The Lazy Genius Podcast - Bonus: How I Read 120 Books This Year

Episode Date: December 29, 2022

This is not an episode of bragging. This is not an episode to make you feel like you should figure out a way to read 120 books or 20 books or 200 books or whatever. It is about what can happen when you actively choose to be a genius about something that matters, like reading matters to me.   Helpful Companion Links Episode #227: How to Know What to Read Next with Anne Bogel Anne’s podcast What Should I Read Next? I’m a guest on ep. 27 Books good enough to make you turn off the tv and ep. 245 Finding the right mix for your reading life. Episode #228: 5 Ways to Organize Your Books Episode #152: Reading in Odd Circumstances Episode #213: Create a Summer Reading Club Episode #23: The Lazy Genius Reads How to Use Trello to Track Your Reading See a list of my favorite reads here. Get the Latest Lazy Letter Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! Download a transcript of this episode.   This podcast is hosted by Kendra Adachi and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey there, you're listening to the Lazy Genius Podcast. I'm 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 a bonus episode to help us close out 2022, how I read 120 books this year. Okay, this is not an episode of bragging. This is not an episode to make you feel like you should figure out a way to read 120 books or 20 books or 200 books or two books or whatever. This episode is not about numbers or even reaching.

Reading goals. It's barely about books. I mean, it kind of is. But this is really about what happens when you actively choose to be a genius about something that matters, like reading matters to me. So here's what we're going to do. The first half of this episode will all be about the choices I made to be a genius about something that matters. And then the second half will be more reading specific. If you are a book book nerd like I am, the breakdowns, favorite titles, stuff like that. Okay. So let's start with this genius part, right? I love reading. I love reading. It is my favorite hobby of all the hobbies. For a while after college, I took a long break from reading. I got an English degree, and so I had to read a lot. And then I graduated and I watched TV a lot. Those were the glory days,

y'all, of ER and lost. Like, why would I read? But then I started reading again. I fell in love even deeper with it than I was before. And I cannot remember a day that's gone by in years and years where I have not read for at least a few minutes. So I very much love reading. It matters deeply to me. And it is something I want to be a genius about. Now, we will put some other episodes in the show notes that we have that are about books, episodes about how to organize your books, how to find time to read an episode with my favorite book guru and Bogel about how to figure out what to read next, we have a lot of great book-related episodes in the archives. So there's plenty there to listen to because I love reading a lot and so I talk about it a lot. Now, just because you love something does not necessarily

mean you have to be a genius about it. You don't have to spend a ton of time on it or get really good at it or be super intentional about it. Some things you can just love when they come around, and that's it. And then of course, there are things you love that you do want to be a genius about. You do want to invest the time and the energy and the knowledge and the intention into making that thing, whatever it is, an integral part of your life. So remember that. It doesn't have to be a genius thing just because you love it. Most years, but especially this year at the start of 2022, I wanted reading to be an integral part of my life. I wanted to be a genius about it. I didn't set reading goals or anything. I didn't have a number to hit, but I knew from past experiences that

there is little that gives me the same kind of pleasure that reading does. I mean, I love, like, I love being with people, obviously. There's nothing like a good playoff game seven. but in general, the most consistent way that I can add joy and enjoyment to my life is by reading. It rarely, it rarely lets me down. I would say even when I'm in a slump, I still value the energy I spend trying to get out of my slump. That is still valuable to me. So going into this year, this past year, I made a single commitment to myself about reading. If there was nothing more compelling to do, I would be.

read. At any point, within reason, of course, if I had the ability to read, I would. Now, I still watch sports. I still listen to podcasts. I still did my job. I still played with my kids. I still sat in silence. But in those moments where I had a choice to make about how I could spend my time, I would choose to read. Basically, if reading was an option, I'd try to take it. Now, what am I really saying here? I have actively chosen reading over other things time and time again. Now, in the past, I usually read about 50 to 60 books a year. And the choice to choose reading when it was an option doubled my reading. But it also took things away, right?

That's the thing about being a genius about something. It almost always requires you to let something else go, to be lazy. about something to take energy that was going to go one direction and send it in another. So this past year, I have listened to fewer podcast episodes than I have in the past. Now, I love podcasts, like a lot. And I love that you love podcasts, especially this one. Your loving podcast, it pays my actual bills. It helps me pay my team.

