002 Crafting a Literary Escape

Imagine finding a sanctuary where the chaos of life fades away, where you're whisked into different worlds, living through characters that make you forget your own worries. Join me, Richmond Camero, as we embark on a literary journey sparked by a childhood gift—'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'—that set the stage for a lifelong love affair with books. Whether it's the epic realms of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series or the inspirational wisdom of Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic,' I share how each page offers both an escape and a wellspring of creativity that fuels my passion for writing.

Life gets busy, and finding time to read can feel like another item on the to-do list. In this episode, I reveal my personal strategies for safeguarding this cherished pocket of peace amidst life's demands. From carving out ten-minute reading breaks in the morning and evening to balancing the pressure of reading challenges like Goodreads with the joy of storytelling, discover how I maintain the intention and tranquility that books bring. Let's explore together how reading can remain a meaningful and joyful practice, even when time feels scarce.

Episode Transcript

Richmond (00:05):
Hi, you're listening to Pockets, a podcast about
finding joy, meaning and purposein life's simplest moments.
I'm Richmond Kamara.
Let's dive into today's journey.
The book that introduced me toreading was Harry Potter and the

(00:28):
Sorcerer's Stone.
I think I was maybe around nineto ten years old back then.
It was a gift from my aunt andI, of course, enjoyed the book,
and f buying can't and readingbooks, because buying and

(00:48):
reading books are two separatehobbies.
All right, reading has been,and still is, my pocket of peace
, and for today's episode, I'mgoing to talk about how reading
has been my consistent pocket ofpeace.
For fiction, I love livingthrough the lives of the

(01:10):
characters I'm reading.
I love being pulled into thatworld that it makes me forget
about the real world for a while.
That's why I wanted to be awriter in the first place.
I wanted to offer the solace toreaders, just like what I found
for myself through readingbooks.
And as a writer, I also knowthat I need to read books to

(01:32):
also feel my well of creativeinspiration.
I like reading books thatexplore characters and their
connection with others, like,for example, how a character's
weakness is filled in by anothercharacter's strength, and with
that dynamic there's a potentialfor conflict too, which which
drives another layer in thestory.

(01:52):
So if you, if you ask me aboutmy current fiction favorites, it
includes the Mistborn series byBrandon Sanderson, the Sheets
of Magic series by VictoriaSchwab and the Six of Crows
duology by Leigh Bardugo.
So, looking on the other side,for the nonfiction, I like to
explore books on productivity,the wise of things, creativity,

(02:17):
of course, philosophy andrelationships.
Books have been my go-toresources whenever I'm looking
for guidance or when I'mquestioning things, and I think
my all-time favorite non-fictionbook is Big Magic by Elizabeth
Gilbert.
So those are my thoughts on thefiction and non-fiction books.

(02:41):
So, going back to how reading ismy pocket of peace, it used to
be effortless to find timereading books and I could spend
a good chunk of my time reading.
At present it gets harderbecause of the different things
fighting for my mental space,like when I start reading, I

(03:01):
tend to think of other thingsthat I need to do, I need to do
chores, I need to do my work,that sort of thing fighting for
my mental space, whereas, likebefore, where I didn't have to
worry about anything.
It's mostly spent on justreading and not thinking about
the other things that I have todo, and sometimes reading feels

(03:22):
like a chore.
You could say that this mightbe a downside to the yearly
reading goals if you're doingsomething like that, for example
, the Goodreads ReadingChallenge.
I've joined the challenge for afew years now and, believe it
or not, my highest count wasfrom 2021.
I had 52 books that year.

(03:42):
That's maybe like one book aweek, and even now I'm surprised
that I was able.
Books in that year.
That's maybe like one book aweek, and even now I'm surprised
that I was able to do that.
I know that it involvesstrategy.
I mixed up long and short books.
That's why I was able to readthat many.
So, given that flow of thought,so there are two potential
challenges.
That's threatening readingbooks as my pocket of peace.

(04:04):
So first is actually findingthe time to read, and the second
one is the deciding on theintention why I read.
So what did I do to maintainthe peace that I get from
reading?
I can share with you threethings.
The first one is to findpockets of time for reading.

(04:28):
So for me, the minimum amountof time for me to satisfy my
reading cravings is 10 minutes,10 minutes of reading right.
So I included a 10-minutereading session in my morning
and evening routine.
So usually when I wake up, whenthe world is still quiet and
before I log into work, that'swhen I read, and I read also

(04:50):
before I go to sleep.
So throughout the day, when I'mwanting a break, I spend a few
minutes reading as well.
And when I'm outside, I'm alsoon the hunt for short windows of
reading, like when I'mcommuting or when I'm waiting on
the line, and this is whereKindle gets handy, actually.
So that's the first one.
The second one is to havemultiple books that I can juggle

(05:13):
for reading.
This may be counterproductiveto finishing a book, but this
addresses the intention that Ihave.
For a reading session, forexample, it might be that I want
to finish a book for a readingchallenge, or maybe I need to
learn a new skill, or maybe Ijust want to read something
light.
So having options of books toread addresses the varying

(05:35):
intention and state of mind thatI have when I pick up a book.
So what usually happens is thatI have three kinds of books One
fiction in ebook format onenon-fiction, also in e-book
format, and one physical book.
That might be either fiction ornon-fiction.
So I'm reading the fiction onewhen I don't want to think too

(05:57):
much, or maybe I just want toget lost in the world, or if I
want to fall asleep.
I usually read the non-fictionoption in the morning when my
head is still fresh.
Fiction option in the morningwhen my head is still fresh and
I just want to have a physicaloption in case I miss holding a
physical book or I want to stepaway from the digital world.
So even if I'm jugglingmultiple books, there's a higher

(06:19):
possibility that I can readthem faster, since I can adapt
depending on my intention or mymood.
I don't have to force myself tojust finishing one book, even
if I don't have to force myselfto just finishing one book even
if I don't have the rightmindset to read it.
And lastly, is to give myselfsome space to digest what I just
read.
So this is especially helpfulon non-fiction books, but also

(06:42):
applicable to fiction.
So when I'm reading non-fictionbooks, I like to highlight
passages and quotes from thebook Before I get to the next
chapter.
I read those highlights andwrite my thoughts about them in
my journal.
It allows me to really thinkabout why that particular
passage resonates with me.
And it's active learning too.

(07:04):
It reinforces the conceptdiscussed in the book.
Reading too, it reinforces theconcept discussed in the book.
So those three things allow meto maintain my pocket of peace
when I'm reading.
So these small actions allow meto enjoy reading books the way
I want to.
Books have been my consistentcompanions and I can't imagine

(07:24):
myself not reading one.
I hope you also find adventure,peace and answers in the pages
of the books you read.
You've been with Pockets.
Thank you so much for sharingthis space with me.
Now go embrace the moments,build your pockets of meaning
and keep curiosity a sure guide.