I read whenever I can find a minute or whenever I need to make a transition from one activity to the next. I used to hate the fact that I'm often reading four books at the same time (all my library reserves seem to arrive at once), but I now allocate different places for different books. Audio CDs are what I listen to in the car; e-audiobooks are what I listen to on my laptop while I'm washing dishes; uplifting, slower-paced novels are for reading in bed; and anything else is for relaxing on my couch!
Currently, I'm reading an outstanding book by the Jungian scholar James Hollis--Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life (subtitle: How to Finally, Really Grow Up). I think many people in this group might find it as insightful and soul-nourishing as I do. In the car right now, I'm listening (again!) to Marin Ireland's recording of Fredrik Backman's My Friends. It's just as amazing the second time around. My e-audiobook is The Correspondent (of course!), and in bed I'm reading another of Niall Williams' books--John. (I've read his This is Happiness seven times now--and counting!) That leaves Colm Toibin's The Master sitting on my nightstand. Where and when will I fit it in?
I couldn't agree more. Long reads does something to the brain, the heart, the soul, that is categorically different and better than whatever it is that happens to me when I'm scrolling. I recently replaced reading the news on my phone (I now only let myself read it in print) with reading. It's been one of the best things I've done for my well-being this year. By far.
I've found that I, unbeknownst to me, have a passion for long biogrpahies. I've recently been on a Chernow kick, reading both Hamilton, and Grant by him. Wow. What incredible stories and histories. Been blowing my mind.
Really happy to have a space here of people who also care about this sort of stuff.
I recently downloaded the Freedom app (requires a subscription) which I use to block all distracting apps and websites on my phone for set periods of time. That way, I can still use my phone for important calls or texts, pay bills and schedule appointments, but I'm unable to scroll aimlessly on news and online shopping sites, social media or YouTube (my biggest distractors). As long as I have the willpower to launch the Freedom app and set a timer, in this way I can carve out blocks of time for myself to do other things like reading, going for a walk - reclaiming my life!
My late wife and I watched the amazing discussion between Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyer back on our favorite place - PBS, in 1988, and she was taken by The Power of Myth, a copy nearby in my bookcase. She went on to delve deeply into herself searching for understanding and answers in further readings from Harriet Pearson, Alice Miller, Harriet Lerner, Helen Luke, and more. It started with Campbell. I think I should go back and read his book that I just dusted off a bit. Thank you for all you do to help us connect and learn.
Susan, thank you for your recommendations. Would you mind sharing some fiction books too? During these challenging days its nice to occassionally lose oneself in fiction. I enjoyed the 2025 Booker prize winner Flesh, by David Szalay as well as the memoir Tell Me a Story by Cassandra King Conroy.
I read everyday weather five minutes, a hour or whatever but it good for me to escape out of myself, plus I find depth beyond myself ,insight and so much more, it be nice to see people reading in libraries, parks,coffee shops again ,ancient love of the humanities Bringing peace,love,beauty to the world or just your own peace of mind... Beautiful journey...
Yes, I need to start reading books more. My husband loves reading books from the library. I need to do the same. Seems like since I retired, I don’t have time to read books. I know that sounds crazy! The last book I read was the Radium Girls. Very good book but sad. Based on a true story of women hired by a company to paint radium on the dials of watches. Many died from cancer. This took place in Ottawa, Illinois. The company knew the hazards of the paint but didn’t tell the woman hired to do this job.
By the way, the phone for me unfortunately to say but it is the reality is the strongest tool empowering me to learn English without it, I would not have been able right now to write in English and being on social media particularly Substack.
“But when her violin was stolen one day, her world collapsed. She stopped playing for years, fell into a deep depression”.
So touching, but why?
I think she feels so sad because she nobody knows the value of its moral and spiritual violin only her. It is not about a material tool she lost but it is about a catalyst grows in her inner self the power and energy to connect her own world the way she believes.
