Using books to help make sense of the world, occasionally escape it and, if you’re lucky, change the way you see it. Reading is the act, books are the medium, curiosity is the motivation.
I’ve always been a reader. Ever since I first learned how, I’ve had at least one book in progress on my bedside table. Fiction was my first love, but as I’ve gotten older, during my degree and then into my marketing career, non-fiction has started to feature more and more in my reading pile. And it is a pile. As much as I enjoy actively reading, I get a surprising amount of joy from having my reading future waiting nearby too.
An hopeful pile of books waiting to be read, reminding me of all the things still to learn, the stories to follow and the characters, real or imagined, I am still yet to meet. And this is really what reading is all about, not finishing books and collecting covers, but allowing each one to leave you with something. Building your knowledge, empathy and experiences.
Reading's not always about collecting covers and finishing books.
Why I'm a reader
My motivations to read are complicated. In its simplest form, I read to relax. Especially before bed, I find the deliberate act of retiring my phone for the evening and moving to the analogue experience of reading (absolutely no Kindle for me) is deeply relaxing. It’s usually how I drift into sleep, and sure, I may need to reread a page or two the next night...the “sleepy pages” I didn’t quite take in as my eyes closed and my head nodded, but on measure, i think that’s a small price to pay for such an easy settle into sleep.
Beyond that though, I read to calm my anxieties. Often when my brain is busy worrying about something I can’t control, then reading often comes to my rescue. The first few pages can be a battle in these moments. My brain rejecting the words on the page in favour of it's own endless narratives, but with a little willfulness (of which I am not short) and the support of a great author, the engagement in reading takes over. Unhelpful thoughts are pushed aside and the thrill of a story takes over long enough to feel calmer, and better able to tackle whatever’s bothering me, from a clearer headspace. It’s reading as a reset.
I also read for comfort. A habit I have, which seems relatively rare among the people I know, is rereading the same books. Returning often to the same worlds, characters and stories. It’s settling, reassuring and for me at least, deeply enjoyable. I’ve since discovered this comfort with familiar stories is something many people relate to, including some neurodiverse readers. I find the reason fascinating: perhaps it’s less about needing the ending, and more about returning somewhere familiar.
Last but certainly not least, I read to learn. And here’s another hill I’ll die on: it’s not reading non-fiction alone that can teach you something. And this is why I am positioning this piece as books for curious minds. Because for me, curious minds are those that are always looking to explore, but are equally willing to learn from unexpected places. It’s really about openness. Being open to new ideas wherever they appear and that in part relates it to my thoughts on everyday creativity too. Inspiration and education is everywhere, and in every kind of book.
You just need to read it.
The books you’ll find here & how I choose what to read
So the books you’ll find here are varied. There’s non-fiction, fiction, admittedly, a lot of horror, thrillers, fantasy and crime novels, after all, every reader has their preferences.
I have my favourite authors of course and new releases from the likes of Lee Child and Stephen King will always make the pile. I also have my fellow readers, from whom I’ll always take a recommendation, even when it falls outside of what I typically think I’d like to read. It’s this way that books like Proto and The Creative Act made it onto the pile too. I’ll take advice from bookshop owners too, whether that’s directly, or indirectly, paying attention to their recommended reading displays or highlighted books. Sometimes just observing which authors they stock a lot from can be enough to pique my interest and raise the question, could this be worth a read.
And I’ve found in the end that any book is worth reading when it quiets a busy mind, serves as an escape and of course, teaches me something new. So this isn’t an attempt to read every classic, and in truth, to date I haven’t found many I’ve loved (perhaps I’m not so sophisticated as the Oxford and Cambridge scholars who seem to have enjoyed them far more than I did). I don’t follow trends; there are simply too many great books waiting to be discovered. This is simply about the books that stayed with me. Whether that’s through the joy of the story, the love of a character, a lesson well learned or just time well spent.
I don’t care about reading what someone else says are the “right” books. I care about reading the books that are right for me. And those are the ones that leave me better than how they found me. Because they soothed an anxious mind, taught me something new, challenged my opinions and changed my perspectives and most importantly of all, gave me a new question to answer and another idea to explore.
The books that add more books to the pile.
Where to go next
