Reading Goals

I’ve seen a lot about reading goals here and there on the socials. People want to win some sort of ethereal prize by boasting that they’ve read a hundred, two hundred, three hundred books. Or even more. Everyone has their own tactics, but I can’t help but feel these people are cheating themselves.

I saw one guy, obviously a real dildo; he was making a claim that Dad Books are over. No more long books like dumb old daddy used to read. No sir, we read novellas! Irrefutable evidence, because it’s common knowledge that old people are stupid. While you’re at it, jeer at Dad Rock and Dad Jokes and just plain old Dad. It’s no better than old assholes putting the kids down for their ways.

I saw another mensa candidate yelling at the cloud, proclaiming over and over that writers need to TRIM THE FAT! Get rid of all useless details. Who needs atmosphere and character detail? Get to the good junk, please.

It’s nothing new. Years, decades ago, a woman I knew was passing on some precious knowledge. You can speed read a book! Here’s how: Breeze over the first and last sentence in a paragraph, then train your eyes and brain to pick up crucial words within. You can get through a book so much faster!

Or a woman I met who listens to audiobooks at 2X speed. It’s so much faster.

Whatever. People can do what they like. Just as I can feel contempt for their lack of aesthetics. Why rush through something that is supposed to bring us pleasure? Go ahead, race through a thousand pamphlets and like CEOs listing their annual profits, put it out for all to marvel over.

I have to wonder if they really even like reading?

I certainly don’t like reading. Love isn’t even strong enough of a word. Reading is my life. It’s the reason I wake up in the morning and what I think about as I drift away to sleep at night.

I used to be different. Oh, I was never like the nonreaders I described above, but I raced through books. I always loved long novels, but I ran to the finish line. Now I take my time. I am in no hurry and I am there to enjoy the books.

I savor the words and the sentences. I get into the groove of the rhythm of the words, the cadence of their placement. I want to be in the moment.

If I have any reading goals, it’s more hours devoted to books. I’ve neglected them lately, as I’ve been toiling away on a new book that focuses on movies. When I finish the initial research, I am taking a cinematic break and jumping back into books. Hard.

Some want to use AI to take short cuts in writing books. Others wish to use technology, or other short cuts to compromise the reading experience. Isn’t it all getting in the way of the stories? Or is that more Dad Thinking?

Written by Mark Sieber