I love reading books, made of paper, that smell good, no screen, no batteries needed. Usually I am reading more than one at a time, which one I pick up depends on time of day, my mood, how long I can spend reading.
These days I am reading "The Sound That Perceives The World" by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, where he explores the role of chanting in Zen practice, and how chanting and zazen are actually the same thing. This devotional side of the practice is something I had longed to find somewhere, it is so usually overlooked, so I am enjoying reading it, and chanting too.
I am also reading "Bittersweet", and yesterday it gave me a beautiful glimpse of something beautiful, peaceful, profound... my son goes to a Ninja warrior class, and his time there is my reading time of the week, it's the only 1 hour period I have that I know will not be interrupted. As I sat in the parent viewing area, in the back of my mind I knew that the clock was ticking and time was running out for the latest deadline of the crazy war that has engulfed the world, so I was nervous when I opened the book. I read the chapter about Leonard Cohen and LVL and I was transported back to the light side of life, it left me feeling that there is good in the world, no matter what happens next. Thank you Susan for that, that chapter reminded me that there's beauty even in dark times.
The last book I am reading is "Keeper of The Lost Cities" by Shannon Messenger, this one at the request of my daughter who has read the whole series twice and loves them. She is 11 and has finally discovered the love of reading thanks to this series, and now is reading whole books in a few days, I am so thrilled about this, she used to refuse to even try to read and now is enjoying and asking to go to the library. I hope it is a trend and all kids let go of the phones and choose books instead, and we grown ups can stop doomscrolling and start building a better world for them.
I've recently been reminded by listening to a Michael Meade "Living Myth" podcast episode, that the hero's journey is definitely NOT the only myth out there, yet in the modern world it seems to be the only one ever portrayed in tv & film and talked about generally. I really enjoyed Maureen Murdock's "The Heroine's Journey" which is quite different from the hero's journey. I recently read "Pandora's Jar" by Natalie Haynes, which was fun. She investigates and writes wryly about various women in the ancient Greek stories, pointing out where their importance to the original authors' versions were lessened or deleted in later versions. Another really good and VERY LONG read is "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere" by Paulette Steeves. It's fascinating to learn of the many, many sites that are dated much, much older than the previously-emphasized "arrival" through the Bering land bridge during the most recent ice age. Turns out that's not at all the origin of humans in the Western Hemisphere...only one of multiple waves over tens of thousands of years.
I have read Pandoras Jar, it was great to read about the Greek women from a female perspective rather than the misogynistic male accounts. You may be interested in David Reich's "Who we are and how we got here". He used ancient DNA to determine how early humans populated the world, and proved that previous research had been completely wrong.
Oh, thanks. That reminds me, another good and very long read is "The Alphabet and The Goddess" ~ all about the author's theory that as writing came to a culture, especially abstract alphabet rather than hieroglyphics, things shifted toward patriarchy.
Susan, I want to thank you for this post and I hope it is the kick in the butt I needed. I've been telling myself for more than a year that I should read more and get away from the damn computer/phone and as you said, any amount of minutes reading is better than zero minutes.
I read a lot, and I have just started moving my reading from Kindle to paperbacks and hardcovers again. I even bought myself a reading light that I can clip to my book. I am in a privileged position to read several hours a day, a goal I hope to approach at some point. Reading Anne-Laure Le Cunff's tiny experiments, I will try to make this an experiment rather than a goal. Goals are lofty, big, smart, and feel like failure if you do not achieve them. Experiments are short, easy to handle, and can change habits.
So rather than "read 26 books within 2026" (because I love symmetry), I start with reading 30 minutes a day from a physical book for 30 days. Then, I decide whether I liked it, should make it more challenging for the next experiment, or shift to something totally different, like writing a Substack post every other day for 50 days.
Speaking of writing. I have just written the Further Reading section of my next book and will gladly share some of the mentions here, as these are among my absolute favorites. Avid readers here might recognize some of them, as they have accompanied me for years. The comments are about what I have drawn from them for my upcoming book, "The God Who Becomes."
