Breaking Up With Books
Why sometimes, we just need to let go - and why that’s ok.
Welcome back! It’s been a long time. A friend of mine has just started a SubStack and this has encouraged me to get back into it too - you can find him at The Cannon Report and I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.
But now, it’s time for a reintroduction. Hello, I’m Eri and I am a reader. Well, I say this, in order to call oneself a reader, one has to actually read. And although as a child, I ate books like Tic-Tacs, as an adult, I’ve found it much harder to get stuck into novels in the same way. Despite this, the stacks of books in my home grew and became rather ridiculous.
Today, I decided to do something about it. I went through every book in my possession and questioned its presence on my shelf/my floor/wherever it was in my house. Those that did not pass muster are being evicted. I’ll be getting about £30 for trading some in, but some of my books weren’t eligible for that (given how oversaturated the secondhand book market is with certain titles and genres, it’s not surprising). Those that couldn’t be traded in will go to the local charity shops, with a few others held back to be donated to other local book piles.
Initially, I felt like a traitorous bastard for getting rid of so many books. But here’s the thing: too much choice leaves me paralysed. Better to have only the books I love or am excited to read rather than a bunch I feel I “should” like. Hopefully, I’ll read more now.
Without further ado, here’s a few tips on enjoying reading more in 2026.
Tip 1: Make decisions quickly. Have you read this? If yes, would you read it again? If so, it stays on your shelf, part of your carefully curated collection. If you haven’t read it, would you buy this book if you saw it in a bookshop? If yes, keep it.
Tip 2: Just because other people love it, doesn’t mean you have to. I have tried to read The Secret History three times. It is simply not my cup of tea - and that is ok. Different strokes for different folks.
Tip 3: Create a cutoff point. If I’m still not interested in a book after the first 100 pages, I will no longer be forcing myself to wade through it like literary treacle. Life is too short and my TBR pile is too tall.
Tip 4: Use your library if you’re lucky enough to have access to one. This will be my approach this year before I acquire any more books - and at this point, it will be for non-fiction only. I have fiction coming out of my ears… If I read a particularly good piece of non-fiction that I will want to refer back to, I might try to acquire my own copy.
Tip 5: Keeping a DNF list will help you to make better choices in future. After a while, you will start to notice patterns. I realised I have a lot of thrillers. Most of which seem to follow similar plots. I found at least three novels set in isolated mountain hotels/cabins with a group of people brought together and trapped in snowstorms before someone gets murdered. I’d read one, wasn’t that enamoured, and sadly I now have no desire to read the other two.
Tip 6: Try out new genres set in new places. I noticed that the books I was keen to hang onto are all set in different geographical locations. A variety of settings can be refreshing and can open up your worldview. I’ve also been hanging onto books from authors of different nationalities and ethnicities to myself. We might not have the means to travel the world, but it can’t hurt to read about other places and different perspectives.
Tip 7: Graphic novels count. I don’t care what your stuffy primary school teacher told you when you were eight, if there’s words and it’s in a book, you’re still reading. So yes, I will still be enjoying my Pokémon manga collection at 32. Deal with it.
Tip 8: Keep a book with you. Keep it in your work bag. Keep it next to your specific lounging spot at home. Keep it in your car dashboard. Keep it by your bed. Hell, keep different books in different locations if you’re like me and love to have multiple books on the go. Try to replace scrolling with reading a paragraph or two. The right book will keep you hooked.
So there you have it. This post is really just a confessional with a few tips for anyone who wants to carefully curate their book collection. Maybe there will be more hangs from me this year. Maybe this will be it for 2026. Who knows? Happy reading, folks! And my very best wishes for this coming year.