Learning to Read More: A 2023 Retrospective
By Features Editor Chloe Barrett
In theory, reading a book sounds like an easy enough venture to undertake. You simply pick up a novel, direct your eyes to the words, and let them sprout ideas and imagery in your mind. Boom, you are officially reading! How hard can it really be? In fact, it can be quite difficult.
While I am now known as the girl who consumes far too much literature, I fell out of love with the hobby for many years. Reading became a chore to me, and on top of the copious amounts of schoolwork that I was dealing with at the time, my interest simply drifted away. However, since returning to my reading roots during the pandemic, my passion has reignited. I no longer looked upon books with a wistfulness of what could have been, instead, I ventured joyfully into bookshops and spent many hours gazing upon the shelves, tracing a finger along the covers. I realized that this was what I had been missing.
Now, rambling around bookstores and watching rapid-fire TikTok videos will only get you so far in the realm of reading. The picking up of said book and actually devoting time to it is the tricky part. Everyone’s process is entirely different, but I would like to offer up a few tips of my own that hopefully will point you in the right direction.
My first is the Chloe classic: try audiobooks. I would honestly be so lost without having a book to listen to on the go. You can literally be consuming a book while walking, driving (my personal favourite), cleaning, falling asleep, and the list goes on and on. I find that sometimes fantasy books can be a bit iffy to listen to, especially if there is a lot of world-building that you are unfamiliar with, but anything contemporary is a wonderful bet.
Another idea is to hold yourself accountable by setting goals. Some people have a love-hate relationship with a yearly reading goal, I personally find them useful, but others might think the opposite due to the stress they can cause. In the recent rise of ‘Booktok’, and the hundreds of Instagram reels being posted concerning people reading an insane number of books, I am talking about five hundred plus, it is so easy for your own accomplishment to feel void. Those people are reading just for the sake of reaching a goal, rather than for the joy of reading itself, which in my opinion is where the true fun is. I would recommend even setting a small reading goal, perhaps five books, on Goodreads or Storygraph, and seeing how you get on with it. To help you along the way, I would suggest getting a friend involved. You could buddy read, which is essentially just reading the same book with your bud with a chapter or page goal. For example, you both have to reach page fifty by the end of the week. Upon completion, you then discuss the portion of said book together! I promise it is really fun.
Of course, joining a book club is always an amazing option too. Did you know that we happen to have one practically at your doorstep here at UCC? The English Literature Society hosts monthly book clubs which provide a safe environment where you can discuss books alongside like-minded students.
To wrap my first piece of the New Year up, I wanted to list a few books that I would recommend. Some may seem familiar if you have previously seen my little monthly reading recaps (thank you), but I wanted to share a more conclusive list. They are in order starting from the beginning of the year, and all four stars or upwards based on my personal rating. Without further ado, I would like to present to you, dear reader, my most enjoyable reads of 2023:
Bunny by Mona Awad
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
What a Shame by Abigail Bergstrom
Fangs by Sarah Andersen
It’s Lonely At The Centre Of The Earth by Zoe Thorogood
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Happy Place by Emily Henry
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
The Secret History by Donna Tart
A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai
Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
Exquisite Cadavers by Meena Kandasamy
Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter
Sorcery Of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Table for One: Stories by Yun Ko-eun
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Here’s to a wonderful and literature filled 2024!
