More Than Books

I have to give credit to Joomi Kim, a secular BookTuber, for first alerting me to one of her challenges with contemporary novels (see timestamp starting at 22:25) where she notes that many of the books she has read are about authors or those in academia.

While I found her entire video to be thought-provoking regarding contemporary literature, I seldom read enough secular books to be able to comment on them as a whole, so this isn't a commentary on what she has presented. The secular books I read are ones that usually serve a cultural purpose or are interesting enough for me to pick up, which is more rare when my TBR of Christian books keeps expanding.

I've also chosen not to focus on those books on my blog or social media; although I try to keep up-to-date with broad trends on my own time, I'm not well-versed enough to add my perspective to that discussion on here. Rather, this is a springboard into the one point that she raised about authors writing what they know.

It seems that what's happening in the market generally has an impact on Christian books as well. In Christian fiction, I've been seeing a growing movement toward books emphasizing authors, readers, publishers, and even book content creators in all their variations.

At first, I thought it was quite clever to be able to have insider knowledge when reading about people just as passionate about books as the person reading the book. Now, my opinion is starting to shift to where I want to escape from only reading about readers or authors.

I recognize that while some form of this appreciation will always exist among books and the authors who write them, I'm beginning to see how jarring it is when I want to read about characters who have occupations outside of well, books. It's a little ironic since I have been around books personally and professionally for most of my life, whether in writing stories as a child or later working in libraries or bookstores, to becoming an author, blogging exclusively about books, and having the joy of working with multiple publishers. Yet, I, too, need a break from books.

Most of this stems from having experienced recent injuries that have exacerbated chronic health conditions, rendering me unable to do some of the more physical activities I'd like to take part in. As a result, it's allowed me to read as much as I'm able to when not in pain, whether it's with print books, digital books, or audiobooks. While this can sound like a dream come true in between all of my medical appointments, I've discovered that my brain can't actually handle the same type of information or story all of the time.

Although I'm reticent to share too many of those details, I acknowledge that these factors have been affecting my enjoyment of reading. I'm realizing more and more that when I read these days, I am looking for the following:

• The ability to learn something new. Part of this is that when I read about people in other types of occupations, I not only learn about their work and industry, I also find out personality and character traits that make others suited to those careers. When I completed the Read Your Color assessment, I fully agreed with my results that I am a green reader who enjoys book that "sharpen their thinking," hence why I want to explore new plots, professions, and historical eras.
• The ability to escape. Do I really want to read about people posting books online when that's on my to-do list? Not necessarily as I just feel guilty for not creating as much content as I feel I should. Or about those who are working in a library when I had mixed experiences and can recall all of the politics and drama associated with unionized library workers? Uh, sometimes as I want to see if that drama has been captured, so maybe this is on me and I need to stop reading those books (this is also not a reflection on any recent books I've read falling into these categories) 😆
• The ability to grow as a person. As much as I like reading about familiar settings or warm, cozy stories, I recognize the need to temper both comfort and growth. While comfort reads can help me escape from my day-to-day reality of physical limitations, I don't want to perpetually stay there. Growing my mind is something I can do, so I love that both fiction and non-fiction can expand my perspective and understanding of the world.
• The ability to become a better follower of Christ. Finally, this is most important to me. I still sparingly read secular books because of common grace and God's truth underscoring all truth, but books specifically focused on Christ make the most sense for me to invest my time in when He is not absent in my life. This is also why I seldom read clean books where the content is devoid of God and relies on everything apart from Him. However, I also want to be careful that I'm not just reading books about people like me so that I don't stay where I am and perceive others to be just like me. Becoming a better follower of Christ involves being challenged where needed (and comforted where needed) and being willing to go where He leads me.

Right now, I'm in a difficult season but one that I hope will make me a better person. Part of this time has been spent evaluating where I can direct my weakened state of being to best glorify God and serve His people. In a roundabout way, by becoming tired of reading about readers, I've been working on having my identity centred on more than just books. Ideally, my life should be centred on Christ, and it's not to say that I can't have any hobbies, but I need to watch out that reading as a hobby doesn't become all-consuming. There can be too much of a good thing!

I still love books and reading at the end of the day, and I'd be hard-pressed to give it all up, but I want to be about more than books in my life. Although I don't know what that looks like yet, my first step is to pick up diverse Christian fiction where the main characters aren't known for the same thing I'm trying to presently escape. Maybe it's a good thing I have such a long TBR so that I can delve into new worlds instead of just bookish ones 😂

(On a side note, I have found it very impressive how many male main characters are readers, authors, etc. I'm trying to give authors the benefit of the doubt that there are men who love books at the same rate and extent that women do, but I don't seem to meet a lot of them in real life. While my husband does read, he does not quote literature or seek out reading of his own volition most of the time. It's not that these men don't exist, but I have wondered if it's more rare than I seem to find in fiction. If that's the case, hang on to those men who are also major readers 😊)