For four years now, every Monday morning, I’ve posted a photo on my Facebook Page of the books I finished during the week, with the tag #GretchenRubinReads.
I get a big kick out of this weekly habit—it’s a way to shine a spotlight on all the terrific books that I’ve read.
As I write about in my book Better Than Before, for most of my life, my habit was to finish any book that I started. Finally, I realized that this approach meant that I spent time reading books that bored me, and I had less time for books that I truly enjoy. These days, I put down a book if I don’t feel like finishing it, so I have more time to do my favorite kinds of reading.
This habit means that if you see a book included in the #GretchenRubinReads photo, you know that I liked it well enough to read to the last page.
When I read books related to an area I’m researching for a writing project, I carefully read and take notes on the parts that interest me, and skim the parts that don’t. So I may list a book that I’ve partly read and partly skimmed. For me, that still “counts.”
If you’d like more ideas for habits to help you get more reading done, read this post or download my “Reading Better Than Before” worksheet.
You can also follow me on Goodreads where I track books I’ve read.
If you want to see what I read last month, the full list is here.
March 2022 Reading:
Nothing Personal by Richard Avedon (author, photographer), James Baldwin (contributor) (Amazon)—a collaboration of two great artists, with essays by Baldwin and photographs by Avedon. Beautiful.
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (Amazon, Bookshop)—I love the world created by Addison’s novels.
The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna (Amazon, Bookshop)—a thought-provoking collection of essays about relationships with the world, family, home, and more.
The Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World’s Greatest Challenge by Gary White and Matt Damon (Amazon, Bookshop)—We interviewed Matt Damon (!) and Gary White on the Happier podcast. A very readable book about a very important subject.
Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir by Erika L. Sánchez (Amazon, Bookshop)—a terrific memoir of growing up that ranges over many subjects.
Family Happiness: A Novel by Laurie Colwin (Amazon, Bookshop)—A re-read—how many times have I read this novel? Five? Love it.
Re-educated: How I Changed My Job, My Home, My Husband and My Hair by Lucy Kellaway (Amazon)—a fascinating account of how the author re-built her life, and what resulted.
A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence by Mary Pipher (Amazon, Bookshop)—Quiet, beautiful, meditative essays looking back on a long life.
The Philosopher’s Pupil by Iris Murdoch (Amazon)—I’m on a real Iris Murdoch kick. This novel is one of my favorites.
The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch (Amazon, Bookshop)—Winner of the Whitbread Novel Award—More Murdoch! I also loved this novel. I’m fascinated by the way Murdoch sees the world.
Magic & The Magician by Noel Streatfeild (Amazon)—Streatfeild is one of my favorite children’s-literature authors, and this is her short account of E. Nesbit’s childhood—another one of my favorite children’s-literature authors.
If It Bleeds by Stephen King (Amazon, Bookshop)—Stephen King! What a story-teller. I flew through these four novellas.
