Reading for Joy

For the reader who feels like there is never enough time

I used to be a one-book-at-a-time girl. My adherence to this rule was pretty strict. It was not uncommon for me to push my way through a book regardless of whether or not I liked it, simply because I had chosen it as my next read. Starting another book before finishing the one I was currently reading felt like cheating.

Fast-forward ten years later and I am sitting in my bed, trying to decide what to read on this crisp September day. Three books sit on the blankets next to me, each one vying for my attention. I no longer have the security blanket of my one-book-at-a-time rule; that went out the window long ago. I am now a multiple-books-at-a-time person, grabbing for new volumes off the shelf before I am more than one chapter deep into my current read.

To explain myself, I should say that my approach to how many books I take on at one time depends on my stage in life. I am reading multiple books right now because I wear multiple hats, each of which requires me to read on some level. I am a graduate student, a teacher, a writer, and a lover of fiction. Each of these identities is connected with reading on some level, and in vastly different genres. To limit myself to an exclusive diet of grad school readings would be stifling. I need a little fiction to lighten things up. Likewise, to read only fiction would be negligent. I need to research, for I am a teacher and a life-long learner of the subjects I am teaching. At the same time I know people who could not fathom reading more than one book at a time right now: stay-at-home moms with young kids, people working full-time and juggling home renovations on the weekend… and that is perfectly fine. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, this post is for you. It was not written for one type of reader alone, but for anyone who has ever found themselves a bit overwhelmed when it comes to picking their next read.

There are all sorts of reasons we read. We read in order to learn. We read in order to teach. We read in order to argue. Despite the undeniable importance of the practical benefits of reading, I would argue that the chief reason we read ought to be joy. When we do anything for the sake of joy (and not for some practical purpose) we are tapping into what it really means to be human. After all, joy is the essential purpose of human life. As a Christian I believe man was made in order to know God and enjoy him forever in eternity. In other words, we were made for delight. When we read for joy we access this reality.

Ever since I began my journey of rediscovering the classics a few years ago, I have realized how much there is to read. There are so many wonderful works of literature, and I have only scratched the surface in every genre. The more I read, the more I want to read, and the more books I discover that I have yet to read. With the tidal wave of my TBR pile looming over me, I can often feel that I need to rush in order to read the most wonderful and useful things first. I gather up a large list of incredible titles, order them from Thriftbooks, and then hoist them onto my shelf where I glance sheepishly at them for three months while finishing up my current reads at what feels like a painstakingly slow pace.

The problem with this approach is that the joy I would have experienced in reading these books becomes snuffed out by my hurried desire to consume them as quickly as possible. When I do this, I am no longer viewing these works from the standpoint of wonder, humility, and contemplation. I am no longer entering into their pages from a place of rest. I am simply making them another item on my to-do list (the very thing I was supposed to be taking a break from in the first place).

When we read for joy, on the other hand, we allow the richness of literature to seep into our very bones. We give ourselves no time limit; we set no expectations. We allow ourselves to be carried away, not by how much we think we ought to be reading, but by the book that is sitting in front of us. I am trying to remember this approach. After all the most impactful books I have ever read were the ones I did not rush through.

So, as I sit here on my bed choosing which book to pick up for the evening, I am going to let joy be my guide. Which of these titles will bring me the most joy right now? That is the one I will read. If you are anything like me and you sometimes struggle to know which book to pick next, I encourage you to let joy be your compass. The wonderful thing is, when we read first for joy instead of for practical benefits, we end up benefitting far more in the end from what we read.