{"id":8245,"date":"2020-07-16T10:59:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T05:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/?p=8245"},"modified":"2020-10-21T15:46:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T10:16:00","slug":"tips-reading-in-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/tips-reading-in-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Practical tips for reading in a pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This post may include affiliate links that earn me a very small commission at no extra cost to you<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are some ways you can rethink your reading sessions and perhaps get the mojo back.<\/p>\n This is a golden rule for all times, not just now. Life is too short to read bad books. If you don\u2019t enjoy a book, it doesn\u2019t mean you lack something as a reader. It only means the book isn\u2019t a good fit for you. Abandon books with no guilt. Search book lists for titles that surprise you. I found my saviour in Moshfegh, as I mentioned. You will find yours too.<\/p>\n For starters, you might enjoys books on obsessions and scams<\/a>, or maybe Asian books that are smashingly fun to read<\/a>. Or how about some new short stories<\/a> if work-at-home is leaving you exhausted with little time to spare?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When a pandemic hits, it is a big change in your life, whether or not it directly affects you. You are working from home, seeing less of friends, getting anxious for your grocery runs and looking forward to (or dreading, like me) phone calls. It always helps to try something new because your usual comfort zones are trampled upon. Try listening to an audiobook (I recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<\/em><\/a> by Taylor Jenkins Reid if you are new to audiobooks). My friend who swore she will never ever love a Kindle but only physical copies has found a newfound love in reading e-books, going at a break neck speed buying, reading, indulging.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I love both audiobooks and e-books for different reasons. Audio is super useful to get some reading done while doing chores or when my eyes are too tired after a whole day working on the laptop. I recommend Scribd<\/em> for getting your hands on new releases in both audio and e-book formats (plus they have added benefits of Mubi, Curiosity TV etc for FREE). I’ve been using it for years and find it very useful. There’s also Audible<\/em><\/a> by Amazon where you are guaranteed to get almost every book, buzzworthy or not. The paid services are great for their production quality and choice of narrators. For free audiobooks, there’s Librivox<\/em> on which I’ve loved listening to classics before discovering Scribd<\/em>. Remember to try the many versions to find the best narrator for each book on Librivox<\/em>. Netgalley<\/em> has recently introduced advanced audios of upcoming books to book reviewers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Use my link<\/a> to avail TWO months of Scribd for FREE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n I was delighted to rediscover my love for children\u2019s books. I no longer gravitated towards the new and shiny books but to the comfort of middle grade fantasy. Straight plots, conflicts, all resolved by the end and a happily-ever-after. Maybe that\u2019s all we need from books. And who doesn\u2019t love princesses, talking animals and crazy adventures forbidden by parents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Calming reads and comforting books are the need of the hour. This doesn\u2019t mean you need they need to be light reads of happy books only. I found strange comfort in watching zombies and bloodshed in Kingdom<\/em><\/a> on Netflix. It gave me a sadistic pleasure in knowing I was unaffected by the Joseun era Korean zombies but also made me hopeful that there is always a cure. Maybe the Fonda Lee’s series\u2014Jade War<\/em><\/a> and Jade City<\/em><\/a>\u2014 about gangsters and powerful families that fight for magical jade is what you need. Or an escape to 14th<\/sup> century Russia with a girl and a horse<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are easily distracted by news and stats. My stress levels have been very high seeing the spikes in deaths and infected people. Making notes while you read can help stay focused and pay attention to the page. It is one of the best tips for reading in a pandemic effectively. I made ample notes while reading Daisy Johnson\u2019s fabulous horror novel, Sisters<\/em> (about two sisters and a kind-of house that\u2019s alive in a creepy, stunning cover<\/a>) and it nearly killed me as it climbed its way to my favourites of 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you have written down plans for more reading challenges than you can handle, strike them off. You don\u2019t need the pressure to read a fixed number of books right now. Let your mood be your guide. Put the Goodreads challenge on hold. If you clock zero books this month, that is okay.<\/p>\n On the other hand if you feel you are unfocussed and allowing yourself to read books might give you peace, jump into the many reading challenges available. Some nice challenges to take part in are The Reading Women Challenge<\/a>, find books by black authors<\/a> or participate in month-wise challenges (for example, June is Pride Month, August is Women in Translation Month) which are more about reading a particular kind of book than focusing on the numbers. Challenges give you a sense of company because readers all over the world are reading similar kind of books. Reading together while feeling lonely is an excellent antidote.<\/p>\n Or make yourself a challenge. Maybe The Secret History<\/em><\/a> that you\u2019ve been putting off for many years? Maybe you wanted to listen to a classic being read out? Maybe you thought you\u2019ll never have the time to pick up a new release but now you realize you do?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n6 practical tips to get reading done in a pandemic. These worked for me!! #readingtips <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n The key tip for reading in a pandemic is that there are no tips. You know yourself better than anyone else. Don\u2019t want to read any books? Fling them aside and curl up with Netflix. Want to make sourdough bread for Instagram? Do it.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As the pandemic strengthened its hold on our reality, reading patterns varied. I found myself unable to read at first, an unpleasant situation thankfully remedied by doses of Ottessa Moshfegh. I found readers on the internet unapologetically elated at the prospect of more time read while staying indoors. I read about others finding it distressing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6307,2834,2841],"tags":[9930,3076,3077,2839,150],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\nPractical Tips for Reading in a Pandemic<\/h2>\n
1.Read what you enjoy<\/h3>\n
2.Try a different format<\/h3>\n
Where to get good audiobooks from<\/h3>\n
3.Revisit a children\u2019s book<\/h3>\n
4.Find comfort books<\/h3>\n
5.Make notes<\/h3>\n
6. Abandon challenges\u2026or Make a challenge<\/h3>\n