There are many different formats in which you can read books. Digital, audio, and physical copies all work. I personally have a book going on each of these platforms at any given time. That leads into my advice for this month:
- Read multiple books at once
This approach definitely isn’t for everyone. If you tend to read slowly and deliberately, juggling multiple storylines may prove challenging. However, if you read the way I do, this method can help you power through your TBR and stay on course with your reading goals!
Here are a couple of tips:
- Try a different genre per format. If you are reading all romance, then it will be easier to mix up your storylines and characters.
- Try different lengths in each format. That could mean a short audiobook and a chunkier physician copy. If everything is a chonker, then it will start to feel daunting.
- Dedicate reading time to each. I generally read non-fiction in the morning and audio only when out in the car.
- If you find that there is a book in a specific format that you are avoiding, then it may not be the book for you. It might be time to DNF that one.
Here are some hits from last month that I read across multiple formats.
Audiobooks
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
It’s the 2060s. San Francisco is now their own country and rebuilding after a devastating war with America. Robots have been given their own rights. In a small restaurant, four robots and their human friend decide they want to reopen their ghost kitchen. Here, they can cook the food they know people would enjoy more than the fast food garbage their previous owners wanted them to make. And while they are an instant hit, someone starts bombing them with 1-star reviews in hopes of getting them shut down. Can they find this person before it’s too late?
Digital Books
State Knows Best by Nicole Hayes
As a former foster youth who became pregnant at 15, Hayes vividly shares how the system repeatedly failed her and her son. She endured abuse in various foster and group homes during her early years. When she gave birth, she faced immense pressure to surrender her newborn, with the State convincing her it was a “selfless” act.
Determined to reclaim her agency, she resisted but was quickly labelled a troubled teen and shipped off yet again. Now, as she battles through the court system to assert her rights as a mother, she finds herself constantly ignored and blamed. How far is she willing to fight against a system that profits from crisis and punishes the poor?
Physical Books
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Joan, captivated by space since childhood, pursued a career as a professor of physics and astronomy. When she sees an ad from NASA seeking the first female scientists for the space program, she eagerly applies. Selected from thousands of candidates, Joan jumps into her basic training to become an astronaut.
The physician faces a trio of daunting challenges. First, she battles an uncompromising sister, who threatens her bond with her niece. Second, she fights for acceptance as a woman in the male-dominated medical field of the 1980s. Third, she grapples with the unexpected feelings that blossom for her colleague, Vanessa.
New Release Books For October
Also, if you are interested in knowing more about the above books, check out my latest post over on Substack.
Then don’t forget to check out my previous lessons to help your reading life below.
- It’s okay to give up on a book if you just aren’t into it.
- Try a new genre.
- Audiobooks are still books.
- Do a buddy read.
- Have a book handy everywhere and anywhere.
- Track Your Reading.
- Join a Book Club.
- Join a reading challenge.
- Listen to Book Podcasts
- Try shorter books, novellas, or books of short stories.