As a new year has begun, I find myself thinking about the books that read last year and those that I would like to read in the current year. I understand that reading cannot be measured by the number of books that I can read in a given time. In past years, I would aim to read one book a week, but that is no longer my goal. I have read books that have only add value to my life after I have read them for the second time. I no longer feel the obligation to finish books that are not genuinely amazing.
And that is for the better. Why waste one’s limited amount of time reading a book that is not absolutely amazing. I will read one-fourth of a book, if a book is four volumes long, I will read the first volume, before I decide whether or not I would like to continue reading it. This is also why I tend to lean more towards the classics. These books have been around for long and have been approved by countless people over the centuries. A book needs to add value to my life if I am to read it. Otherwise, it is a waste of time.
I like to venture into new territory and read the kind of books I may not have read before. Not all new books are guaranteed to be good. A new release may reach my hand before the formation of public opinion on the book. After I have made my way through one-fourth of a new book, there needs to be something there to hold me. Either, the plot, the character, the writing, anything. Something needs to be there. Otherwise, I discard the book. Reading takes time. Why read books that may not be worthy of being read?
Shayan Afzal 