So please keep listening. But there were a few shows that I stopped listening to altogether because I chose reading instead. There are a few shows that I listen to an episode that is like super compelling, but I would kind of leave the rest because reading is more compelling to me than that. I've also given up a lot of TV. Our TV habits have shifted in recent years. My boys just, they just stay up later. I mean, you only go to bed at like 945 minimum. Usually it's 10. So there is very little room for this lady to invest in a show with kids. who not only go to bed late, but who are also, like, deeply not interested in watching anything,

I invite them to watch with me. I mean, like, I try to get them to watch, you know, classics, like The Office and Bob's Burgers, which some of you are like, that's not classic, but it's to me. Like, I think they would love stranger things if they just got over the initial fear of the unknown of it, but no. They say no. They say no. They want to watch diners, drive-ins, and dyes, instead. Or fix her upper. Y'all, they love Joanna. So I read while they do that. And then when they they go to bed, I don't usually have the energy to start a new show with Cause. And the truth is, y'all, cause falls asleep on the couch within 10 minutes of the boys going to bed anyway. Like, we're just tired. So that's another reason that I found it easier to choose reading over

TV just because of our season of life. But I did choose it. Now, it doesn't mean that reading is better or more worthy. I deeply disagree with that. Have you seen some of the magic that is on TV right now? Gracious. But for me, and this year especially, I predominantly, choose the stories in books over the stories on podcasts and in TV shows. So that is an application of the lazy genus principle essentialize. I got rid of what is in the way of what matters. Another principle I used is to build the right routines. I worked reading into almost every existing routine I could. I read in the morning with my coffee. I read during my lunch break. I read by listening to an audiobook when I'm doing stuff around the house or running errands.

are, you know, in the car and in the stores, honestly. I read while the kids watch Guy Fiery at night. I read when I go to bed. I read throughout the day. I read while I'm waiting for a podcast episode to, like, download. I have rhythms of what form my reading will take during those times. So that's like almost to decide once. I listen to audiobooks when I'm moving around and I can't be still.

I read e-books or physical books otherwise. I always carry whatever. book I'm reading around with me. Like, right, I keep my Kindle paper white. I love that thing. Or whatever physical book I'm reading, I carry it around in the room I'm in. Like, I do my phone. I just carry it with me. I'm keeping reading close by so I can do it whenever time allows. I also added audiobooks to my life in 2022. I will share the breakdown of those versus like physical books in the second half of the episode. But that for sure has added so much beautiful reading to my life. And I know there are people who don't think that listening to audiobooks is real reading,

but they are sorely mistaken. At a very basic level, that means that people who are visually impaired who can only listen to books are not actually reading books, that they're not really readers. And we all know that's not true. There have also been studies that show that comprehension doesn't really change between readers of physical books and audiobooks. Like listening and reading both require the same kind of attention to comprehend the story. So they're both utilizing your brain in active ways. Like we could go on and on. But if you are a person who has been hesitant to read audiobooks because you feel like they don't count, I would ask you what the alternative is.

One is that you don't read. If you have tiny humans at home, you're not going to be able to read a book with pages. You have to flip your home babies. But can you listen to a book? You sure can. It's like grown up story time. When you're a kid and somebody reads you a story, it is a formative reading experience. It stays in your reading memory.

The same is true, I think, for audiobook. So that is another way I was a genius about reading. I expanded my formats, right, to include audiobooks. So in summary, I chose on purpose to be a genius about reading this year, at least genius to me, right? I wanted to put more time and energy into it than in years past. Not to necessarily read more books by the number, but to have it be part of my life in a deeper, more consistent way. I did that by choosing to read whenever it was available. And that meant a few things. I let other things go. I added reading to my existing routines. I kept reading near me at all times. And I expanded the formats that I used to read. So I essentialized. I built the right routines and I

decided once. I used a lot of lazy genius principles over the last year to double my reading. Double it. That's nuts from years before. Now does the number matter? Not to me. It doesn't. It is significant simply because it's different than last year. It shows that choosing something over and over again, it does make a difference in what matters to you. We'll be right back. There's more to life than finding the perfect car. But finding the perfect car can help you get the most out of life. Like the SUV that handles everything from drop off to off road and the car that hauls. groceries and hockey teams, or the van that's gone from just practical to practically family. Whatever you want, wherever you're going. Start your search at autotrater.ca. Canada's car marketplace. This episode is brought to you by Nespresso.

