My Reading Journey

The problem and the solution

Books weren’t my thing at first. I’ve seen Harry Potter more than 50 times, although I’ve never read it. The problem was - I wanted to read. It was never a question of my laziness but of my concentration. I could not focus on the book. I was constantly distracted.

Then in middle school came a solution to my problem - reading goal.

One helpful thing learned from school

I prefer science-oriented subjects. When doing math problems, I looked for solutions. I knew I would find them sooner or later. And that was my main problem with books. Of course - in books, the ending is the “solution”. But for me, it wasn’t enough.

Then I discovered yearly reading goals. These became my solution to this particular problem. As well as the annual goal, I set myself a daily reading goal of 50 pages.

The daily goal was a game-changer. Reading became my favourite activity.

Writers dear to my heart

Pop culture was my thing, so picking a genre wasn’t challenging. Fantasy books are my favourite, no questions asked. But the first book I read as a hobby was The Shining by Stephen King. Not a Fantasy but a Horror novel. After The Shining, Stephen King quickly became one of my top writers. That was at the beginning of my reading journey.

About a year and a half into my reading journey, I discovered Brandon Sanderson. Actually, it was my cousin who introduced me to him. And it was a love at first sight, or to be more accurate, from the first novel. The Way Of Kings was that book, and it changed me.

The world of Cosmere

The universe called Cosmere is the setting for most of Brandon Sanderson’s books - including The Way Of Kings. That is what makes them all the more fascinating and compelling to read.

To this date, I’ve read all books and most short novels related to the Cosmere universe. At the moment, I’m reading Yumi and The Nightmare Painter, Brandon’s latest book.

Technology to the rescue

I was sceptical about Kindles and other e-readers. Despite the fact that I’m a pretty tech-savvy guy. Fantasy books tend to be heavy, and carrying them around can be tedious.

So after many months of in-depth analysis and research, I bought the 4th generation Kindle Paperwhite. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

Now I don’t need much space for books. My back thanks my everyday. So does my wallet. E-books are often cheaper than paper books. Also, there are services that offer a subscription with enormous libraries of content.

Saving the progress

I love all kinds of social media. I was aware that there are plenty of websites dedicated to book communities. Goodreads being the most recognisable. I’ve been using it since the beginning of my journey, but I’ve switched to another platform in the last few months. Literal.club has become my go-to social media platform for sharing my reading progress. You can follow me here.

Conclusions

Reading has become one of my favourite pastimes. Exploring these fantasy worlds and following the adventures of the protagonists is what drives me forward every day. I also think that everyone should try their hand at reading. It doesn’t matter if it’s fantasy, horror or any other genre. Reading can show us much more than a film, TV series or game.