I am kind of embarrassed to say this but I don’t enjoy reading nor have I ever liked it.
When I grew up I had HORRIBLE reading comprehension. I mean horrible. Part of it definitely was having ADHD and not being diagnosed until I forced my parents to allow me to go to the doctor in 9th grade and the other part was just feeling like it was a chore. I would “read” books in school but if my parents or teacher asked me to describe the main character I would say “who?” Yeah… it was bad. I have always tried to get into reading leisurely especially when we were on a beach vacation but guys I would rather stare at the waves or count sand than read a book. As I’ve gotten older and became friends with people that LOVE to read I make it my New Years Resolution every year and every year I fail. At this point I realized it’s not worth it to put pressure on myself to be like everyone else who reads because at the end of the day that just isn’t who I am.
Like many things, I am either great for a period time or I am horrible. For example, this year I read a book. Yes, you read that correct, ONE book… and I started reading this over the weekend. You would think that since we are in a pandemic and have all the time in the world to read that I would have picked up on it by now. But I haven’t and heck it is what it is!
There are things however that inspire me to read more and I wanted to share them with you if you are the same. I joined a book club with friends last year and I am happy to report I read a couple. Knowing that all my friends were part of the discussion it kind of forced me to read the books but it made it more fun? I also love Reese Witherspoon’s book picks in her book club because she is my idol and I inspire to be her every day. Whenever I find the urge to read a book I always check out her list as I know it likely won’t disappoint. My best friend Colleen is a big big reader and I also bounce books off to her and ask her if it is something I would enjoy reading. With me I have to be hooked from the first 10 pages or I won’t finish it. Happens every time. I’m not the person who can read a book to see where it develops because BOOOORING. But maybe that is just me haha. Good Reads is also a great app to have as you can read reviews which can help you get a good feeling if you will like the book or not. After you log a few books that you’ve read and rate them they also give you a list of suggested books that you might like. Really helpful!
At the end of the day if you don’t like to read, that is a-okay! You do what you want and don’t force yourself to like something because others like it. Find things that make you happy!
Do you like to read? What gets you to read?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
