When you're afraid to read fiction because it's "not productive."
I've never been much of a reader. I was always the cliff notes kind of person in school. Now and again I would find something that intrigued me, that I would actually like to read for enjoyment, but I've always been more of a TV person…. until this year.
In the past year, I have read or listened to 47 books. In the past five years since my kids have been born… I’ve only read 6 books. So this was a big year for me and it's been so much fun.
I feel like I've unlocked this whole new world and this new side of self care for me.
Coming from somebody who has always been a self-help, business book person exclusively, I feel like I've unlocked this new level with reading fiction this year.
It's interesting how it's impacted my creative work and allowed me to open up and see how much value is in simply storytelling, sharing and being.
My business-y brain would normally say “I can only read a business book because that's a ‘productive’ way to use my limited time.”
But I’ve learned that there is productivity in:
reading these stories
immersing yourself in these worlds
resting
and just living life.
And I think that's a big thing that I'm taking into 2025: That life is about living, being, learning and being able to support others along the way.
… And I just think the support can look different than we thought it had to look.
So I'm so excited recap all of the different stories I've read as I’ve been tuning into myself more and leaving the strict business-y side of me behind.
And as I share my journey- maybe it will help you dip your toes into a whole new world, too.
Disclaimer: these books might not be your flavor, but if you’re interested in trying something new, I hope it can help you find some that are your flavor.
How I read all of these books for Free
I read most of my stuff on Kindle, either through:
Kindle Unlimited (“free”)
Or Audible
I mostly read on my Kindle because it's easier for me in the middle of the night to have that built in light. Or I'm listening.
The Perfect Fiction Books to Try First
What I feel are the perfect intros, the perfect crossovers, almost like tricking your brain by reading fiction, but it feeling like you're still in that productive self help world.
Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was so cool how he wove the story together. It keeps you guessing. It kept me engaged. And it does leave you feeling like you've bettered yourself and that you have a new perspective on life.
That’s why I feel like it’s a great one for people like us who come from the self help and the business world and we look to reading as a productive task… and if we're not doing something productive, we get super anxious about it.
We're like “Ahhh is this is a waste of my very limited time?!”
So this one felt like that perfect starter book for me that was like easing into the waters and going from just dipping my toes into reading more to maybe I can read something different.
Emily Henry
Once I started that, I then was suggested this author named Emily Henry.
She kind of reminds me of, back in the day when I did read a few books I’d read Lauren Weisberger. She’s the author of The Devil Wears Prada and more. And Emily Henry kind of reminds me of her, similar vibes.
This is a very rom com-y book, definitely more for an adult. I started with Happy Place, which was another one that made you think.
And that started me down a binging rabbit hole where I consumed any and everything I could get from Emily Henry.
I have now read all of her books, and she has more coming out:
Why Goodreads is so helpful to have
I just got Goodreads to save future books I want to read like this Emily Henry one. And I wish I would have gotten it at the beginning of my journey. I saw that pop-up in Kindle to add what you’re reading to your Goodreads profile but I swatted it away like “ehhh- I don't know what that is.”
… Well, now I've had to go back and add in all of the books and the audio books I've listened to. So, as you start this journey, I would recommend checking out Goodreads to make tracking what you're reading and knowing your sentiments about it so much easier.
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
The author of The Midnight Library, also wrote a book called How to Stop Time. I listened to this one. and unfortunately it was not my favorite, but I loved Midnight Library so much that I wanted to give another one of his a try. It just wasn’t a fit for me.
If you like Emily Henry- Try Taylor Jenkins-Reid and Abby Jimenez
Then I was starting to talk with one of my best friends, Taylor, who has always been a reader. We've been best friends since we were five years old, and she always read a ton of books which I always thought that was so cool… it was just never me.
Now we have this new way to bond because we're both reading similar authors as we stepped into motherhood, and needed a new form of self-care.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins-Reid
It was so good that I then went and binged everything I could get my hand on. I actually listened to most of hers, which is great because hers are very well produced.
Daisy Jone & The Six
This is actually the first audiobook I started to listen to and it changed the game for me. Most of Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s audiobooks, are fully produced.
Daisy Jones, as an example, was a book written like a VH1 behind the scenes documentary. So the audiobook had different voice actors for each of the characters and sound effects.
Carrie Soto is Back
Is a story about a tennis player. And so when they talk about sports media, they have newscasters and an ESPN-like sound.
This is when it took me to another level of- I've always been a TV person and now I have the opportunity while I'm cleaning my house or the kids are playing or whatever to get to “watch TV” and relax.
And I of course then binged every other book by her:
She has another one coming out soon that I am so pumped about. And so that's really where my journey transitioned from not just starting to like fiction, but being fully down the rabbit hole.
Abby Jimenez
So, then my friend Taylor recommended Abby Jimenez.
I started her first series called Part of Your World. It's three books. You don't have to read them in order, but if you do, then all the storylines combine.
When I started it, I was just kind of like, eh, about it. At this point, her writing felt kind of similar to Emily Henry's, and I started to hear a bunch of kind of the same plot lines over and over again.
…. Until I got to the end of that series and all of the books came together. It blew my mind and that is when I officially fell in love with Abby Jimenez's writing.
