In the age of visual excesses (Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, etc.), reading a book has become not only more difficult but also more aspirational. There’s rarely anyone I meet who thinks they’re reading as much as they want to. Many of us also find it difficult to read at all—sometimes because we are easily distracted, sometimes because we don’t find the right thing to read.

The few things that have recently helped me read more and read better are the following:
- Starting a small book club with a few close friends
- Doing at least some of my reading on an e-reader
- Putting my phone away while I read
- Choosing to read as little as one or two pages whenever I get the chance
- Assuring myself that it’s okay to read slowly and to read only a little, as long as I do it with some consistency
- Reading diversely, but about the subjects that interest me


Here’s what I’m currently reading:

- The Indians: Portrait of A People (Sudhir Kakar & Katharina Kakar)

- The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis (Amitav Ghosh)

- Don't You Know Who I Am?: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility (Ramani Durvasula)


What are you reading these days?