Bookish Lessons For 2023

WHAT I WANT TO REMEMBER IN 2023:

If I look at my reading journey from 2020 to today, I realise how exponentially I have grown as a reader.

• From being a dedicated physical book reader to gulping audiobooks and digital books like no one’s business.
• From being a hobby reader who didn’t open Goodreads, to now compulsively interacting on Goodreads almost every single day and crosschecking every book recommendation here with other reviews and overall ratings there.
• From not even knowing what is a TBR to having a precise (and highly optimistic) TBR Excel sheet.
• From not even considering rating a book to reviewing every single book I read, even picture books.
• From not knowing a single author in real life to even beta-reading for authors who are close friends.

In a way, my life has encompassed the bookish world in all its consumer-oriented forms, even writing because hey… review writing is also writing, right? The only thing that hasn’t changed is that I am still not earning a single paisa from any of these activities!

I won’t sign off this year with my “Best Books of 2022”, though I have read so many of them. What I want to do to pen down my learnings from this year. This post is to remind myself in future of the lessons I have learnt and ought not forget.

So, here I go:

BOOKISH LESSONS FOR 2023, FROM ME, TO ME:

(I am penning this down mainly as a "Notes to Myself" kind of thing, but if you feel connected to any of the points, you are definitely most welcome to them. I'll be happy if it helps with some motivation for those struggling with a reading/confidence slump.)

1. Slumps are normal. You might have a reading slump, a writing slump, or an interaction slump. But this is a way for the body to recharge itself. Don’t obsessively fight the slump. Give it some time, and it will slide over on its own, sooner or later.

2. It is okay to have an outlier opinion. Someone will always hate a book you loved, and someone will always love a book you hated. Don’t question your opinion. Humans have varied choices, and variety is the spice of life. Don’t allow others to weaken your spirit.

Corollary: Don’t question others’ choice of favourite books.

3. Don’t bother about what counts as reading. Everything counts. Audiobooks, digital books, manga, picture books, graphic novels,… Don’t bother about the format or presentation, and more importantly, don’t point fingers at others over their choice of format. There’s nothing called “actual reading”.

4. Read what you want to read, not what others want you to read. (Except for our BOTMs: please do read them. ) Classics, children’s fiction, horror, YA, steamy romance, nonfiction, literary, noir… There’s no good or bad genre. Just read what makes you happy, that’s it.

5. Don’t feel compelled to like international prize-winning books. These prizes look for a specific literary fiction quality, and this is something that does not work for all readers. You are NOT any less of a reader just because you didn’t GET a prize-winner.

Corollary: You are NOT any more of a reader just because you GOT a prize-winner.

6. It is okay to DNF a book that just isn’t working out for you. But give it your best shot first. Someone took months over that book, so giving it up after 10 pages isn’t really right. At the same time, if the book isn’t matching your reading preferences, there is no point slogging over it. In other words, DNFing is fine at times.

Addendum: if you are a rater/reviewer, don’t leave ratings for such books unless you read at least half of it. It’s fair neither to the book nor to the author.

7. Go easy on older books and authors. Times were different, attitudes were different, writing styles were different. You are in 2022/2023. They aren’t. Rate a book for the era it was written in and not by the year it was read in. I am not asking you to ignore the flaws. I am just asking you to be sensible about it.

8. Don’t be bothered by who read how many books. Focus on your own reading. Whether you read 4 books a year or 400, you are still a reader. Whether you set annual reading goals or go free flow, you are still a reader. Whether you compulsively read every minute you can or pick up a book once a month, you are STILL a reader.

9. Get out of your comfort zone. You never know what works (and doesn't work) for you unless you try it. Read from new countries, and new genres. Explore your own country: there are some hidden gems in Indian regional fiction. Don't forget indie books. They are sometimes even better than offerings from top publishing houses.

Addendum: If it doesn't work for you, don't beat yourself up over it. Sing like Princess Elsa, "Let it go!"

Enough gyaan, no? Even if it is for myself! Who wants a long lecture on New Year’s Eve!

If there's any bookish lesson you have learnt this year, please feel free to add them in the comments. We read together, and we learn together.

Here’s wishing us all a wonderful and fruitful and booklicious 2023. May this be a year of reparations and restoration for the world as a whole, and our inner selves in particular. Let our light shine through this year!