I was an avid reader as a child, but once I went to college and graduate school, reading for fun was replaced by reading because I had to. And when I had to do it, it felt like a chore, so I stopped. A few years ago, I took a job on the east coast while my family remained in Chicago. For the first few months, I was lonely, bored, and wallowing in self-pity when one day I discovered podcasts. I used my 30-minute morning and evening commutes to listen to a carefully self-curated list of podcasts, queued and categorized by topic and length. Some of my favorite podcasts were RadioLab, The Moth, This American Life, and Serial, where I heard about everything from the mating rituals of tyrannosaurus rex to stories about spacewalking, drug-fueled art classes, healthcare, commercial shipping, and murder mysteries. I used to be a ton of fun at parties back then.
You’ve probably seen a few reading lists this summer, promising to take your beach vacation to the next level with the latest scintillating thriller, a nostalgic coming-of-age story, or a self-help book promising to help you finally achieve your goals. I enjoy these lists because they let me think about reading, plan to read, and prepare to read without actually reading. It makes me feel more worldly just to peruse these lists, because it means I’m generally aware of