How to Read More!

Pulling up a chair for Grace Atwood…

In my last newsletter, I mentioned that earlier this year I had the opportunity to spend one of the most wonderful afternoons of my life at the New York Public Library celebrating The Queen’s Reading Room, a charity founded by Her Majesty that is dedicated to encouraging younger generations to pick up books and immerse themselves in fictional and nonfictional worlds alike.

The Queen’s Reading Room has conducted incredible research on how our brains respond to reading, and one statistic has stayed with me ever since: just five minutes of reading can reduce stress by almost 20%. Twenty percent! Imagine how much better we might all feel.

During the afternoon, I joined two of my favorite authors, Harlan Coben and Min Jin Lee, for a conversation about how reading teaches us empathy better than almost anything else. Min Jin shared that books taught her courage and how to speak up for herself, and that she would not be the person she is today without authors like Toni Morrison and George Orwell.

One of the greatest gifts of my work is being surrounded by imaginative, book-loving people, including my dear friend Grace Atwood. When I asked Grace what she might want to write about for today’s contributing newsletter, I was thrilled when she said she wanted to write about why reading matters so much and how to do it more. It felt perfectly aligned with everything we discussed that afternoon at the library.

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Here’s Grace:

How to Read More!

It’s less about discipline and more about finding what you actually love.

Last year, I read 100 books. The year before that, 102. And in 2023, 88 books. I frequently get asked how I read so much. “Do you skim?” “Speed read?” No! I just really love to read.

The truth is, reading is one of my great loves. It’s how I recover from a busy work day. It’s what I do when I’m stressed out or anxious. A few years ago, my boyfriend spent 12 days sailing from L.A. to Hawaii. He was totally unavailable, just floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no signal. How did I cope with the worry? I read the first three books of the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series by Sarah J. Maas. IYKYK—those books are long! Did it fix my fears? Not entirely. But it gave me an excellent distraction (and Rhysand was great company while I waited).

My reading life isn’t built on discipline or speed-reading hacks. It’s built on genuinely loving books and making small choices that add up. Here’s how I make reading a priority.

Audiobooks count!

I will say it louder for the people in the back—they count! My friend Katie Sturino calls it “reading with her ears,” and I love that wording so much. I was a little bit of a snob (purist?) about audiobooks for a while. This was silly. I used to only read physical books, and I’m ashamed to admit I was a little bit judgy of people who “listened” to books instead of reading them. I was wrong—so wrong! Something I love about audiobooks is that they open up new pockets of time for reading. Walking, doing chores, even doing a puzzle or needlepointing. A few years ago I got into audiobooks and it was a game changer, especially for nonfiction. My favorites are memoirs narrated by the author. Hearing someone tell their own story in their own voice feels like a really good, really long conversation with a new best friend.

Read more than one book at a time.

This might sound chaotic but I promise it isn’t. At any given moment, I’m usually reading three books. Something fun and fiction-y. Something educational, like non-fiction or self-help. And then I’m listening to a third book while I’m out and about.

I think the reason this works is that you can match your mood to what you’re reading. If I finish a long day at work and feel emotionally exhausted, I don’t have it in me to learn about de Kooning’s upbringing or dig in to the Next. Great. American. Novel. I want a murdery thriller. Other nights, I’ll be weirdly energized and want something that makes me think. Having options means there’s always something good to read.

I will say that I typically fly through thrillers and lighter fiction way faster than nonfiction. I can read a twisty page-turner in 24 hours, but something more serious might take me a week or two. And that’s OK! The pace doesn’t matter.

Read before bed.

My reading time before bed is honestly the best part of my day. I try to spend a solid hour with a book before I fall asleep, and it’s a much better wind-down than scrolling my phone (which I also do; I’m not perfect). Sometimes I’ll pick up a book intending to read for 20 minutes and look up two hours later, completely absorbed. Those nights are the best.

Even if you can’t commit to an hour, try for 20 pages a night. That’s it. It adds up faster than you think, and it’ll help you hit your reading goals without feeling like homework.

Read books you love!

I think people feel pressure to read “smart” books, and I totally understand that. I try to read a few nonfiction books every month for personal betterment. And I always read something from Obama’s lists, and a few of the National Book Award noms. But if I’m being honest, I don’t love reading those books the way I love fiction. I learn a lot from nonfiction, and the more challenging literary stuff feeds my brain . . . but what really relaxes me and helps me unwind from a long week is curling up with a gripping Gone Girl knockoff. I don’t feel bad about that.

What I’m trying to say is: If I only read “serious” books, I’d probably read way less. The guilty-pleasure reads fuel the engine. They are the reason I reach for a book instead of turning on the TV. Choose books you genuinely enjoy. If you’re finding it hard to get motivated and need a good starting point, I have years of book recommendations on my blog where you can filter by genre and sort by ranking.

Do not be afraid to DNF!

DNF stands for “did not finish,” and it’s a concept that every reader should learn to accept. My personal rule is that if I am 50 pages into a book and dreading picking it back up, I put it down. Life is too short to slog through something you’re not enjoying. I used to feel so guilty about this, like I was somehow failing the book. Now I DNF without a second thought. There are too many incredible books out there to waste time on one that isn’t doing it for you.

