Why is the act of reading during the day considered so disruptive of life’s predictable and often unnecessary routine? It’s as if people prefer writing to reading. Millions of books, including self-published titles, are published each year. But 46 percent of Americans didn’t read a book last year, according to an Economist/YouGov poll. There are many explanations for this statistic, but based on my experience, one explanation stands out in particular.
I’m retired and find it difficult to spend an afternoon reading long articles in books and magazines. Just the thought of sitting on the couch during the day, especially during the week, reeks of laziness and makes me feel guilty. If you must sit down, sit at your desk or counter and do something “useful” like answering an email, writing a shopping list, or looking up a recipe.
Procrastination is more socially acceptable than reading, as long as you eventually complete your to-do list for the day. This may be because, unlike reading, the act of procrastinating on unpleasant tasks is recognized as a reality. Reading, on the other hand, is something I do before I fall asleep, and with my book club coming up later in the week, I’m happy to be able to read the next chapter. Or maybe I read on the train or plane while on vacation. It’s not something that’s built into your daily routine like brushing your teeth or preparing dinner. Instead, reading is treated as a luxury that can only be enjoyed after work and all other activities are completed.
This difficulty is not limited to ordinary people who are caught up in their daily hustle and bustle. Renowned author George Saunders admits this in Substack’s newsletter Story Club: Most of my reading happens right before bed. ”
To borrow the name of the children’s literacy group, reading is fundamental. However, it is not considered basic to everyday life. Incredible resources are devoted to programs, research, and campaigns aimed at motivating readers young and old, but to little avail. Homework is natural, but it is different from reading just for the sake of reading. In a society that favors production over reflection, simply reading is a disservice. You can drop all your mundane obligations and spend all day reading, but the scary thing is that you have nothing concrete to show for it.
The good news is that some book lovers are getting their reading time back by adding it to their calendars along with piano lessons and therapy. In 2009, Christopher Frizzell, then editor-in-chief of Seattle’s alternative weekly magazine The Stranger, pioneered the first “silent reading party” at the city’s Hotel Sorrento. The in-person and virtual reading series, accompanied by live piano music, promotes “healthy peer pressure” and a sense of community, according to the Silent Reading Party website.
Offshoots of the Silent Reading Party are proliferating around the world. Silent Book Club was founded in San Francisco in 2012 and has more than 500 chapters in 50 countries, according to its website. In New York, Reading Rhythms hosts live “book parties” at bars, restaurants, bookstores, and other venues where guests gather to read, listen to carefully selected music, and regularly discuss books. doing. The $20 event takes place in the evening and typically sells out weeks in advance.
Curious about the power of healthy peer pressure, I paid $10 to attend a recent late-night silent reading party on Zoom and was greeted with images of people combing their hair and hunched over books at home. I waited for it to fill the iPad screen. Instead, it was just me, someone named Amy with the camera off, and a packed Sorrento audience. For two hours, a pianist accompanied readers to dreamy New Age music, punctuated occasionally by the icy sound of a bartender’s cocktail shaker.
I read the book, sometimes forgetting that I was not alone. Then I peered into the hotel, where participants read books, took notes, and drank drinks in silence. As far as I knew, no one was scrolling on their phones. After finishing my book and looking at another time zone, I left the party a few minutes early.
While I appreciate the importance this event gave to the act of reading, I don’t think I would attend another one. For me, reading after hours is rarely a problem. You have to say no to cool, streaming stuff. Therefore, there is no reason to open a novel with other people after the sun goes down.
But reading during the day still has its allure, like a forbidden pleasure that must be resisted at all costs. How can I overcome this mental block? I was able to attend the afternoon gathering. Silent Reading Party offers several chapters, as well as many chapters from Silent Book Club.
But for the same reason, I find it difficult to read during the day, so I don’t do that. Why join a remote book club when you have errands to run and friends to walk with?
In the end, I have to work my way through this impasse, page by page, book by book. With practice, you’ll learn to ignore the nagging calls of everyday life, and household chores and other duties will be replaced by the peace and joy of reading while the sun moves across the sky.