Iain McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary (2009) and The Matter with Things (2021)
Essential for understanding how attention shapes reality and why left-hemisphere thinking struggles with genuine becoming.
Kazimierz Dabrowski, Theory of Positive Disintegra- tion (1964) and Multilevelness of Emotional and Instinctual Functions (1977)
The psychological counterpart to the theological third factor I write about in my book. Especially helpful for understanding neurodivergent pioneers.
Don Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics (1996)
The map of how the “we” expands. Practical, non- judgmental, and directly useful for understanding different sizes of care.
Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality (1929)
The philosophical bedrock. Dense, but the chapters on prehension, the initial aim and the two natures of God are worth the effort.
M. Scott Peck The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. Simon & Schuster, 1987.
The source of the pseudo-community concept used in Chapter 2.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Human Phenomenon. Translated by Sarah Appleton-Weber. Sussex Academic Press, 1999. The Divine Milieu. Harper & Row, 1960.
Teilhard's evolutionary vision of consciousness and the Omega Point is a back- ground presence in the book's understanding of God developing alongside creation.
I have never given up the habit of book reading but I notice that, when I am scanning my phone too much, my feeling of immersion in book reading is diminished. I stay ‘outside’ the experience. The way to fix this is to turn off the phone for a weekend, stay in bed and read a large paper book.
Anything book related, I am in! I have been in an “analog” mindset for many months now. I am writing letters, I have a penpal! As for your sons, I believe it is wonderful worldwide trend and the ones setting this stage? Our kids! YES!
Books? So many great ones! The Correspondent, Remarkably Bright Creatures ( I think about this book all the time and it has been over two years since I read it), and Braiding Sweetgrass. Absolutely an exquisite book! Joseph Campbell is one of my favorite humans of all time!
I read whenever I can find a minute or whenever I need to make a transition from one activity to the next. I used to hate the fact that I'm often reading four books at the same time (all my library reserves seem to arrive at once), but I now allocate different places for different books. Audio CDs are what I listen to in the car; e-audiobooks are what I listen to on my laptop while I'm washing dishes; uplifting, slower-paced novels are for reading in bed; and anything else is for relaxing on my couch!
Currently, I'm reading an outstanding book by the Jungian scholar James Hollis--Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life (subtitle: How to Finally, Really Grow Up). I think many people in this group might find it as insightful and soul-nourishing as I do. In the car right now, I'm listening (again!) to Marin Ireland's recording of Fredrik Backman's My Friends. It's just as amazing the second time around. My e-audiobook is The Correspondent (of course!), and in bed I'm reading another of Niall Williams' books--John. (I've read his This is Happiness seven times now--and counting!) That leaves Colm Toibin's The Master sitting on my nightstand. Where and when will I fit it in?
I couldn't agree more. Long reads does something to the brain, the heart, the soul, that is categorically different and better than whatever it is that happens to me when I'm scrolling. I recently replaced reading the news on my phone (I now only let myself read it in print) with reading. It's been one of the best things I've done for my well-being this year. By far.
I've found that I, unbeknownst to me, have a passion for long biogrpahies. I've recently been on a Chernow kick, reading both Hamilton, and Grant by him. Wow. What incredible stories and histories. Been blowing my mind.
Really happy to have a space here of people who also care about this sort of stuff.
Thanks for the recommendation of GONE. I absolutely loved it. Exquisite. I'm recommending to many friends!
I recently downloaded the Freedom app (requires a subscription) which I use to block all distracting apps and websites on my phone for set periods of time. That way, I can still use my phone for important calls or texts, pay bills and schedule appointments, but I'm unable to scroll aimlessly on news and online shopping sites, social media or YouTube (my biggest distractors). As long as I have the willpower to launch the Freedom app and set a timer, in this way I can carve out blocks of time for myself to do other things like reading, going for a walk - reclaiming my life!
