Hi there you're listening to the Lazy Genius Podcast I'm Kendra Adachi and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't.

Today is episode 370, The ends and outs of summer reading.

This episode is for those of you who would classify yourselves as readers

and those of you who would not, and here's why.

I want to look at two things in this episode first I

want us to look at the aspects of summer reading that are all over the internet

right now and decide if they are in or out for us as lazy geniuses are Are we paying attention to the best things? Are we

telling ourselves the kind truths? Reading has some weird layers and we're

going to address those today. Second, I'm going to share the ins and outs or the mechanics of how I am personally

approaching summer reading in my own life this year. If you're new here, reading is my favorite

hobby and books are my favorite decoration. I think about how, what, where, and when. I'm going to read all throughout the year, but particularly in summer. If you have similar leanings, maybe my

approach might spark an idea for you. But really the first part of this episode is where I want us to spend the most time.

So last week, Leah Jarvis, my director of content,

she said something when we were thinking through this episode and it stuck with me. She said reading is not virtuous.

Reading is not virtuous. What is your reaction to that?

So a virtue is something that indicates high moral character.

And while you can certainly learn things that help deepen and grow your character from reading,

reading itself is not virtuous. It doesn't make anyone better or worse than

another. Someone who reads is not morally better than someone who doesn't. But do you

live like that's true? If you're not a reader, do you see that aspect of yourself

neutrally? I hear people all the time, especially women, who are frankly carrying a lot on their plates already, say things like,

I should read more, or I feel bad that I'm not more of a reader, or I just don't enjoy reading that much. And I know that's probably terrible, but I just don't enjoy reading that much and I know that's probably terrible but I just don't there is some secret shame and maybe not so secret attached to whether you read or not and I wonder if it's because somewhere in our thinking we have internalized that reading is virtuous.

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