In my mid-twenties I visited my aunt in Las Vegas and she took me to my first Vegas buffet. My dad loved buffets because you could eat as much as you wanted for one low price; we ate at The Golden Corral many times growing up. However, I was not prepared for the abundance of choice and food at a Vegas buffet. When our family accompanied my now-husband and I to get married in Vegas, we held our wedding reception at The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas the following morning. It had EVERYTHING you could want for breakfast, no matter your nationality, eating restrictions, or preferences. My vegan parents were spoiled for choice and since that was almost 20 years ago, that’s saying something. My dad still claims that that was the best wedding reception he’s ever been to.
In What Should I Read Next #469: Book Club is for discussing, discovering, and dissenting, Anne and Ginger described the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club as a buffet, with lots of opportunity and choices and we get to select our level of participation. While some enjoy participating in the forums, discussing the monthly selections, and learning from the classes, I really love listening to the monthly author chats, reading the weekly Sunday Dispatch from Anne and the team, and participating in group readerly activities like Join Us for Journaling. The book selections are diverse and we get to choose what books we read; I have read one out of the three selections so far this year.
The concepts of abundance, possibility, and choice have always felt foreign to me and maybe just plain wrong. Growing up, many things were decided for me, from when and what I ate (no snacking) to the books I was allowed to read (specifically no fiction). If I’m being completely honest with myself and with you, it was comfortable to have decisions made for me. I could blame others if I did not get what I wanted. I always read books I was “supposed” to read, tried hard not to read the ones I “shouldn’t,” and never DNFed a book because, well, I just couldn’t. But I have been thinking about the idea of a buffet since I heard that episode and my brain has started expanding this idea to not only my involvement in Book Club but my reading life.
When I go to a buffet, I generally do two passes. On the first pass, I walk around the buffet looking at everything available. I narrow down my options by focusing on my interests. I choose what I like; any kind of potato will wind up on my plate. When it comes to my reading life, I decide to read books I believe I will love from all of my chosen sources, a buffet in and of itself: Anne, of course, new books that come into my local bookstore, and my favorite authors’ social media. I will always read memoirs of people I admire, inspirational and self-help reads that are helping me become a better person, and fiction and nonfiction books about writers and writing.
During my first pass at a buffet, I also get a small sampling of a few foods that intrigue me, which I am more inclined to do at a buffet than at another kind of restaurant. The stakes are lower; I’m not stuck with a dish that I disliked and paid for. Thinking of my reading life as a buffet gives me the freedom to try a book or a genre that I like. What piques my interest is now enough of a sign to give it a shot, while also convincing the “old” me that worried about what I was “supposed” to read. For instance, I fell in love with the sci-fi/fantasy genre, a genre I once believed that I “shouldn’t” read. The genre is a buffet of choice itself, ranging from gentle to more in-depth. I prefer gentle: think A Psalm for the Wild-Built more than A Court of Thorns and Roses. And how did I know ACOTAR wasn’t for me? I read a sample and found the amount of world-building too exhausting for me. I DNFed. I’ve read a lot of things recently, taking a bite of a dish at the buffet, deciding I either loved it and going back for more or that it was not for me.
While I am spoiled for choice—there is so much out there—I have the opportunity to make selections based on my tastes and preferences and my willingness to try something new. When I think of my reading life this way, I am inclined to try new things but I know that if it’s not for me, I don’t have to continue. Our reading life is a buffet. And we get to decide what we eat, er, what we read. Terrifying, for me, but ultimately freeing.
Do you see your reading life as a buffet? Please share in the comments.
P.S. The single best thing you can do for your reading life and 7 steps to read “hard” books.
About the author
Shannan Malone is our MMD Cohost and What Should I Read Next? Patreon Community Manager. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.
18 comments
There’s a near infinate reasons I’m happy to be a member of two libararies (one public and one private), but very high on the list is the fact I can and do check out WAY MORE than I can read in a sitting. That’s fine, I’ll go and return them – especially the public library is a 8 minute bike ride from my home, so I go pretty frequently. Having a stack to choose from feels like such a big luxury and it costs me under 10 euros a month.
What in the WORLD is a private library?!?!?