My late wife and I watched the amazing discussion between Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyer back on our favorite place - PBS, in 1988, and she was taken by The Power of Myth, a copy nearby in my bookcase. She went on to delve deeply into herself searching for understanding and answers in further readings from Harriet Pearson, Alice Miller, Harriet Lerner, Helen Luke, and more. It started with Campbell. I think I should go back and read his book that I just dusted off a bit. Thank you for all you do to help us connect and learn.
Susan, thank you for your recommendations. Would you mind sharing some fiction books too? During these challenging days its nice to occassionally lose oneself in fiction. I enjoyed the 2025 Booker prize winner Flesh, by David Szalay as well as the memoir Tell Me a Story by Cassandra King Conroy.
I read everyday weather five minutes, a hour or whatever but it good for me to escape out of myself, plus I find depth beyond myself ,insight and so much more, it be nice to see people reading in libraries, parks,coffee shops again ,ancient love of the humanities Bringing peace,love,beauty to the world or just your own peace of mind... Beautiful journey...
Yes, I need to start reading books more. My husband loves reading books from the library. I need to do the same. Seems like since I retired, I don’t have time to read books. I know that sounds crazy! The last book I read was the Radium Girls. Very good book but sad. Based on a true story of women hired by a company to paint radium on the dials of watches. Many died from cancer. This took place in Ottawa, Illinois. The company knew the hazards of the paint but didn’t tell the woman hired to do this job.
And thank you Susan for sharing.
By the way, the phone for me unfortunately to say but it is the reality is the strongest tool empowering me to learn English without it, I would not have been able right now to write in English and being on social media particularly Substack.
“But when her violin was stolen one day, her world collapsed. She stopped playing for years, fell into a deep depression”.
So touching, but why?
I think she feels so sad because she nobody knows the value of its moral and spiritual violin only her. It is not about a material tool she lost but it is about a catalyst grows in her inner self the power and energy to connect her own world the way she believes.
I love reading books, made of paper, that smell good, no screen, no batteries needed. Usually I am reading more than one at a time, which one I pick up depends on time of day, my mood, how long I can spend reading.
These days I am reading "The Sound That Perceives The World" by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, where he explores the role of chanting in Zen practice, and how chanting and zazen are actually the same thing. This devotional side of the practice is something I had longed to find somewhere, it is so usually overlooked, so I am enjoying reading it, and chanting too.
I am also reading "Bittersweet", and yesterday it gave me a beautiful glimpse of something beautiful, peaceful, profound... my son goes to a Ninja warrior class, and his time there is my reading time of the week, it's the only 1 hour period I have that I know will not be interrupted. As I sat in the parent viewing area, in the back of my mind I knew that the clock was ticking and time was running out for the latest deadline of the crazy war that has engulfed the world, so I was nervous when I opened the book. I read the chapter about Leonard Cohen and LVL and I was transported back to the light side of life, it left me feeling that there is good in the world, no matter what happens next. Thank you Susan for that, that chapter reminded me that there's beauty even in dark times.
The last book I am reading is "Keeper of The Lost Cities" by Shannon Messenger, this one at the request of my daughter who has read the whole series twice and loves them. She is 11 and has finally discovered the love of reading thanks to this series, and now is reading whole books in a few days, I am so thrilled about this, she used to refuse to even try to read and now is enjoying and asking to go to the library. I hope it is a trend and all kids let go of the phones and choose books instead, and we grown ups can stop doomscrolling and start building a better world for them.
