In different seasons of life, I am drawn to different types of books. At one point in my life, I would choose books based on how big they were. The bigger, the better. Also at one point in my life, if it had a dragon in it I would probably read it.
I have noticed smaller cycles in my reading too. Sometimes, all I want is to find the fattest fantasy book in the library and lose myself in a story world. Sometimes, I want a quick, cozy mystery. Sometimes, I just want to read nonfiction.
I have been pondering on why I have these trends. Why do I drift towards some books, and then away to other books? What is the reason or the cause of this?
These are my thoughts.
I love to read, but I only have so much free time and mental energy in any given season. If I think back to the long days and hours of summer time, I remember reading big fat books. Big biographies, big fantasy books, and long series. I wasn’t working, and if I wanted to I could spend all day on the couch reading a book.
When the school year starts, my mental energy becomes used up in other ways. The books I read get shorter. I look for short reads, cozy mysteries, and happy endings. I don’t have the emotional capacity to handle sad endings when I am helping a student figure out a lost pencil is not worth a complete melt down.
Then I have seasons of life like the one I am in now, where most days are go go go until I fall into bed. In this season, when I read, I read nonfiction. Such as books about organizing my house, books about gardening, and books about habits. I could read fiction, there are quite a few books that look interesting. But none interesting enough to pick up right at this moment.
Why? My theory is fiction books take more out of me. When I read fiction, I can get very wrapped up in the story. A good book makes me happy, a bad book, or a sad book, makes me sad. Some books run the gambit of emotions, and I am exhausted just by reading them. And I don’t have the mental energy for that right now. It is all being taken up by my job, and by building a house. I would rather use the few minutes of reading time I have to read something calm. And what could be calmer than a book about cleaning your house?
In fewer words, the books I read are chosen based on how much energy I do or do not have in a given season of life. In the summer time, when I have time and mental energy, I will read the melancholy books and the long fantasy books. In the middle of winter, cozy books are best. Right now? The calmest books I can find.
Have you noticed a similar trend in your own life? I now wonder if other people experience this same phenomenon, or if it is just me.
Have a beautiful day.
Shaina Merrick
The Beauty of a Story 