Hear that, that's your next obsession. Every coffee, a new world. Every sip, a new taste. This is the new espresso. One touch, endless possibilities. iced, flavored, long, short, because some days call for that espresso kick, and sometimes a smooth, silky latte just wins. It's exceptional but effortless, like actually effortless. Simply press, brew, and explore. Nispresso, what else? Keep exploring at nespresso.com. 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. Okay, now for the book nerd numbers. Here's the breakdown of my reading in 2022. At the time that I'm actually recording this, it is the second week of December since we're working ahead to take a long break over the holidays at LGHQ. And I'm finishing the year with 120 books. So I do this thing where I log my books from the start of Christmas break to the start of the next Christmas break. I am not a January 1 to December 31 person. I'm closing out my 22 reading kind of like December 16th, which is when I stopped making content for the year. And when

my kids are out of school and winter break, like that really starts and I read a lot during winter break. So technically in this 2022 count, nine of those books happened in the last two weeks of December 2021. Right. So just so you know, there's that. Now, I track my reading in Trello. I have done a blog post about that or maybe it's an Instagram post. Maybe both. Either way, we'll have something in the show notes that shows how I use Trello to track my reading.

I don't really, at this point in my life, I don't use a book log or reading log as much because so much of my processing of what I read is done in my newsletter, the latest lazy letter. I share the books that I read every month. So they kind of get solidified in my mind regularly. And that means I don't feel the need to log them anywhere that much outside of those lists in Trello. It's just quicker for me right now. So here are some stats. I read 120 books total. 86 were fiction and 34 were nonfiction. That's usually a more even split.

And this year it was like way different. So that was surprising. In terms of format, it landed about where I expected. 51 of the 120 were like physical in my handbooks. 30 were ebooks and 39 were. audiobooks. Of the 120 books, 11 of them were rereads. I reread the Hunger Games and I read the Throne of Glass series. My biggest reading stretch where I read the most books over the shortest amount of time was December break like last year into January. I read 29 books over six weeks,

which is like a lot, right? And yet in April last year, I finished one book. Just one. Just one. Now, looking at the titles around that book, I can see why. None of the books were loves. So I had a lot of me books for me without a lot of motivation to pick any of them up. So that's a thing to notice. My most read authors were Sarah J. Moss and Neil Gaiman. And that's no surprise to anyone. And my most read genre was fantasy, which also surprises no one. I also just really enjoyed my reading year. Like even with that little spring slump, I don't think I've enjoyed a reading year more. And I think that's mostly because I just read so much. Now, real quick, just to close this up, here are my favorite books I read in 2022. My favorite book of the year was the graveyard book

by Neil Gaiman. Now, it was written a long time ago. Not long, but you know what I'm saying. I don't know the year, but it's not like a new release or anything. But I read it for the first time this year. It is up there with the ocean at the end of the lane in the night circus by Aaron Morgan's turn. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is also by Neil Gaiman. It ranks as like one of my favorites of all time. I loved the graveyard book. Other fiction favorites included the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Moss because I read that for the first time this year.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch, which was a sci-fi thriller. I love Blake Crouch. I've loved everything that Blake Crouch has written. Gilded by Marissa Meyer, which is a dark retelling of Rumpel Stiltskin. It's a real good. Pyrannessi, which is a weird little book about a man caught in a castle in the middle of the ocean that's full of portals to other worlds. It's so weird and so delightful. I love weird little books. And then book lovers by Emily Henry. That was my favorite rom-com book, maybe ever. I love, I loved. I loved book lovers. My favorite audiobook of the year was taste.

by Stanley Tucci. Good. Gracious. It was so good. Followed very closely by a novel. This was my favorite fiction audiobook listen. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, narrated by Marin Ireland. And then I also loved finding me by Viola Davis. That was an incredible memoir, audiobook experience. My favorite nonfiction read, like in my hand, you know. My favorite nonfiction read of the year was the making of biblical womanhood by Beth Allison Barr, followed very closely by, I hope this finds you well, a book of poetry by Kate Bear. And what's crazy is that if I scroll down my Trello list and I see my top 30 books, all of

them could be contenders for top 10 book in any year. Like, I guess that's what happens when you read a lot, that you just have a lot of favorites, You just get more books that you really love. But those are the stats. And that is how I read 120 books this year. I hope it encourages you to think differently about something that you want to be a genius about or about reading in general. It doesn't have to be the numbers.

It's just about what matters to you, right? If you are interested in getting my book reviews and recommendations once a month, my newsletter, the latest lazy letter. It goes out at the beginning of every month, and it has every book I read, written down, explained, and I share whether or not it's for you or why it wasn't for me, et cetera, et cetera. That's what a book review is, guys.

So if you were interested in getting that, you can go to the lazy genius collective.com slash join and sign up to get the latest lazy letter. Okay, y'all, that is it for today. Thanks so much for listening to this bonus episode. And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra. Happy New Year. I'll see you next week. Have 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. all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to becoming you wherever you get your podcasts.