I used to be a huge reader as a kid. I'd devour book after book, carting home a whole tote bag of books from the library well into high school. Then comes the part many of my peers have related to: you get older, you go to school, you start working. You only read for school, which makes reading not fun, and then you get a job, or maybe you're doing both, and the last thing you want to do is use your brain after a long day. Then ohp! Now you're living on your own, and there's all this housework, and who has time to sit down with a book when you're running around all day. Besides, why read a book when you can doomscroll? That's reading, right? Add a few dopamine-inducing algorithm factories to your routine, and next thing you know, it's been years since you finished an actual book.
But last year, I downloaded Kindle Unlimited to access a book I'd heard good things about....and was surprised at how easy it was to get through a book. There were so many recommendations. Then I realized that, for example, when I was in the waiting room or had 15 minutes to spare, instead of logging into Instagram, I could just....tap a different app and read a chapter or two of a book.
In 2024, I read 24 books. That's more than I have in literal years!
I've fallen in love with romance novels, and signed up for a service that lets me know when there's good deals on some of my other favorite genres. It's taken a while for my reading muscle to recover, but I've moved on to meatier nonfiction titles, as well.
Now, I will be clear that I do not like Amazon, and do my best to divest myself from it when possible. But the way I see it, for now, what e-books have done for helping me rediscover my love of reading adds a lot to my life. And I figure that if it helps me get through more justice-oriented, anti-capitalist literature, then I'm using the system to work against it. ;)
I'm just so glad I've found a way back into reading again!