It’s a new year, and with a new year comes new plans and goals. A common goal that some express during this time is to read more books over the next twelve months. While I commend the desire to spend more time reading in 2024, I do not readily endorse the aim to merely “read more books.” There are a few reasons for my hesitation.
Reading Takes Time
First, reading requires time. This point may sound obvious, but we need to be reminded that the act of reading is an act of choosing not to do something else. A book may take two to five to ten hours to complete, and these hours are assets we can never reclaim. Our time is limited and, therefore, precious. We must redeem it in the best way possible (Eph 5:15). We simply don’t have time to waste on unedifying, poorly written, and otherwise useless books.
A person might respond that they listen to audiobooks so that they are able to accomplish other tasks while absorbing new titles. This practice enables them to maximize their time and plow through more books than they otherwise would. Fair point. But, while I appreciate audiobooks and listen to them frequently, I find that when I am engaged in an audiobook, I do not absorb its content or follow the argument nearly as carefully as I do when I am reading. The reason for this discrepancy between listening and reading is due to the fact that we are not truly capable of multitasking. When it comes to mental engagement, we are never really performing two distinct activities at once. Rather, our minds toggle between the two tasks, allocating mental focus on one task or the other over the course of the “multitasking” event. To really engage a book at a deep level, we must spend solitary time with it, whether we are listening to or reading it. Books simply require undistracted time.
So Many Books
Second, not only is the act of reading the act of not doing something else; it is also the act of not reading something else. By choosing to read this book, you have chosen, at that moment, not to read that book. Again, obvious point. But we must reckon with how limited our time really is. We can only read one book at a time, which highlights our need to choose carefully and prayerfully what to read. Perhaps some math will help illustrate my point.
Let’s say you are a slow reader like me. Due to my work as a pastor and theology professor, I engage with hundreds of books over a given year. I read strategically, perusing specific sections of a book that pertain to my research while acquainting myself with the thesis and getting a broad grasp of the book’s content. But in terms of making my way through an entire book, I may be able to complete 30-35 books cover-to-cover over a given year. In the years that I’m reading larger books, the number can drop to 20-25.
That may sound like a lot to some of you, and not like much to many of you. Either way, consider this: current estimates suggest that the total number of books published since the Gutenburg press is over one hundred twenty million.
But let’s trim things down a bit. Say we are only interested in books published in the U.S. that have an ISBN. The number drops significantly, but we are still left with 39,876,731 books. Now let’s say that among those millions, there are only 10,000 books worth reading. That’s an infinitesimal fraction of books published in America with an ISBN (only .025%), and a mere drop in the ocean of the total number of books published (.0083%), but it is still a serious number of books to read over one’s lifetime. If you are twenty years old and start reading a book a week for the next sixty years, you will only read 30% of the 10,000 books we’ve classified as “worth reading.” If you could read two books a week, you would only get to 60%. But very few people have the time or the ability to complete multiple books per week, which means that very few people will be able to achieve such numbers.
The point of this brief mathematical exercise is to highlight the need to be judicious and intentional in our choice of books. We have limited time to read, so we should aim to read what is best.
More Books Does Not Equal More Knowledge
But I also recoil at the resolution to “read more books” because it assumes that the best way to acquire knowledge is by reading as many books as possible. But there is no necessary correlation between the number of books read and the acquisition of genuine knowledge. Actually, a person who reads a load of books but fails to think carefully over the arguments of those books and ponder how the claims of a particular book fit with the knowledge he already has will likely find their mind muddled by a thousand disconnected bits of information. They will be unable to gain mental clarity or develop convictions about what’s really important.
The encouragement for you (and me) this new year is to heed the counsel of Charles Spurgeon who told his pastoral students to “read much, not many.” Although he lived in the nineteenth century with far fewer reading options available, he understood how the mere reading of many books did not necessarily help the reader make progress in their ability to think well. His advice was to choose the best books and spend a lot of time with them. As in nearly every aspect of life, quality should be valued over quantity.
Quality Over Quantity
In order to raise the quality of our reading, we must reconfigure the goal of reading. It’s easy to assume that the goal of reading is to complete books. But good readers know that the aim of reading is not merely to finish a book. The real purpose of reading is to acquire knowledge, grow in mental clarity and discernment, develop deep spiritual convictions, and have our thinking stimulated and our hearts stirred by grand truths. Completing books may often (but not always) be the byproduct of the main reason for reading, but it cannot be the main reason itself.
In order to raise the quality of our reading, we must reconfigure the goal of reading.
These are two profoundly different aims that will lead to two profoundly different practices. On one hand, the one who aims primarily to finish books will tend to read quickly and meditate less. Thinking may become hurried, disconnected, and fragmented. Important details will be missed, arguments will be misunderstood, and errors overlooked. On the other hand, the one who aims to acquire useful knowledge and grow in mental clarity by reading will ponder what they read, make connections between what they are absorbing with other areas of knowledge, wrestle with the implications of the author’s argument, note illogical and unbiblical claims, and make sure they understand what the author is saying.
Take it Slower
I expect it will be difficult to slow down and read the way I’ve just described. Our minds are not only fallen and sinful, but they have also been conditioned over the last two decades to resist careful, serious, sustained thinking as we harken incessantly to our smartphones. While distractions have always been a problem for humanity, the last two decades have fed our craving for novelty and mindless diversion like no other time in history. If real knowledge requires effort, we’ve decided it simply isn’t worth it.
But if we take our cues for reading from Scripture, I believe we will be led to take things a little slower. Throughout the Bible, we are called to meditate on God’s Word (Ps 1:1), ponder our path (Prov 4:26), consider God’s creation (Matt 6:25), and think over apostolic doctrine (1 Tim 2:7). These practices simply cannot be rushed. Each of these words implies that we must take some time to mull over God, his creation, and what he has deposited in his Word. When it comes to spiritual things, Scripture tells us not to be hasty. When reading books about Scripture and Christian living, therefore, it makes sense that we would apply the same pace as we do when reading Scripture itself.
Conclusion
So, in 2024, instead of trying to read more books, let’s aim to read more often. Let’s carve out more time in our weeks to fill our minds and hearts with great truths and useful spiritual knowledge. But let’s also use this time to go deep into what we are reading. Rather than skimming over the truth, let’s meditate on it. Instead of reading ten books quickly, let’s read three books well. Instead of plowing through multiple volumes, let’s take time to think carefully over a few. This practice will, I believe, provide greater clarity, lessen mental confusion, and enable us to develop lasting convictions about what’s true.
