The Lazy Genius Podcast - #176 - Why Fall Reading Might Not Be Working For You

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Starting point is 00:00:55 Save the everyday with Amazon. Hi there, you're listening to The Lazy Genius Podcast. I am Kendra Adachi, and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today is episode 176. Why Fall Reading might not be working for you. There are so much out there about fall reading and fall books and people getting excited. And while you could easily be one of those people, I know I am. A lot of us also feel a little confused in the conversation. Why is everybody so obsessed with reading in the fall? What if I don't know what fall books are supposed to feel like? And when do people have time to read anyway? If that is you, you'll really enjoy this episode. And if you're already pretty steady in your reading rhythm, I think there are some questions in this episode, as well as a list of what's on my fall reading stack that could shed some new light on a well-worn well-loved pastime. Before we jump in, two quick things regarding reviews.

Starting point is 00:02:02 First, a couple of weeks ago, I announced a giveaway for folks who left podcast reviews on Apple Podcasts, and you guys were amazing. You love so many high reviews. It was amazing. Our download numbers have been up since then. And I think that that surge in reviews had something to do with it. So thank you for that. More people are learning the lazy genius way and feeling better.

Starting point is 00:02:25 and less stressed about life and you're just a huge part of that. So thank you. Because reviewer names don't have email addresses attached to them, I'm just going to share the three winners for the Amazon gift cards right here. And if you're one of those people, would you email us at Kendra? That's K-E-N-D-R-A at the lazy genius collective.com. We'll get your gift card out to you as soon as possible. So the three random giveaway winners are DRK Red 504, so Dark Red 504, Sandy 198-1-228, and upside-down M. So if you are one of those people, email us and we will send you your prize. And thank you to all of you who left reviews. It's just so kind. And then the quick, like the other thing regarding reviews is if you have read my book, the last.

Starting point is 00:03:20 Lacey Genius Way. Thank you. And have not yet left a review of it on Goodreads or Amazon. Would you consider doing that this week? Right now we have 509 Amazon reviews and 1,420 reviews on good rates, which is bonkers. But there's always room for more. So if you love to the lazy genius way and you want to shout it from the rooftops, leaving a review is a great way to do that. it helps me, it helps future readers. It's just such a kindness because the number of reviews, it reflects credibility in some ways, not always. But you know, if you're looking for a book and you see a book that has 2000 reviews versus 12 reviews, you might be more inclined to check out the book that has 2,000. So again, not always, but if you have kind words to say about the

Starting point is 00:04:14 book and you want to share them publicly, leaving a review would be absolutely amazing. So I just want to thank you in advance for doing that. Okay, books. Speaking of books, let's not, let's not talk about my book anymore. Let's talk about books in general. So I asked you all about, I asked you what your questions were about fall reading on Instagram. I actually answered a lot of them on Instagram stories over the weekend, which I saved to a highlight at The Lazy Genius. So if you want to go check it out. But for the purposes of today, we're kind of talking bigger strokes here. Let's talk about the following. Why fall reading? Why? Like what's special about fall reading? How do you choose what to read? When do you read? And then I'll share what I plan on

Starting point is 00:04:59 reading. So we're looking at the why, the how, the when, and the what. Basically, I love making fall reading this amazing quest. I want to capitalize on the particular vibe of fall reading and make it really feel legit. So we're going to do that together today. And this could give you a little life into your sort of fall reading rut or what is fall reading anyway. If reading is just not working for you right now, hopefully this episode is going to help. So first step, why fall reading? What is so special about fall reading? And here's where we start. What is fall reading to you? It doesn't matter what books feel like fall to me. You need to choose books that feel like fall. to you. You have to name that for yourself, right? It depends on where you live, what stage of life you're in,

Starting point is 00:05:53 how you feel about the season of fall in general or the season of life that you're in, what you like to get out of your books. You know, there are just a multitude of factors that make your fall reading, your fall reading. And you do not need to copy how someone else does it or feels about it in order for it to count. In fact, you don't even have to change your reading in the slightest around fall if it doesn't feel any different to you. It's all your call. So that's the main thing. If you want fall reading to feel important to you, name what's important about it to you and then make the rest of your decisions based on that. This is how we're a genius about things that matter. If reading matters, you're not going to know how to be a genius about your fall reading if you don't know what matters.

