#Our Reading Lives

Our Reading Lives features stories about how books and reading have shaped who we are and how we live.

Out With the Spreadsheets! On Simplifying My Reading Tracking

What happens when a super analytical reader ditches their spreadsheets for a notebook and pen? One writer explores.

What I Learned Reading an Awards Longlist for the First Time

What happened when a reader who likes a good challenge set out to read the entire National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction?

The Unexpected Education I’m Getting While Homeschooling

One parent delights in homeschooling her son as she finds herself developing interests in certain topics she hadn't had before.

The Bookish Internet Killed My Reading Life

This story starts with a kid who loves reading and ends with an adult who has turned this hobby into a minefield of expectations and guilt.

I Recommend Books I Didn’t Like Reading (And You Should Too)

I often recommend books I didn't particularly enjoy reading: recommendations should be about the other person's tastes, not mine.

When Living it Up Meant Looking it Up: An Ode to My Reference Books of Yore

Remember what there used to be before Apple Maps and Google? One writer recounts the reference books that used to help her live it up.

For A Month I Started My Books At The End; Here’s How That Went

I've always been curious about readers who start new books by reading the last page first, so I decided to try it myself for a month.

How Dice Helped Me Tame My TBR

Learn how one reader used 20-sided dice to randomize her book selection and organize her unread books.

How Cataloging My Books Taught Me to Slow Down

By slowly going through my bookshelves, I gave each book the kind of thoughtful attention that leads to delightful surprises.

The Joy of Seeing Yourself in Literature

Most of the time I don’t see myself in the books I read, but one cozy mystery title made me feel seen long after I turned the last page.