by Kylee Walton
I feel as though I haven’t read a book in ages. This is true, because I really haven’t. According to Goodreads, the last book I’ve read was Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata back in August. It’s been over three months since I’ve read a book. Or should I say, since I’ve actually finished a book. I’ve started several books since August, but I always end up dropping them out of disinterest or in favor of something else. Franz Kafka’s The Trial, John Williams Stoner, and Han Kang’s Human Acts are a few examples. It’s not that these are bad or boring books by any means, these are all critically acclaimed novels. The issue, I believe, lies with me and my reading habits that have essentially disappeared.
Then, I discovered something that could help me engage more with these books, and books in general. The concept of seasonal reading; the act of choosing and reading novels based on the tone and seeing if it relates to the current season you’re in. An example of this is reading a mystery novel in the fall, or a light romance in the summer. However, what a season means and the tone it emits is completely up to the individual. This, according to my research, “bridges the gap between one’s chosen novel and reality.” Organizing a personal reading list based off of seasons allows for a more immersive reading experience. This idea is something that has attracted me because of my current reading slump and my inability to stay with a book. Having this connection to a book through a season, which greatly affects my mood, could help me form a stronger connection with the book and have some motivation to continue on with it due to that connection.
I found out about this concept of seasonal reading from a youtuber I started watching fairly recently. In her video where she explains how she uses seasonal reading, she explains how she breaks up the types of books she likes to read into different categories, those being: fiction (classics and modern literature) and nonfiction (philosophy and journals/diaries). I also like reading these things, but for the sake of my personal seasonal reading journey, my list will consist of classic literature, modern literature, women’s literature, and philosophy, because these are the types of books I’m the most passionate about. The goal here is to pick one book per category and read it within the month, or length of the season. The youtuber claims she separates the books into these categories to 1. understand what she likes to read and why and 2. pick one book for each category and stick with it, rather than hem and haw about what to read halfway through the month.
The next step in this seasonal reading process is to decide what my mood is for this current season and select books based off of that. For me, autumn has always been about productivity, academics, transitioning into the colder weather while still clinging to the spritely attitudes summer left behind. Autumn has always caused me to immerse myself in my studies while simultaneously wading around through life and debating what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it. I already have one book in mind for the modern literature category that will be at the top of this short list for autumn seasonal reading: the aforementioned Stoner by John Williams. Stoner follows the title character, William Stoner, and his life in the academic world after being born into a dirt-poor family. Seemingly, the novel’s setting is mostly at a university. This is perfection for me, as my setting during this season is a university.
For classic literature, I feel drawn to Natsume Soseki’s Sanshiro, which follows a young man, our title character Sanshiro, leaving the sleepy countryside to explore the highs of city life in Tokyo and attend university (I’m seeing a lot of similarities to Stoner). I’m a big fan of Soseki’s work, and it’s always been fairly easy for me to read, so I feel that one of his novels is a perfect pick for something like this.
For women’s literature, my first thought is an Austen novel, either Pride and Prejudice or possibly Mansfield Park. I also know of a smaller work of hers that contains her early writing, which I might pick based on how easily digestible it is. Another option that I think I am leaning more towards is Fair Play by Tove Jansson, a novel about an elderly lesbian couple with both parties being artists. This novel has what I look for a lot in literature: lesbians and strange character dynamics. I believe my heart is set on this one.
I haven’t indulged in philosophy in a while, but I want to pick something that is both beginner friendly and insightful. After consulting some outside sources (my partner) I’ve decided to choose Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. This book is a collection of short stories and essays that doesn’t necessarily fall into the category of a traditional philosophy text, but the pieces within it are deeply philosophical themselves. I’ve decided to choose this book for this category due to its accessible format.
A bonus pick outside of these categories is Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, which is a book my partner and I are reading for our mini book club. I hope this will also boost my excitement for reading!
With these books, I plan to journal about them as I read in order to better understand why I am drawn to them and see if that connects to my feelings about the current season. My hopes with this experiment are to bring myself out of my reading slump and bring back that spark I have for reading and literature as a whole.
Wish me luck.
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