I used to say…okay, if I’m being honest, I used to BRAG that I read 10 to 12 books at a time.
That’s not true.
I wasn’t lying. I was just fooling myself.
I genuinely believed that’s what I was doing. But I’ve come to realize that I am not in fact actively reading that many books at once. I am only actively reading 6 books at a time. Not counting the devotionals and systematic theology I read a page or two in daily.
And then, if I break it down even further, I am only reading 3 books actively AND consistently.
I generally have a sense of overwhelm when it comes to reading. I love reading and there is so much I WANT to read I stack up a huge TBR and fool myself into thinking I am getting all of those books read but I’m not. And then I feel overwhelmed by all the books I am “reading” and that I want to read.
The truth is, I will NEVER, not if I live a hundred more years, I will NEVER read everything I want to read. I’ve got to give up that fantasy and embrace my finitude.
I do believe I could read more if I read less, though.
Setting Priorities
If I commit to only three books at a time, and focus all of my reading on only one of those books each day, I think I could read more books in a month AND get more out of the ones I read.
That still doesn’t change the fact that I can’t read everything I would like to read. So how do I manage that?
Like with anything else in life, I have to prioritize.
In his book, LIT! A Christian Guide to Reading Books, Tony Reinke writes about his reading priorities.
- Reading Scripture
- Reading to Know and Delight in Christ
- Reading to Kindle Spiritual Reflection
- Reading to Initiate Personal Change
- Reading to Pursue Vocational Excellence
- Reading to Enjoy a Good Story
He doesn’t suggest that we should all have the same priorities–although I think the first three at least should probably be on every Christian’s list and DEFINITELY the first one–he just suggests that having reading priorities helps us make intentional choices about what we read and why. This is important in a world crammed full of great books that we just don’t have time for and crammed full of lousy books we shouldn’t bother with and crammed full of all the stuff in between that is good writing, just not for us at this time or place in our lives.
My New Reading Priorities
Here is what I am thinking should be my list of reading priorities right now–and this may change.
Scripture. Okay, this one will NOT change. My current reading habits here are to read the entire Bible through in the first 90 days of the year in a different version each year. Then I read from the Psalms and the Gospels each day and do deep reading in two (or three) other books of the Bible. That includes slow reading, meditation, constant re-reading, and using commentaries. This year I read the New Living Translation (although it took me 5 months not 3) and my deep readings are in Ecclesiastes and 1 and 2 Peter.
Spiritual Formation. This encompasses Reinke’s “Reading to Know and Delight in Christ” and “Reading to Kindle Spiritual Reflection”. It will include theology, Biblical studies, Christian living, and the spiritual disciplines.
Vocational Excellence. This priority includes books on business, pastoral ministry, and writing.
Biography and History. Not only do I enjoy this kind of literature, I think it is important enough to be a priority. It also gives me some freedom to explore and read what interests me. Of course, this category will include the history of the church and biographies about men and women of the faith.
Fiction. This will mostly be novels and I am trying to focus on “good” novels and classics. But it will also include plays and poetry and short story collections and the occasional genre fiction because those can be tasty and fun.
I think these simple priorities will help me focus and will still give me the freedom to pursue my interests and make sure my reading is filled with variety.
Rules and Guidelines
Okay now for some rules and guidelines because I like that sort of thing.
I will only read three books at a time. This does not include Scripture and devotionals and whatever systematic theology book I am reading. Those are constant features. Right now these are:
- Songs About Jesus by Timothy Keller
- Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung
- The Christian Faith by Michael Horton
One of those three books must be a work of fiction. This is important to me, because I get so caught up in nonfiction I end up reading very little fiction and I LOVE fiction and it’s good for me and I want to read more of it. Besides, I am working on writing a novel and it would be stupid to think I can do that well if I am not reading any.
I will NOT finish “bad” books. If a book isn’t working for me, I will no longer power through it. I don’t have to like what everyone else seems to like and no one should ever waste what little time they have to read on a lousy book and there are a lot of lousy books out there.
Okay, this is a work in progress but I like the direction I am taking here.
How do you decide what to read?
Joseph McBee 