By Taylor Gaudette
Mystery, psychological, suspenseful— usually one of these three words is enough bait to lure
me into picking up a book and reading it. A classic whodunit has always been a safe go-to when
the bookshelf tries to overwhelm me. With 2020 being the year of trying new things (and
typically, from home), I really wanted to force myself to step outside of my comfort zone and
read a few novels that were totally unrelated to my regular meat and potatoes, and I am so
glad that I did. Dipping your toes into a new genre is not a comfortable activity, but this is why I
think having a healthy variety of books on your shelf is one of the best things you can do for
yourself in the new year and how to do it!
If you’re ready to take your literature to a new level it doesn’t mean you have to start
reading more or bigger books, but to expand your horizon on the books that you do read—it’s
that simple! The first thing you should know about adding diversity to your personal library will
benefit you in more ways than you’ll even realize. The obvious benefit being that you will learn
new things. That’s a bit of a scary idea if you’re a student like me and you prefer to read for
pleasure and to try to escape the concept of ‘education’ for a few hours while you dive into a
book—but it’s true, and I’m not saying you have to read a book on the history of tree planting.
There is room for intellectual growth in everything we read, even the fun stuff!
Secondly, trying your palate on something new will help you out in the real world. Along
with being smarter, you will always have something to talk about. It goes without saying that
books are a great conversation piece, and this will come naturally to you if you’ve read one of
everything! “What if the person that I’m talking to doesn’t read”? —EVEN BETTER! Discover
what they like and find the common ground, surely, you’ve read about it! A celeb
autobiography? Countries to visit? Things to try? The possibilities are endless. And if this fails
you, then at least you will be a great trivia partner.
And lastly (hold on, this is a shocking one), you might actually find something you like! I
know, it’s a big commitment to pick up a book that you may not love. You may even be
tempted to throw it into the DNF pile before you give it a chance, but it’s the first step of
getting out of a rut. Keep reading!! I think you will be pleasantly surprised with yourself.
Great, now that you have your bases covered and you are amped up about reading a
novel outside of your preferred genre; I want you to google the top books of 2020 or even the
decade! Recategorize that list to books you would want to read (or have already read) to ones
you are least interested in. Challenge yourself to read three books that you’ve placed near the
bottom of that list. I guarantee you will not regret it, and hopefully you will find your new
favorite piece of work!
Stay well read and well fed over the holidays!
Taylor Gaudette