#Our Reading Lives

Our Reading Lives features stories about how books and reading have shaped who we are and how we live.

Modern Writers Who Remind Me It’s Ok To Be a Mess in Your 20s

Modern essayists who remind us all that you don't have to have everything figured out by the time you're 25.

Reading, Then Writing With Kids

A parent on the experience of watching her son read with, and write a book for, his younger brother, and the benefits of the process.

What to Do With Orphan Books: A New Year’s Conundrum

A new year means new reading goals and anticipating exciting new books. But what do you do with the books that you started the previous year and are still trying to finish?

How Reading is Helping Me Accomplish New Year’s Resolutions

How living a bookish life can help you accomplish your new year's resolutions.

The Joy of Hate-Reading

Sometimes a bad book can be oh so good. What makes a good hate read, and how should readers talk about the books they loathe?

Ode to My 2 Favorite Libraries: The British Library and the Newberry Library

One woman discusses the collections and exhibitions of her two favorite libraries in the world: The British Library and the Newberry Library

What I Learned From Reading 300+ Books in 2017

Last year, one reader let herself read more, and more widely. Here's what she learned.

The First Novel I Read Every Year

The Value of Abandoning a Book

What factors go into you abandoning a book? How long do you give the book to "get good"?

Strand: More Than a Bookstore

A love letter to the Strand bookstore in New York.