in moments such as these.
It’s okay to set those activities aside and not add further feelings of guilt or shame. And it’s also okay to come back to those activities in small moments that don’t induce more stress.
That’s what I’m focusing on this week: starting small. Creating opportunities to rediscover my love of reading. Maybe that’s reading just five minutes a day or listening as a friend debates what to read next. It’s probably not going to look like finishing a full book or reading for 30 minutes before bed. That feels too far away right now, and that’s okay.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re reading, I hope you are taking care.
Currently Reading
PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee. This book might have the most 5-star ratings amongst my friends on Goodreads. Whenever I have mentioned that I have not read Pachinko, I immediately face a gasp followed by, “What do you mean you haven’t read it?! It’s amazing!” Listen, I wasn’t avoiding reading it, I just have a never ending TBR list. I also tend to cozy up with near-500 page books once the weather tips towards chilly and I have no motivation to leave my apartment. I’m nearly halfway through, and I am enjoying the story with no idea where it’s headed for any of the characters. Multiple friends have described Pachinko as a slow burn, and I am eager to see how this unfolds.
Recent Recommendation
PINEAPPLE STREET by Jenny Jackson (4 stars). I need to talk about this book with someone else who has read it because I cannot quite put my finger on why I enjoyed it so much. From the gate, I felt so intrigued and invested in the story of a wealthy family in Brooklyn, New York, told through the perspective of three women. The story is so far away from my own reality, none of the characters were particularly likeable, and yet… I could not put this one down and finished in a matter of days. I kept reading at such a clip because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next, and then I finished and realized… nothing really happened? It’s character-driven, rather than plot-driven, and while I enjoy those novels, I felt like I microdosed a series of plot-like moments, only for the “big reveal” to be that this is the story of three women and their relationships with wealth and privilege.
Recommend for… Anyone who likes novels with multiple perspectives and probably anyone who watched Gossip Girl in high school.
Up Next
Feels perhaps a bit ambitious to plot out my next read when I imagine Pachinko will take me a little while to get through, but I am excited to read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, which was gifted to me by my surrogate grandmother and which I gifted to a friend before reading myself (a real first!). It’s received rave reviews and sounds like another great read for my season of hibernation.
Reading Soundtrack
My reading this week is powered entirely by my “arboretum” playlist on Spotify, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter.
Three words…
Read every day.
That’s all for this week. I’d love to hear from you about what you’re reading, and if we aren’t already friends on Goodreads, let’s change that.
Loved Pachinko and can’t wait to hear what you think! Just added Pineapple Street to my Libby holds based on your rec! 💕