8 Minute Reader
Let's talk about reading in the margins of life.
Third time’s the charm, right?
I swear this will be the third, and final, iteration of this newsletter. I’m bringing it back with a different focus and perspective than you’ve come to this space for in the past and I hope you’ll find it useful enough to stick around. Maybe even share it with others!?
Past iterations of this newsletter have really focused on the D.C. region and while I remain a stalwart champion of this city and region of readers, that will be a much smaller component of this space moving forward.
Instead, I bring you the 8 minute reader.
Why 8 minutes?
Because I’ve noticed that whenever I finish reading something on my e-reader my average time spent reading is about 8 minutes. The more I noticed it, the more I thought about that number and what it represents.
It’s time spent reading before my eyelids are too heavy to continue. Time spent reading in the noisy lobby at ballet class before my small ballerina runs out to go potty. Luxurious time in the morning when the rest of the house is still sleeping. Minutes in the in-between.
Those minutes are valuable, vital even, to me as a reader, but they’re not always enough. Some books certainly suffer from inconsistent attention. The short session is also not the perspective most reviews are written or shared from. Professional reviewers are, well, pros who are paid to read (and of course write, curate, cover, interview authors and much more). Book lovers on bookstagram and booktok are often, though certainly not always, creators who have a either significant leisure time to devote to their influencer work or who are being compensated.
Whither the harried reader? She’s right here. It’s me. But I suspect I’m not alone.
My goal, really, is to consider the wonderful adventures and insights we can gain in the margins. What serves us well there, and what might need to be set aside for a rarer uninterrupted stretch for maximum effect and enjoyment. And what, frankly, isn’t worth the time.
So I’m back - to bring a perspective of broken attention to reviews of what I’m reading. To consider with you what types of books are perhaps better suited for those of us finding, or stealing, time to dedicate to reading in our days. Generally, I’m lucky to be able to pick up where I left off, as if uninterrupted, but there are books that just don’t lend themselves to a stop-start style of reading.
I’ll also keep sharing what I’m reading, listening to (spoiler, it’s never music and always a story), and what the kids are reading - they’re now 6 and 4, the older impossible to keep in books, truly. The younger is ready to read as quickly as her pre-k teacher can get her there. And of course the occasional regional update or event, but let’s start a new conversation and community. I’ll be in your inbox every other week with books, thoughts, and questions. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!
I’ll be back next Tuesday to kick us off and every other week thereafter. Let’s read together!
