It’s always exciting to get a new book home.
Perhaps you’ve heard about it from a friend. Maybe you spotted it in a bookstore. Perhaps you went to Roving Heights to look around and ended up with three books.
You promise yourself that you will start reading that night.
After that, the week is busy.
Work takes over. Your phone is constantly calling your name. Five minutes becomes an hour on social media. A new series is released on Netflix. In no time at all, the book remains untouched on your shelf.
If you find yourself in this situation, the issue might not be that you don’t like reading.
You might just be gathering books rather than developing a reading habit.
The books on your bookshelf should tell your story. The books on your bookshelf should tell your story.
A personal library is not just a stack of books neatly lined up on a shelf.
Your books should show your interests, curiosity and experiences. They should make you want to sit down and learn something new.
A meaningful library doesn’t require hundreds of books. You must have books that are of interest to you.
Beautiful books can definitely make your home look beautiful. Photography books, fashion collections and architecture titles can make a room feel more personal.
However, a bookshelf is more interesting when it is used.
Books should have folded pages, highlighted passages and notes in the margins. Some may be by your bed because you are reading them. Some may have been loaned to friends.
That’s what a library looks like when it’s lived in.
Don’t buy books you think you should read. Don’t purchase books you think you should read.
One of the easiest ways to lose interest in reading is choosing books because you think you ought to read them.
It is okay to purchase a challenging classic if it is deemed to be significant. You can get a serious biography because everyone says it is good.
Then you read the first few chapters and you’re in trouble.
Reading becomes a chore. It’s okay to challenge books. But you don’t have to start reading with the hardest book on your shelf.
Instead, begin with curiosity. If you are a fashionista, read books on designers, fashion history and fashion photography. If you love to cook, gather cookbooks and culinary memoirs.
If you are interested in technology, check out technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Your interests can be the basis of your library. If you like what you read, it is easier to complete a book.
Give African Books a Bigger Space
Your personal library should also introduce you to stories from your own continent.
It was a long time ago that it was simple to create a bookshelf that was filled with American and British writers. There are many more ways to hear African voices today.
New publishers like Masobe Books, Cassava Republic, Quramo Publishing and Narrative Landscape Press are still introducing new voices to readers in Nigeria.
Contemporary African novels, memoirs, essays and poetry are available, as well as international titles.
You can begin with known authors like Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Wole Soyinka.
Then check out the names you don’t know.
The perspectives and styles of Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Akwaeke Emezi, Abi Daré, Chigozie Obioma and Nnedi Okorafor are different.
Other writers to explore include Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Namwali Serpell.
African literature is not limited to one genre.
Romance, fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, thrillers and more are available.
It’s also fun to read stories that are familiar.
You recognise the humour. You know what the references are. The streets, food, family life and daily life might seem more familiar.
At times, that familiarity keeps a story with you longer.
Your Library Should Have More Than Novels
Some of the most interesting shelves are those that have entirely different topics.
Biographies could be placed next to novels. Art books could be set next to travel guides. You could combine cookbooks with business books.
Your library can reflect every part of your personality.
If you are a design enthusiast, then you should look at the architecture and interior design of Africa. If you like traveling, gather travel writing and destination books.
If business interests you, investigate entrepreneurship, leadership and personal finance.
You can even have books on topics you know little about.
Your bookshelf should not only demonstrate what you know, it should also demonstrate what you don’t know.
It should also demonstrate what you want to find out.
You Do Not Need Hours to Become a Reader
You might think you need to read for a few hours in a row.
You do not. Begin with 10 pages before sleep.
Read a chapter during the wait for your flight. Read for 20 minutes at lunch. Have a book handy rather than your phone.
If you spend hours in the Lagos traffic, consider an audiobook. There is also a book club available. Discussions about books can be a fun way to read and discover books you wouldn’t find on your own.
It’s not about reading a lot of books. The aim is to make reading a part of your everyday life.
Let Your Library Grow With You
The advantages of reading are apparent over time.
Your concentration can improve as you spend more time with longer pieces of writing. You acquire words without effort. You are exposed to new ideas and viewpoints.
You also start to learn about experiences beyond your own.
A book can introduce you to another culture, challenge an opinion or help you understand an emotion you could not previously describe.
But the best part of creating a personal library is seeing it evolve as you do.
What you enjoy reading at age 25 might not be what you enjoy reading at age 40.
Your career may change. Your interests can change. You might want to learn about parenting, history, investing, travel, or other topics.
Some books will be forgotten.
Others will be old friends.
It is possible to revisit the same novel every few years and find something new each time.