Starting point is 00:06:42 about your fall reading. As an example, I'll give you what matters to me. Fall reading to me is reading as much as possible, truly. I love reading on my porch when it's cool on my porch swing at night, like wrapped in a blanket. I love reading at night before bed when it's really, really already dark because in the summer, it takes longer to get dark where I live. And, you know, I love to read throughout the day when I have time. Basically, there's something, I just want to read as much as possible in the fall, which I really am not sure is true of other seasons. The reason for that, I think, for me, is that reading is grounding. It feels like home. So in a season that definitely already feels like home. Fall is a very, a very homeish cozy season. It can also be a bit busy,

Starting point is 00:07:31 right? Reading helps me be still and aware of the coziness around me. I just, really love the piece that comes from reading in the fall. And I also really like to read things that feel like fall to me. That's another thing that matters, which leads us to how do you choose what to read? Much like you would choose from words to describe your personal style or how you decorate your house or anything else that's kind of unique to you. Name some words. Like, think about some words that describe the kinds of books that feel like fall to you. Some ideas. Cozy. Spooky. Joyful. Mysterious. Romantic. Think about genres that feel like fall to you. Mysteries, horror, fantasy, dystopian, classics. A lot of people love to read classics in the fall.

Starting point is 00:08:28 And if you're still having trouble naming any of those things, name a few titles of books you've already read that you're like, yeah, that's a fall book. Yeah. And once you list some of those out, just pay attention to what they have in common and plot and setting and character or just how they make you feel. Again, this is up to you. And it doesn't have to be complicated or exactly right. Just say some words out loud that describe what fall reading is to you. And then that helps you choose what you'll actually read. You're limiting your choice down to books that only fit the qualifications of a fall read. So for example, I I don't read romance novels in the fall. I mean, I don't read romance novels a ton anyway, but they feel very much like summer books to me. So if I choose a romance novel, even one that's at the top of everyone's list and I read it in the fall, I'm pretty confident I would stall out and I would lose my reading momentum because that just doesn't feel like fall. You'll have so much time to read books in your life. So don't feel the pressure to be able to read everything right now, right just choose books from a limited framework of books that feel like fall to you once you know your

Starting point is 00:09:44 framework for fall books start choosing just a handful of titles that feel right based on that framework you likely have a tBR list already a to be read list pick three titles from that list that you'll read this fall you know or walk to your shelf of unread books and pick out three that fit that fall vibe you just named or grab some that you want to reread. If you have neither of those things, a TBR list or books in your house, they're unread, which I find a little unlikely that you have neither. But if that's the case, check out some trusted book recommendation voices like Ann Bogle from the podcast, What Should I Read Next? Jamie from the Instagram account absorbed in pages. Or you can look at Greenlight Books from the podcast with Knox and Jamie. Or

Starting point is 00:10:32 here's my favorite actually go to your local independent bookstore if you have one that's open and tell them what fall reading feels like to you and then ask them to recommend something that fits what you're looking for that is what they're so good at so remember there's just no right or wrong here there's no complete there is no perfect it's just books right and if you don't read everything that feels like fall this fall, you will likely have another fall to keep going. We think that if we can't do it all, then we might as well do nothing. Wouldn't it be nice to read one book this fall that feels really special to you in this season, then read nothing? Because you feel badly that you might only read one book. Don't do that. Be kinder to yourself than that. Okay, next step. This is the kicker. When?

Starting point is 00:11:25 When does one find time to read? This is true in all the seasons. but I think fall definitely has its own vibe. We are on the front end of new routines heading into a busy holiday season for many folks listening. So it's almost like you have to fit in reading wherever you have cracks. You're still figuring out what the routine looks like anyway. And you likely did not include reading in that routine. Sometimes post-holiday winter and early spring, for example, those are easier times to find space to read. because you're not really doing a whole lot around that time of year, fall is different. Fall, for me, often it needs a bit more intention in choosing when I read.

Starting point is 00:12:09 And because I've named that and know that, I can create a little system using lazy genius principles to support what matters, which is to read as much as possible. Aw, isn't something we need to travel for. It's something waiting for us in everyday life, whether in a city street or a moment with a work of art. I'm Dr. Keltner, host of the Science of Happiness podcast. Join me for Cities of Aw, a special series on how our public spaces can spark awe, wonder, and enhance the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. So my most impactful principle on when I read is to decide once. I'm going to decide one time when I read.

