A Blogging Retrospective
Today marks one year since I launched Please Read It To Me, a quarantine hobby that provided both a creative outlet and distraction in a challenging year.
In true fashion, I started writing a long post recapping highlights, but what I really want to share are the most important things I’ve learned while managing this website and Instagram account.
1. Don’t let anyone tell you what to read.
#Bookstagram is a great mechanism for finding new authors and books, but there’s also a fair amount of book-shaming for not reading the book of the moment or for liking certain genres or problematic authors (mainly one that created a boy wizard). Remember: reading is for you and no one else.
2. People love to research ambiguous endings.
My two most popular posts are about books with ambiguous endings: “Leave the World Behind” and “Shuggie Bain.” While I don’t always like to share spoilers, I need to be better at spelling out my interpretation of a story to help facilitate dialogue and discussion.
And, for the record, I think the characters in “Leave” were experiencing a world-ending event that was amplified from mania brought on by technology withdrawal. And, Shuggie was tired of the alcohol spiral and cycle and saw an opportunity to let his mother pass naturally and to provide each of them peace — and freedom.
3. Creative outlets can improve your mindset.
I wrote and edited nearly 65,000 words, in essence a 260-page book, and my love of writing creatively and critically was reinvigorated after years of languish. The writing was expected, but what wasn’t was how I’ve become adept at basic graphic design (thanks, Canva!) and web development, and even found ways to photograph audiobooks. I cannot understate how important these new challenges were in making it through the stress of the past year.
4. Stay true to yourself.
When this website was mentioned in Buzzfeed, it was a boost that kept me motivated when I was starting to lose steam. Why? Because I was obsessing over likes, shares and visits. Once I started considering altering my reviews, or the books I chose to read to tap into a broader audience, I knew something had to change.
The pursuit of popularity was making this “hobby” feel like a job, so I reassessed why I started this page and Instagram account in the first place: 1) take ownership of my reviews by publishing on an owned platform; 2) engage in spirited conversation with other book lovers; and 3) use this as a mechanism to stop obsessing about things I can’t control.
So, dear reader, hate the book everyone else loves. Read the nonfiction book about a mountain lion attack in the 1980s that you bought for one dollar. Post when you feel like it. But above all else, always be true to yourself, and the reasons why you joined the book community.
I don’t set New Year’s resolutions, so I won’t set goals for the next year either, but I will try to write shorter reviews (sometimes the words just flow!) and will try to bring more critical assessment forward instead of only recapping plot. Maybe I’ll also try to use fewer em dashes.
There’s still a part of me that feels like I’ll say or do the wrong thing, but I maintain that books are art, and there’s no right or wrong way to experience them.
Thank you for coming along for the ride. Happy listening — or reading.
