“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”― Mark Twain
My obsession with books and reading has grown over the years. I’ve always loved reading, but it wasn’t until recently that I started to think about reading externally, as something more than mere entertainment.
Lately, as I have worked more on my writing, I have thought more about reading, writing, and publishing. I’ve also read a lot about each. This has led me to develop an even stronger desire to read the best books ever written. It has also taught me the importance of being “selective” in what I read because I have realized that there are far too many words I want to read and so little time.
What I do now, instead of buying whatever book strikes my fancy and letting it sit unread, I commit to reading each and every book I purchase from start to end. (Of course, I skim the books that should be skimmed and give up on ones that aren't don't captivate me.)
With a renewed passion for reading, I have also committed to reading every book I own that is left unread (this is in hundreds). As I’ve started on my new reading journey, I realized that if I want to start knocking books off that list I have to set aside blocks of time for focused reading. I used to just read here and there, mostly before bed. It was always segmented.
My new rule is to set no less than an hour at a time—one during the day and one hour before bed. As simple as this sounds, it’s amazing how hard it is to create a habit like this. You tell yourself, It’s only an hour, and since I get 16 of those in a day, this should be easy.
Nope, not in the least.
I won’t get into habits right now, but just know that this habit (all habits, really) will be hard to make stick—and totally worth it.
So, why the desire to read so many books? Because I want to be better.
It’s as simple as that.
If you don't want to become a better, more enlightened person, then you might not care much about reading. But if you do want to be smarter, a better conversationalist, more attractive to the opposite sex, and better at everything you do, then you should set aside at least an hour a day to read the best books ever written.
I found 5 of the best books ever written—completely free—to get you started: