There is a fine line between being a critical reader and being a reader with too few options. The reality that we will never be able to read everything is an inconvenient truth of literary existence. As a result, we must pick and choose, and because we are inherently lazy and comfort seekers, we like to stick with what we are familiar with. Because of this, we devise rules to assist us in deciding which material to read and which material to avoid.
A diversity of reading experiences will likely result in a deeper reading life, so sometimes, we need to move away from simply reading for pleasure alone.
Our reading life should aim to expose us to new experiences rather than to protect us from them. In the event that you are beginning to feel that your self-imposed reading restrictions are causing you more harm than good, here are some suggestions for pushing past them and broaden your literary horizon.
Become friends with a bookshop owner or librarian
Being well and widely read is essentially a requirement for the position. What booksellers and librarians do not read themselves, they need to know about in order to make sales, which makes them extremely valuable sources of information. While booksellers enjoy the opportunity to place their favorite books in the hands of consumers, they are also aware that it is ultimately in their best interests to locate the book that will become your favorite, regardless of how they feel about it themselves. Find a bookstore with whom you have a good rapport; one who understands your interests and will know how to guide you outside of your comfort zone.
Make informed choices when it comes to your sources
On the internet, there are a million people talking about books, and you can not possibly listen to them all. Picking up a book in a style or genre that is completely foreign to you will feel less intimidating if you take the time to form a trusted bank of recommendations.
Peer pressure is not a bad thing
When it comes to THAT book perhaps you have always been intrigued, but you have been apprehensive to dive in headfirst. Perhaps you are concerned that it will harm your image, or you might even find yourself enjoying it. Perhaps you have a strong interest in maintaining your reputation as a reader who is too cool for the current fad. Dump the snobbery and give in to peer pressure. In the best outcome, you discover a new book, author, or genre that you will like reading. In the worst-case scenario, you despise it, but you get to be in on the talk and you have earned the right to express your displeasure with it. In this manner, books are similar to politics in that if you have not read them, you have not earned the right to complain about them.
Pick a book written by a black author and read it
Our social, cultural, technological, and geographic landscapes are always changing. As history is being written on a daily basis, there is an inundation of focal points vying for our consideration. To create an understanding of one another and make sense of current events, however, we must be deliberate in our efforts as a society. There is so much to learn about everything from literature to social justice, from legislation to inventions. You may decide to avoid standard white male author works, especially once you find out facts such as the story behind the Lovecraft cat name, and favor something written by a brilliant black author who delves deeply into societal concerns, such as Sutton Elbert Griggs and his utopian novel Imperium in Imperio.
Read a graphic novel or a Manga series
This is a complete and distinct art genre in its own right. In case you have never read a graphic novel before, you might be wondering how reading one can help you broaden your reading horizons. At the end of the day, they are just comic books, right? No; they are so much more than that. They have their own generic norms, their own restrictions, and their own quirks, and they are capable of dealing with stories in ways that novels are not always capable of dealing with them.
Broadening your literary horizon can open so many doors; expose you to new experiences and ideas and ways of thinking and change your entire outlook on life.
