Return to Reading
Like so many others, I’ve gotten back into reading for pleasure over the past year. When I was a child, I could go through several books a week without stopping, but as is often the case, by high school I was lucky to read a couple of books each year. In my old age (22, new college graduate), I have resigned myself to a comfy red wingback chair that smells vaguely of cigarette smoke from its last home. Nestled between my four busting-at-the-scenes bookshelves in my childhood bedroom’s walk-in playroom/closet, I’ve fallen in love with books again. Old favorites, new loves, YA series that I never got around to in my teens, classics, graphic novels, deep dives into queer history, I’ve been sucked back in and hope to not emerge anytime soon.
My undergraduate degrees in history and secondary education more or less sucked the fun out of reading for me for a few years, as I was constantly reading this or that book on learning theory or the Zimmerman Telegram. Aside from the occasional audiobook for my commute, I’ve just continued to collect books and set them aside on the “to read pile” turned coffee table.
It seems that I’m not the only one to hop on this trend, as Statista reports that Gen-Z and Millenials spent on average just over 15 minutes per day reading, a marked improvement from the 6 minutes logged in 2018.
Social media almost certainly helped to play a major part in this movement, as well. You can’t walk in to your local Barnes & Noble’s without seeing a table labeled “Booktok,” the name for the community of readers on TikTok. What I find most fascinating is that on this table, you’ll find entries of every genre aimed at every age and interest. While some books rise to popularity to heights that no one can avoid looking at, there are always a diverse range of books on display.
Part of my reading goal for 2024 is to learn more about my history and the world immediately around me. I plan to explore both works about Appalachia and the South, as well as works by Southern and Appalachian writers that are not explicitly tied to the region. Without too many deep promises, here are ten books that I plan to read (or reread) over the course of this year and speak more in depth about with the press. If you’ve wanted to get into Appalachian and Southern literature, there’s no time like the present, pick up some of this mix of beloved favorites and new treats!
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Film for Her by Orion Carloto
Holy in the Humdrum by Belle Townsend
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
Shades of Lovers by Catarine Hancock
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall
