Chapters, Cats, and Chaises

Welcome to a brief interim to my standard book reflections! I thought we could take a brief break and discuss “Alyshia’s Rules to Reading.” 

This is entirely personal and not a guideline to how you should be reading. It is a reflection on how I have found momentum to keep engaging with books when the brain-rot starts to overstay its welcome.

On Book Structure

  1. Read a book I already own but haven’t started
  2. Read a book that is dense, heavy, and challenging (read my veggies)
  3. Read a book I have been super excited about (read my dessert)
  4. Read a book from one of my many completionist charts – Rory Gilmore’s book list, 100 Essential Novels poster, BOTM Club, etc.,
  5. Rest, research, review, connect, repeat

On Self Care

  1. Life is meant to be experienced, not to be conquered. If reading isn’t fun, take a break.
  2. Experience means engaging with what rejuvenates me, whether it be brain-rot, movies, YouTube, crafts, video games, or watching paint dry. 
  3. This is not one-size-fits-all. Some books will be great, some will be popular and a struggle. 
  4. Sometimes what I need most is to commit to doing nothing.
  5. Making my inner child smile is consistently the most healing experience. Sometimes that smile comes from routine/discipline/boundaries. Other times it comes from decorating the entire home with Christmas lights in August.

On Daily Habits

  1. Start the day on a high note: “I get to go to work, so I get to have money to feed the cats!”
  2. If the high note is a struggle, it’s okay to start the day with a doughnut from a local shop.
  3. Carry my hobbies to my lounge spot. If I want to read, the book is there. If I need to do my homework, my laptop is also there.
  4. Work stays with work.
  5. Drink more water.

On Fundamentals

  1. Reading is a practiced skill. If I stop reading for an extended time, I need to jump back in with an easier, lighter book.
  2. This isn’t a race, it’s a chance to be fully immersed.
  3. Reading takes all of my internal voices and channels them all into one focus: the story.
  4. I tune out audiobooks so can’t do them personally, but they still count as reading!
  5. Life is short. Don’t spend it finding ways to belittle others so I might feel taller.