The Reading Experience
How you read a book is a mix of emotional, physical, and social experience. Where you are, what you're doing, when in your life, and who you read with all matter when it comes to the reading experience. A book that one person loved, another can completely despise. Sometimes it's personal experience - being unable to relate to the material, the character reminds you of someone, or the overall story doesn't grab you because you were distracted.
Your surroundings can influence how you read the book.
Where:
Many times we can often say "I read this book at home in my bed" or "I first read this book when I was in university" or "I read this on vacation". We then equate some of the experience to where we were. No matter how we enjoyed the content of the book, we will always remember where we were when we delved into that particular story.
What:
Likewise to up top, what we are doing at the time of reading can greatly changes our perception. When I am working full-time, my reading is slower, more methodical. I'm able to savour books, but at the same time, progress is painfully slow. Then when I find myself without work (either on holiday or off contract) my reading amps up and I churn out book after book. I have more time to devote to the book, consume at a faster rate, but is it to the detriment of enjoyability?
When:
Often we look upon certain books as reminding us of times in our lives. As much as a music playlist can remind you of a road trip you took with your sister to surprise your parents for Christmas. I wonder sometimes if my favourite books from childhood are coloured by my limited experience of stories and life. That I enjoyed a certain book because it simply was the first time I experienced this feeling.
Your experience of a book could change if you read it at age 12 versus reading it at 26. I know that I read "Madame Bovary" at a very young age. Did I understand it's implications? Probably not. Had I read it at 26, my understanding and life experience might bring a whole other revelation to the story.
Who:
Book-clubbing is a fantastic way to improve the reading experience. Enjoying or destroying a book with a good friend can be incredible. Having a disagreement over parts of the book or gushing over a loved scene can bring the friendship closer. You're not always going to pick a book you love, but that's ok. Some times it's beneficial to read terrible books. How else can you then know you've read a good one or a great one if you've never had the other side of the spectrum?
Youtube and GoodReads have supplemented my reading experience. I get to discuss with several communities books I liked and find new ones. Reviews help me choose books I'd otherwise not come across. I find myself reading the bad reviews because they help me think critically about a book.
Not only is your reading influenced by those that read around you, but also those who surround you - your support system or others. A book maybe helped you heal from a bad break-up or from the death of a loved one.
Conclusion:
The reading experience, how we engage with the material, has as much to do with the story inside the book as our lives outside. We can use the stories as escape, medicine, or tools to challenge our ways of thinking. There is a reason why people post about books being magic or time machines. They find ways into our very beings and become part of us.