Always carry a book.

I generally always have a book on my person, or at least my phone with an audiobook queued up. When I lived in New York, it was my go-to on the subway. Waiting at the doctor’s office. Waiting for a friend who is running late (you know who you are). Most of my favorite handbags are big enough to fit a paperback, and it genuinely makes a difference in how much I read. All those little five-minute pockets of time add up, and they’re so much better spent reading than doomscrolling.

Take the pressure off.

Reading should be fun. I know that sounds obvious, but I think a lot of people treat it like a chore or something they “should” be doing more of. If that’s your starting point, it’s never going to stick. Reframe it. Tell yourself it’s a treat, not a task. You’re not “fitting in reading”; you’re giving yourself the gift of a really good story or a new idea. Once it stops feeling like an obligation, you’ll be surprised how naturally it becomes part of your day.

Weekends are made for books.

This one may be harder and might pertain just to those without kids but here goes anyway: My favorite thing in the world (and it definitely doesn’t always happen) is to have an uninterrupted three or four hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning to just read in bed or on my couch. Ideally, this involves coffee, a bagel, and a nap afterward. It’s the dream. Of course, it’s not always attainable—everyone is pulled in different directions, whether it’s because of kids, work, families, or other obligations. But when it does happen, it’s glorious. When I manage to protect that time, I can knock out huge chunks of a book, or even finish one entirely. It feels like the most luxurious, indulgent thing in the world.

Your next perfect book!

I firmly believe that people who “don’t like reading,” or “don’t have enough time to read” just aren’t reading the right books. Here are some of my personal favorite genres. Trust me, you’ll make the time for these.

Super twisty thrillers a la Gone Girl. If I could only read one genre for life, this would be it. I always come back to Verity by Colleen Hoover. This one gave me a hangover. If you’ve not read it, change that—the film is coming out this fall! Some other A+ thrillers that kept me on the edge of my seat: Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron, Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner, Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, and All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham.

Famous person/non-famous person romances. I am not a huge romance person generally, but this more niche genre always hits for me. Try Into the Blue by Emma Brodie, Set Piece by Lana Schwartz, and Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff. I also heartily recommend my friend Becca Freeman’s latest, Back Where We Started. It’s not out till fall, so pre-order it and you’ll have a treat to look forward to.

Old Hollywood glamour. Along those lines of celebrity, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite books. Others that have this glitzy feeling: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? by Sarah McCoy.

Gorgeous destinations. If you wish you were on a vacation but are stuck at home, books are the best way to escape. Try Pink Sand Summer by Chassity Evans (the perfect escape to Harbour Island), or The Sicilian Inheritance (a page-turner thriller that is utterly transportive) by Jo Piazza.

Nonfiction that reads like fiction. If you are a nonfiction person, my favorite book of all time is The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I also adore a foodie memoir. Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl remains one of the best books I’ve ever read (it’s the perfect hybrid of food writing + juicy bits about the magazine world). Or pick up the new Extra Sauce by Zahra Tangorra.

And a shameless plug for my Library page: It has every book I’ve read over the past 12 years, ranked and categorized by genre. Happy to be your book matchmaker!

Love,

Grace

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My hope is that after reading Grace’s piece, you feel inspired to pick up a new book (maybe Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis or Liar’s Dice by Juliet Faithfull), find a cozy corner of the couch or a picnic blanket in the sunshine, and allow yourself to disappear into another world for a little while.

And because we can’t get enough of Grace, we asked her to share a few of the other voices she’s loving lately:

• A voice I’m reading

  • June Baby, by Shannon Garvey. I just started it and it sounds like everything I love in a summer book.

• A voice I’m listening to

  • Right now, it’s Olivia Dean on repeat. I just love her. Her music is so uplifting and feel-good!

• A voice I keep returning to

  • The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin. Sometimes I’ll just open it up to a random page and read. It’s so inspiring. I’ve given it to so many friends.

• A voice to spotlight

  • I’m going to spotlight two Substacks I never miss: the first is one of my favorite fashion substackers, Kelly Klein. Her style is incredible and she inspires me to remix my own wardrobe. The next is ChickLits by Elyse Chambers. Gorgeously edited book reviews and shopping finds? The dream.

• A voice that inspires me:

  • Amy Poehler. I chose her because her voice is often in my ears. I cannot get enough of her podcast, Good Hang. She’s so clever, funny . . . and somehow relatable?

• And finally — if you were stranded on a desert island, what book would you bring and what would your last meal be? (We couldn’t quite figure out how to fit “voice” into this one 😊)

  • Oh goodness, I’m overwhelmed. I think for a book I would bring Grimm’s Fairy Tales. It’s a big fat book, and reading fairy tales in between foraging for meals and lighting fires sounds pretty nice. My last meal? Is this before I get stranded? I would say a really good New York pizza topped with the finest royal osetra caviar. I’d drink a really good dirty martini with blue cheese olives. Chocolate souffle for dessert.

And what about you? Share the voices you’re loving below.

Xx

Jenna