Reading during the Pandemic
Or who stole the joy from my pass time?
What has the Pandemic DONE to us?
Reading has been my refuge and escape. Reading is something I dig my heels in and refuse to do when anyone has ever tried to make me do it (I literally skipped every reading requirement in school and coasted). I read because I want to, because I love it. I’ve always been a true genre junky. I will barely touch anything outside of the fantasy or sci-fi realm.
During the Pandemic, reading has become difficult. I’ve had others tell me that they have had the same issue. Diving into new books, new series and new authors is just difficult. Why is that? I have a theory. I think it’s because we have been inundated with bad news and goofy media for the past several years and our brains just want to shut down.
I had a massive struggle to engage with new content, but I refuse to give into this weird malaise. I hope you do as well.
How do we beat it?
I have a few suggestions on this front. First, turn off the damn TV, shut down the news and quit watching or listening the poison on the air. I don’t care which way you lean, just stop. Our media is toxic right now. It seems that the main goal is to stir people up. Engage in activity that builds you rather than pisses you off. Can you fix whatever it is that the idiots are going on about? Probably not. What can you do? Learn something new and engage your brain in a healthy way. You know right and wrong, you sure don’t need someone on TV to tell you about it. If you sprain your ankle, you probably are going to need to rest it. I think we need to do the same with our brains right now.
Secondly, find fun stuff to read. Go back and read stuff you love. This is an easy way for you to stay in the habit of reading (which I think is absolutely critical), but don’t read anything heavy.
Third, find some light new reading that you can gobble up like popcorn. I know a lot of folks want to tackle War & Peace or some depressing thing from Oprah’s Book Club… just don’t.
Got any suggestions?
Of course I do! I wouldn’t be here sharing with you if I didn’t. I write these kind of articles because I’m passionate about the book and authors I love. I have developed a real love of the indie author and I rarely will bother with big pub stuff any more.
First suggestion — Brandon Sanderson. Easy answer for almost anyone wanting to read. No he’s not an indie, but he behaves a lot like one. The guy has seemingly infinite energy and is constantly engaging with his fans. His works are always progressing and his series are always completed. For the purpose of this this article, stay with the lighter stuff — Pick up Steelheart or his Skyward series. Stormlight Archive is great, but good grief thats not light reading. My favorite Sanderson book is actually a novella he turned out several years ago titled The Emperor’s Soul.
Second suggestion — Glenn Bullion @glennbullion — His main series sounds a lot heavier than it is with a title like Damned & Cursed for the series. The stuff is just a lot of fun. Glenn is a good author and he’s one of those that I don’t just read through the Kindle Unlimited. I actually buy each book. Jack Kursed is probably my favorite character in any series that isn’t a talking asparagus (more on that later).
Third suggestion — Chris Tullbane @ctullbane — Yea I wrote an article reviewing his latest release and I’ll be reviewing more books in the near future. For the purpose of this article, start with the John Smith series. This is Chris’s lesser known and read series and I think thats a damn shame. John is one of those characters that has a lot more depth than you initially think and if you read this series, you’ll see what I’m talking about. My actual favorite character is in this series and I regularly ping Mr. T asking for more Bill (he then pity’s me as a fool).
Forth suggestion — John Conroe @john_conroe — I think I have a Demon Accords problem. When I jump run out of things to read for some reason I wind up reading Conroe until something else comes out. Yea, I’ve read these way to many times. John’s Vella stories have been a great distraction the past 2 few months. I don’t think I’m alone here on this as Mr. C has a pretty good fan base from what I see.
Next up — Drew Hayes @drewhayesnovels — Ok, so I’ve the works of Mr. Hayes a few times as well. Who doesn’t love super heroes? Drew has 3 series that make the cut for the purpose of this article…. wait…. 4, no 5. Yea, pretty much everything Drew writes is fun. I personally love the Super Powered’s series and I’m currently back reading Villains Code. Retired super villain now working in project management? Insane super powers? Great humor? Yep, pretty much all of that. Oh and don’t forget about Fred, the Vampire Accountant.
Finally — Darius Brasher @dariusbrasher — Certainly one of the best out there. Mr. Brasher has created a wonderful universe with several series living and growing inside of it. The Superhero Detective series is fantastic and is a unique noir, yet super hero, mash up. Darius gives us a truly wonderful novel with The Missing Exploding Girl. This book truly was a homerun and I’d call it a masterwork. Maybe thats cliche. Crisis is a great work as well.
What are you reading?
If you have suggestions, please share them below! Finding great authors and great books is something that literally makes my day. These guys work to create unique and interesting worlds, lets make sure they get shared with others!
If you liked this, please follow and leave comments — more to come.
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