Julia, I don’t know what it’s like in Europe, but growing up in India all I had access to were private libraries. My school’s, of course. When I was a very young child in Bangalore, there was a paid membership library out of a small storefront run by a nerdy guy. Years later, as a young professional in Bangalore, I joined another private library. You paid a deposit and then 10% of what they determined as the value of the book.
When I moved to the US I found the quality of the public library system in Minneapolis-St. Paul astonishing. I’ve spent the last 20 years in some form of service to it, including constantly educating people about the value of what we have, and how it can just go away without vigilance and advocacy.
Andrew Carnegie spent his money on libraries. Today’s billionaires seem keen to destroy every public good, including the last surviving spaces where you don’t spend a dime to expand your mind.
Shannan I hope someday you publish a memoir. I would love to read more about your life as I always gain wisdom from you.
Janice, WOW! Thank you so much. I will keep that in mind.
As Auntie Mame said, life’s a buffet and too many poor slobs are starving (or something close to that).
Whenever I order new books, I like to include several genres, such as inspirational, memoir, historical fiction, animal featured, general fiction, something just for fun, maybe something instructional, etc. That way I don’t get burned out on anything. Haven’t read much Sci Fi that I really enjoyed.
I enjoyed “your” buffet post today. With your permission, that will be how I describe my reading journey – an infinite buffet (without the calories). I usually read about 100 books (or more) each year. Instead of New Year resolutions I create my reading challenge for the year. Some of my favorites were read 100 books, read only female authors, read books based in the season. I utilize Libby, Kindle, public libraries, and little free libraries in my neighborhood. It’s quite the buffet. Thank you for writing such wonderful posts.
Kay, you don’t need my permission to use the word buffet. I took it from Ginger and Anne. Thank you for your kind words. Happy reading.
I’m a total mood reader so I definitely agree with you. I’ve given some new things a chance and I’m often very happily surprised! I don’t enjoy fantasy, but devoured ACOTAR. I’ve been dipping a little into historical fiction and climate fiction as well! You never know unless you try! I used to have so many reading “rules,” but I’m letting them go with joy!
I am learning that “letting go” can bring me a lot of joy. Thank you for commenting.
Shannan, I enjoyed your post! I also want to thank you for a very specific and personal memory. In January, 2021, I was standing in line to get my first Covid vaccine. I was a teacher, and we were among the first county employees to get the shots. We stood in line in an underground parking lot for more than 2 hours. Since we had to be 6 feet apart, we couldn’t really talk to people near us, so I put in my earbuds, and listened to an episode where you introduced me to Becky Chambers (I went home and ordered Long Way to a Small Angry Planet). Your contagious laugh and love of books helped me at a scary and lonely time. Thank you, and I hope you are okay!
Oh wow, Elizabeth! Thank so much for sharing. I appreciate you asking about my well-being. I am doing OK.
Oh, now I want to go eat alll the vegan buffet food in Vegas! I’m also trying to expand the types of books that I read, and one way I like to do that is by doing a blind date with a book, either in person at a bookstore, or if I’m ordering from a bookstore that offers them. I don’t always like them, but sometimes choosing a book based on a few sentences about the plot without knowing the genre or author feels freeing to me.
Hi Shannan,
First off: You were not allowed to read fiction? Could not believe reading this. I can’t imagine what that would be like.
My kids are 7 and 10 and their love of reading grows constantly by being allowed to explore and find out which books they love. We go to to the library often and the kids definitely treat it like a buffet.:)
As for me, I have used this analogy in the past as well, it’s just so fitting. I have different rooms in my head for the languages I read in and different tables for the genres in each room. I sometimes go towards the back of, say, the French room, to read some classics, or I see what has just come out. I always read around 10 books at a time, going back and forth. I might try a “bite” of something different, then go back to what I love.
The best part of the analogy is the abundance: “all you can READ”. ☺️
I’m learning about abundance. It’s so scary. LOL Thanks for commenting.
Shannan – Thank you for this insightful post. I love your analysis of your reading life and connecting it to other aspects of your life. I enjoy analyzing my reading life and seeing how it has changed over time. I particularly love when I get an “aha” moment.
Me too, Jill. And I enjoy sharing what I’m learning with all of you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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