For many of us, the idea of opening a book after a long day of going through sometimes dull university readings feels like a nightmare. A logical assumption would be to consider that after reading so much, we cannot fathom continuing in our free time. However, I believe our potential distaste for literature while in uni isn’t due to an overdose of academic readings – it’s more about how we perceive literature itself.
On paper, reading seems perfect—it sharpens your mind, boosts vocabulary, and sparks creativity. You’d think it would always win over reality TV. But after a long day at uni, let’s be real, I’ll grab the remote and binge-watch a show before cracking open Shakespeare. Who needs Hamlet’s drama when Love island’s got me covered?
Since childhood, our relationship with books has been shaped by school. We’ve been told that reading is necessary, often forced into it, and that’s left many of us resenting literature. It’s turned reading into a chore, something we do to “better ourselves”.
To start reading for pleasure at university, we need to change how we approach it. We have to see reading for what it truly is—leisure, entertainment. A lot of us have this odd sense of duty attached to literature that stops us from enjoying it. For instance, I used to feel guilty about skipping pages, as if I was cheating, or somehow not really reading the book. But if reading is truly a leisure, there are no rules to break when it comes to entertainment, you can not cheat at fun. Treat it like a Netflix show —skip the boring four-page description of the chair as you’d fast-forward through a dull scene in a show. Quit the book if it’s not gripping you, just like you’d switch off a YouTube video that lost your interest. There’s a book for everyone, and no one’s grading you. This is your experience, and there’s no need to force yourself through something you don’t enjoy, you can simply try another one.
There’s also that pressure of reading “intellectual” books, whatever that means. We feel embarrassed to pick up something that isn’t considered “real” literature by out-of-touch critics. But why? We watch mindless, fun films all the time, so why not do the same with books? At the end of the day, reading and writing are about escaping, learning, and dreaming. If Plato’s your thing, go for it, but it can’t be for everybody, and that is more than fine. The stigma around certain genres is just another barrier we need to break down to make reading feel more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
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