It’s important to pursue some reading as pure self-indulgence. I’m not talking about reading the self-help genre as a means of self-care. I mean reading anything, anything, just for the sake that it interests you. All genres are welcome and none are trash. Forget the phrase “guilty pleasure” when it comes to reading — if you enjoy it, enjoy it guilt-free.

When it comes to comfort, books, like foods, are not all created equal (virtuous indeed are those who reach for kale when calamity befalls). When times are tough, some books just won’t hit the spot. Moreover, our capacity for reading -- or doing much of anything other than surviving -- can vary wildly depending on exactly what we’re up against.

Reading no longer fits this world. Because it requires a certain level of removal from society, I am stuck within the possibility of being caught unaware of danger, calamity, or breaking news updates. With the world pressing in on itself, I feel I no longer have the option to create the silence, space, or time it takes to read.