Starting point is 00:13:02 so that I actually do it. And I don't have to wonder when I'll actually be able to find time to read. Because we all have times we can read, no matter how busy we are. However, not choosing those times on purpose means that you're cramming your reading into the cracks or you're choosing a show or something else instead, which is not bad, by the way. Books are not better than shows as a rule. Now, you might personally love books more than shows or vice versa, but there's no universal human rule that says that one is better than the other. That's something you get to decide for yourself, right? Just want to make sure you know that. But back to the decide once. So I have decided when I read and even the kind of book I'll read during that time. So here's the rhythm. My rhythm is I read in the

Starting point is 00:13:48 morning before anyone wakes up. I do it because I love it and need it. Not because getting up early makes me better or is the thing that everyone is supposed to do. It's very much not true. But I personally get up at 5.30 every weekday morning and I read nonfiction for about an hour. I have two types of nonfiction that I read in the morning. One is something that's more like spiritual in nature. And the other is something kind of in an other category, but more or less educational. So for example, right now I am reading Grateful by Diane Butler Bass. That's really good. And the New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. this way I am balancing books that are good for my soul and also books that are good for my brain to learn and then I still get to read stories because the rest of the day I read fiction.

Starting point is 00:14:42 Now I used to adopt the Brie McCoy method, which was to read spiritual nonfiction in the morning, educational nonfiction throughout the day and then fiction at night. Now since I don't always get to read as much at night as I'd like depending on what's going on in our lives, after morning reading, the rest of the day is fiction. And right now I am reading a very fall-feeling book to me. It's called Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigs. The book I finished before that was Mexican Gothic that I got from Book of the Month, which I loved, like legit loved.

Starting point is 00:15:19 It was so incredibly fallish for me. It had like a very Gothic Rebecca vibe. If you're into the book, Rebecca, or you ever saw that movie with Joan Fontaine and Maximil, Maxim. I can't remember the actor's name at this point. It was leaving me. And then the scary lady with a tight dark bun. So it's a really great movie. It's an Alfred Hitchcock movie. If you want to watch something that's like sort of spooky, but not very scary for the fall. That's like a side note. But this book felt like that movie just set in Mexico with like a spicy heroin. It was really fantastic. So anyway, back to the when.

Starting point is 00:15:58 So the broad win for fiction for me is anything not in the morning, okay? But I have decided once to read when I eat lunch instead of listening to a podcast or watching a show on my phone. I've decided once to read then. I've also decided once to read for like the half hour between when I put Annie to bed and when the boys are done with their night screen time and they come into the living room with us. us. So that's like a half an hour difference from when I leave the room and say good night to her and then they come into the living room. So I tried to read then and to make sure that I can do that, I try and tidy before I start putting Annie to bed so that when I walk into the living room, it feels welcoming and ready for me. That is using the principle of ask the magic question.

Starting point is 00:16:47 What can I do now to make my reading time easier later? I can have the room picked up. and my book on the table by the couch, right? So that's during lunch, that half hour between Annie and the boys. I also read for at least 10 minutes before I go to bed once I'm in bed. And then anything outside of those times is gravy. And there's often a lot of gravy, depending on the day, or depending on what I'm reading, if I can't put it down. But even if there's no gravy, that's still over two hours of reading a day,

Starting point is 00:17:18 which is a lot of time. We think we don't have time. And then feel ashamed when people say, well, how much time do you spend on Instagram? And then we just feel bad and don't want to read it all. That's not what this is. You do think that you don't have time. I do that too because we build it big. We think that if we don't have a leisurely two hour afternoon to read all at once in one chunk

Starting point is 00:17:44 in a fully cleaned house with a fridge that's full of prepped food, like that it doesn't count. Like if you read when your house is dirty, it doesn't count. And it's garbage. So just decide once when you're going to read. Pick one time. Go ahead and decide what kind of book you'll read during that time if that helps. And then just do it. It doesn't matter how short it is. It still counts. And then you can use other principles like the magic question to make that decision easier to stick to later. You can use the principle of letting people in, by telling the people that you might live with that you would really like this time to just be a few minutes of intentional daily reading time, that that's important to you and let them support that.