I've recently been reminded by listening to a Michael Meade "Living Myth" podcast episode, that the hero's journey is definitely NOT the only myth out there, yet in the modern world it seems to be the only one ever portrayed in tv & film and talked about generally. I really enjoyed Maureen Murdock's "The Heroine's Journey" which is quite different from the hero's journey. I recently read "Pandora's Jar" by Natalie Haynes, which was fun. She investigates and writes wryly about various women in the ancient Greek stories, pointing out where their importance to the original authors' versions were lessened or deleted in later versions. Another really good and VERY LONG read is "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere" by Paulette Steeves. It's fascinating to learn of the many, many sites that are dated much, much older than the previously-emphasized "arrival" through the Bering land bridge during the most recent ice age. Turns out that's not at all the origin of humans in the Western Hemisphere...only one of multiple waves over tens of thousands of years.
I have read Pandoras Jar, it was great to read about the Greek women from a female perspective rather than the misogynistic male accounts. You may be interested in David Reich's "Who we are and how we got here". He used ancient DNA to determine how early humans populated the world, and proved that previous research had been completely wrong.
Oh, thanks. That reminds me, another good and very long read is "The Alphabet and The Goddess" ~ all about the author's theory that as writing came to a culture, especially abstract alphabet rather than hieroglyphics, things shifted toward patriarchy.
Susan, I want to thank you for this post and I hope it is the kick in the butt I needed. I've been telling myself for more than a year that I should read more and get away from the damn computer/phone and as you said, any amount of minutes reading is better than zero minutes.
I read a lot, and I have just started moving my reading from Kindle to paperbacks and hardcovers again. I even bought myself a reading light that I can clip to my book. I am in a privileged position to read several hours a day, a goal I hope to approach at some point. Reading Anne-Laure Le Cunff's tiny experiments, I will try to make this an experiment rather than a goal. Goals are lofty, big, smart, and feel like failure if you do not achieve them. Experiments are short, easy to handle, and can change habits.
So rather than "read 26 books within 2026" (because I love symmetry), I start with reading 30 minutes a day from a physical book for 30 days. Then, I decide whether I liked it, should make it more challenging for the next experiment, or shift to something totally different, like writing a Substack post every other day for 50 days.
Speaking of writing. I have just written the Further Reading section of my next book and will gladly share some of the mentions here, as these are among my absolute favorites. Avid readers here might recognize some of them, as they have accompanied me for years. The comments are about what I have drawn from them for my upcoming book, "The God Who Becomes."
Iain McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary (2009) and The Matter with Things (2021)
Essential for understanding how attention shapes reality and why left-hemisphere thinking struggles with genuine becoming.
Kazimierz Dabrowski, Theory of Positive Disintegra- tion (1964) and Multilevelness of Emotional and Instinctual Functions (1977)
The psychological counterpart to the theological third factor I write about in my book. Especially helpful for understanding neurodivergent pioneers.
Don Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics (1996)
The map of how the “we” expands. Practical, non- judgmental, and directly useful for understanding different sizes of care.
Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality (1929)
The philosophical bedrock. Dense, but the chapters on prehension, the initial aim and the two natures of God are worth the effort.
M. Scott Peck The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. Simon & Schuster, 1987.
The source of the pseudo-community concept used in Chapter 2.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Human Phenomenon. Translated by Sarah Appleton-Weber. Sussex Academic Press, 1999. The Divine Milieu. Harper & Row, 1960.
Teilhard's evolutionary vision of consciousness and the Omega Point is a back- ground presence in the book's understanding of God developing alongside creation.
I have never given up the habit of book reading but I notice that, when I am scanning my phone too much, my feeling of immersion in book reading is diminished. I stay ‘outside’ the experience. The way to fix this is to turn off the phone for a weekend, stay in bed and read a large paper book.
Anything book related, I am in! I have been in an “analog” mindset for many months now. I am writing letters, I have a penpal! As for your sons, I believe it is wonderful worldwide trend and the ones setting this stage? Our kids! YES!
Books? So many great ones! The Correspondent, Remarkably Bright Creatures ( I think about this book all the time and it has been over two years since I read it), and Braiding Sweetgrass. Absolutely an exquisite book! Joseph Campbell is one of my favorite humans of all time!