Reading with Mandy

There is a common belief that the things we prioritize are the things we value. I place a high value on learning and a high value on empathy. Thankfully reading can fulfill many different purposes for me and different genres provide different things. If I have a problem or a question about something then reading is my go to source for information. You can find a book about literally everything under the sun (not in one singular book but in many books for clarity). This is also why I like to have more than one book in progress because sometimes you want to linger over a top and sometimes you need time and space to absorb. The only thing I am rigid about is that reading must get done everyday. The amount and type is up to me. I always like to strike a balance between order and chaos with my reading goals. There’s also the people who love making lists of books, finding book related items to buy, and watching other people talk about books can sometimes become a separate pastime. I like to pay attention to what I’m reading and to not set goals anymore. Goodreads made my reading more gamified and started to lose the enjoyment and freedom piece the higher the reading goals grew. Is it nice to be able to tell people you read 200 books in a single year? Sure, but telling someone about a single book that had the power to completely wreck you and which is to me much more of a flex. There have been numerous books that fit the bill for me. As well as books that just completely suck you into their worlds (fantasy books are great for that especially when reality becomes a bit too much). One of my all time favorite books that I didn’t feel the same after finishing was Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. There’s a way of blending history with how culture impacts identity that I still am thinking about and still continue to reread that book every few years just to see what else I get out of it. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield also will be one I reread again and again because of the spiritual truths it contains. Honestly there are so many good books out there that finding one that you really connect with is always a special experience. Any book recommendations for books that wrecked you can be left in the comments. Happy Reading!