Starting point is 00:18:30 You can be kind to yourself, which is another lazy genius principle when you don't make it to your regular reading time, right? Don't overcomplicate it. We're very good at overcomplicating things. Don't overcomplicate it. Okay. Now to the fun list part. I'd love to share with you what I am reading this fall or what I plan to read, I guess is fair. And if I don't know sweat, like for real, plans are not promises. They're just plans when it comes to reading, right? I will sometimes add a book based on a recommendation for my sister, who is my personal book vibes whisperer, and she always knows what I will love. I also might add something if it's available from book of the month, which I pay for, by the way. They are sometimes a sponsor on the show, which I also love. And

Starting point is 00:19:20 They're not a sponsor this week. But I will put a link to Mexican Gothic, that book I mentioned from them, if you want to add it to your next book of the month order. And any other number of factors. Like I might add to this list. If something makes me excited to read, I'll read it. My whole point is to read as much as possible and not lose momentum. So if a book makes me lose momentum or gain it, I'm going to quit that book or I'm going to add that book, right? Momentum is the goal for me.

Starting point is 00:19:48 not sticking to the plan exactly or finishing a book that's not working for me right now. I mean, it might work for me again, but it's not right now. So I'm going to leave it because I don't want to lose my momentum because momentum and reading as much as possible is what matters to me in the fall. Okay, so my fall stack as a reminder. I've said this in another episode before. I have a rule that of, it's a house rule, which is another principle in. the lazy genius way. I have a rule that of the three types of books that I'm reading at any given

Starting point is 00:20:24 time, spiritual nonfiction, educationalist-ish nonfiction, and then fiction. One must be a Bipak author. I want to read diversely on purpose. So this is, it's just a really easy way to do that by making sure at least one of my three is accomplishing that, right? Okay, so I just wanted to say that for the record as I give you my lists. Okay. So again, right now I am reading Grateful by Diane Butler Bass, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Ricks. My books that will likely be up next in my spiritual nonfiction category, Shalom Sisters by Oshita Moore, I love her on Instagram, and The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning.

Starting point is 00:21:14 I've never read that book before and I've always wanted to. The other nonfiction books are Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison and a short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson is the one who wrote The Body. If you've been getting my latest lazy letter for a while, I think it was last year I read The Body. I loved the body. I love the way Bill Bryson writes. So I'm super, super pumped about this one. And reading about history feels very fallish, right? It's like back to school. It's just got a good vibe. The fiction books Okay, so for me, the fiction books need to be fantasy or mysterious. That is my fall vibe for fiction. So I am choosing the 100,000 kingdoms by NK. Jemison, the space between worlds by Mackayah Johnson and the Shadows by Alex North. Those last two are both Book of the Month picks, by the way. They just do such a great job picking books. I'm also probably going to reread Jaber Crow, if it feels right. I mean, I read it just a few months ago at the start of the pandemic, but I already want to read it again,

Starting point is 00:22:20 especially in the fall. So we'll see. So all of these books I own and are on my shelf ready for me. Like I already pulled them out and made a stack. So there's not a lot of hardship and picking one up when it's time, which is so great. Okay. So fall reading needs to be by your own definition. You decide what it means for you. And what books feel like fall reading. reading because we all like different things. That might be why you're stuck. You haven't named what matters to you yet. And then you can decide once when you read and maybe even what you read during certain times. You can apply other lazy genius principles like ask the magic question, let people in. Start small. Actually, in light of that one, I hope that you are inspired to make

Starting point is 00:23:09 your own fall reading stack even if it is just one book. one book is enough if you'd like to start reading. Don't feel badly because you're stacked doesn't have eight books or 20 books or whatever. That's not fair or kind to yourself because it doesn't actually matter how many books you read or don't read as long as you're reading based on what matters to you. Okay, so again, I answered a lot of other fall book questions on Instagram over the weekend so you can go check out the highlight fall reading to see those. And if you are new here and are intrigued by these lazy genius principles that I keep mentioning, I encourage you to check out the lazy genius way. Maybe you can even add it to your fall stack. That would be so fun.

Starting point is 00:23:58 It is a book of 13 super actionable principles that help you create a life of meaning based on what matters to you. And you also get stuff done in the process. It is equal parts system and soul. And if you enjoyed this episode, I know you'll love the book, for real. there are over 500 Amazon reviews if you want to get a feel for how it's helped other people. Okay, that's it for today. I cannot wait to see your fall reading stacks. I'm so glad to have spent this last little bit with you and I'm just so grateful for your time and attention in the most sincere way. There are, there are just a lot that you could be listening to right now. And so it means the world that you would choose to listen to this. Be well, my friends. And until next time, be a genius about the

Starting point is 00:24:43 things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra. I'll see you next week. You ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You. People think, okay, an A plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to becoming you wherever you get your podcasts.

The Lazy Genius Podcast - #176 - Why Fall Reading Might Not Be Working For You

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