So, I went to find her next book on Libby and sometimes when I can't find it on Libby or I'm waiting, I'll download a sample on Kindle just to kind of mark what I want next. (This is before I knew about Goodreads and saving what I want to read.)
Why I love KindleUnlimited
And when I did, it turned out that her second series, the Friend Zone series, is all on Kindle Unlimited.
Apparently at some point, I got Kindle Unlimited to get some business books, and I don't even know where I'm paying the subscription at, but I have it… so I used it!
Which then, led me to this thing that they're doing on Kindle, and it's these short story series. (And the business-y side of me can’t help but applaud them because it’s super smart.)
The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection
So, Abby Jimenez, along with five other authors, got together to write these Valentine's Day short stories. So it only took me about an hour to two to read them.
AND then I was exposed to all of these other authors, who are similar style, who had really good stories. I loved how easy it was to consume those. I felt really accomplished after I would finish one.
One day I finished two books in one day and was like: Who am I?!
Under the Mistletoe Collection
Since then I found the Under the Mistletoe collection, which is five more books. And that's when I realized that when you get the books from Kindle Unlimited, you also unlock them on Audible for yourself.
So I finished almost the entire Under the Mistletoe's series while I've been making our kids their lofted beds because they're super easy to listen to… and I feel super accomplished when I finished it.
There are other stories that were dispersed in there, but I've broken them up into three more categories.
Books for Gilmore Girls Lovers
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanna Randall
The first one was billed on Instagram and TikTok as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic. I’d say it’s 98% Practical Magic and 2% Gilmore Girls. But I appreciated the book in itself, and I'm glad that it dipped my toes into another world. I'm not normally, a fantasy type of person, and this was more like witchy magic. But it opened me and exposed me to wanting to try other books in that realm.
Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor Series
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
Through Substack, I came across The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and I fell in love with it, which surprised me. It is a super easy read.
I equate this book to watching a Hallmark movie, super easy to consume, light hearted, you know from the beginning where the story's going in the end, but there are some nice little twists in it, and it's just a really fun and a happy read.
Dream Harbor is the town it's set in and it is JUST like reading Gilmore Girls.
The remaining two books in the series are in the works which I’m so excited for:
The Third Gilmore Girl
And then of course I have to mention that I did listen to The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop where she shares the story of her life and Gilmore Girls.
Slow Living Meets Business Books
As I started this year of reading, I had to just dip my toes in to my own reading routing so that started with what I knew.
I read a couple of parenting books:
Call of the Wild and Free, that's a lot about homeschooling as we were starting to really step into our unschooling journey and Hunt, Gather, and Parent. (This one was meh for me.)
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Then I moved on to Big Magic, which I loved, of course. Just a beautiful, beautiful book if you haven't read it yet.
10x is Easier than 2x
And then 10x is easier than 2x came out. Which overlaps a lot with the slow living concept of do less and what you do do it with all of your intention.
So then as these books tend to do, I then went down a rabbit hole and I went to all the other books this team had written:
The Gap and the Gain
Quiet Marketing
Then I found on Pinterest of all places, this amazing book called Quiet Marketing. This really began my shift away from business-y content into my slower paced life. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and helped me to just keep leaning into this slow living life more.
The 4-Hour Workweek
That along with the 4-Hour Workweek, which I recently read for research on an upcoming project I’m working on.
The Creative Act
This was another one that I actually had to do in combo. I have the physical book, I got the Kindle version, and I have it on Audible.
It was almost like I couldn't look straight at it. I had to take it in in a ton of bite sized pieces. But I just agree with so much that he has to say. I thought it was such a beautifully written book. And even though it’s kind of business-y, it's just different.
Another good bridge book if you need to dip your toes into this world.
Fiction for Substack Writers
So the last few that I fell in love with out of these 47 books that I've consumed this year.
Nora Goes Off Script
This was one of my favorites. It’s this great story about a woman and she's a writer, (and I started reading this one right when I started to get into Substack and dive into my creative world and writing, and so I related with that.)
She has her own backyard studio, which is so funny because we’re planning to put in a backyard studio within the next year or so. So I thought that was synchronistic to hear about her creative oasis. I just, I loved, loved, loved that one.
The Sweetest Revenge
I also read The Sweetest Revenge, and the plot line is very similar.
If I had to choose between the two, Nora Goes Off Script is my top one, but The Sweetest Revenge was good too. Aanother writer, love story.
How to End a Love Story
This was another great one I listened to and there were a lot of good twists and turns. It was also another writer story. I really enjoyed it and would love to hear more of her work as well.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
The last one, was recommended by my friend Brenda, and I listened to this one. It was so, so good. I had not read anything that was kind of like sleuthy yet, and I just love this one. Vera Wong’s character is amazing. She's strong, she's funny. She was so great.
I loved how you got bits and pieces of the story, and would have to wait to uncover more. Plus the twist at the end was so great. I really enjoyed that one.
So, that is a recap of the 47 books that I have read this year with ones that transitioned me into this space of now just wanting to curl up with a fiction book for most of my time and read all of these different worlds and stories and just be able to immerse myself in a different space.
It has had me think of, gosh, I wish I could write fiction. But I don't know if I'm ever going to be that type of writer or creator, maybe one day.
At the very least, I am enjoying myself and I can't wait to share next year or maybe next quarter when I've consumed some more books that I can’t wait to tell you about.
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