“I wish I spent more time reading and less time on my phone.”
If you’re anything like us, you find yourself longing for time away from screens. From work and school, to entertainment, the news, and social media—everything involves a screen. And with so much of social media designed to generate a larger profit the longer we spend on the platform, it can be hard to break the habit.
We meet lots of patrons who come to the library because they are aware of their shortening attention spans and are looking for a book that will distract from the all-knowing TikTok algorithm.
To help with this quest for “reading as digital detox”, we’ve put together some lists of fan favorites by genre that will help you strengthen your reading habits, and lessen your screen time. Find something that looks interesting? Click a book cover to learn more/place a hold, or click a hyperlinked genre name to check out longer curated lists in our catalog. You can also stop by to browse our “Get back into reading” display!
Essays
Essays are a nice option to kick start a reading habit because they tend to be bite-sized stories that you can read in one sitting, offering a wide array of tones and topics in one book. A book of essays is much like a collection of opinion articles in the newspaper. They can be personal, research-based, humorous, poignant—pretty much any tone you can imagine.
Fantasy
If you’re looking for escapism and adventure, Fantasy is the way to go. The genre offers plenty of lengthy, layered, and fast-paced action, like one of our all-time favorites: Fourth Wing (also the perfect example of the “Romantasy” genre given its “enemies to lovers” subplot). Other favorites offer a gentler pace, deemed “Cozy Fantasy” because of the smaller scale. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, for instance, is marketed as “high fantasy with low stakes” because there are orcs and gnomes and magical blades, but also a cafe with a shy ratkin who bakes pastries.
Graphic Novels
Comics are a great way to get back into reading, because the stories can be as complex and rewarding as prose, but also accompanied by beautiful art created by renowned talent that draw you in. If you haven’t checked out a comic in a while, you may be surprised to learn that it’s more than superheroes and cartoons these days. Graphic Novels are longer form comics, and the genre is skyrocketing in popularity, with markets for every age range. Some of our all-time favorites we’ve chosen because of their blend of story and art.
Literary and Historical Fiction
If you’re looking for a genre that will cause you to reflect, consider human relationships, and maybe even jot down a quote or two, Literary Fiction is worth a shot. Settings range from contemporary to historical, the pace fast to slow, and the page length long to short. Character-driven classics like Franny and Zooey will fly by in an afternoon, while longer choices like All the Light We Cannot See will keep you on the edge of your seat for 500 pages.
Mystery
One of the key appeals in a Mystery is of course the “whodunnit” factor, and a good mystery will make it hard to stop reading until you’ve uncovered the answer. Like Fantasy, Mysteries have also seen a rise in the “cozy” subgenre: the stakes are lower and the tone is lighter, making them more relaxing than the traditional murder mystery. In those cases, the detective may be an amateur or a group of amateurs, the crime often involves food, the setting tends to be winsome (think: library, cafe, cute village), and any violence happens off the page.
Non-fiction
Fiction isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking to learn something new about the world but aren’t ready for—say—a 500-page tome on quantum computing, there are plenty of shorter books that will keep you engaged. You can learn a little bit of everything with Stephen Hawking or Bill Bryson, focus in on a specific topic likes trees or the weather with Peter Wohlleben, or learn about someone’s life story with a memoir. Some of our favorites involve science and nature, living in today’s busy world, and uplifting history.
Poetry
Similar to essay collections, Poetry has the benefit of offering snack-sized reflections that allow you to submerge yourself in a bit of reading and come back up for air after only a page or two. It’s a nice option to have in your bag if you’re taking public transportation or waiting for someone who is running late, and as an added benefit, it will help you see the world around you through the lilting lens of a poet.
Romance
Romance used to be a genre dismissed as trivial. Not that this was ever the case, but it’s having a real renaissance right now! The tropes are as satisfying as ever, the colorful covers make them easy to browse, the identities represented are rich, they tend to bring both spice and story, and the treatment of women and marginalized individuals sets a far better example of what is appropriate in romantic relationships compared to the genre in the 80s and 90s (we like to see clear consent and an aversion to toxic behavior, for example). Our favorite romances have great chemistry between the main characters, loveable side characters, non-stereotypical gender roles, compelling character development, and—most importantly—that happy ending that makes the genre iconic.
Sci-fi
Science fiction encompasses a lot. It could mean a 10-book series of 600-page books with hard science-based space travel, a contemporary society with a fictional piece of life-altering technology, or a dystopian and post-apocalyptic world filled with plant monsters. There is something for everyone! The picks below share a good range of the different types of stories out there, and all of them are hard to put down.
Thriller
Need we say more? Thrillers are known for the cliff-hanger, making it easier to whip from one chapter to the next. Our favorites offer a fast pace, irresistible hook, and some kind of circumstance that creates a race against the clock. For example, First Lie Wins features a con woman in a romantic relationship with a potentially criminal mark, blurring reality and trust between the two. The Unwedding takes place during a catastrophic storm that isolates guests at a remote Big Sur resort.
Still not sure?
What did you like to read in childhood?
Consider returning to a beloved book from an earlier time in your life. If you know you loved it, it’ll be easier to pick up. Or, discover a newer book that you would have enjoyed as a child. For example, our librarians have been enjoying Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. It may be marketed for Middle Grade readers, but that doesn’t mean us adults can’t also enjoy the magical world building, escapism, themes of friendship and found family, and beautifully rendered descriptions.
eAudiobooks
Another option is to consider how you read. Do you enjoy listening to podcasts in your free time? Try an audiobook! If you have a library card, you can check out digital audiobooks on your phone and listen to them while doing chores or walking the dog. You can find info on how to access Libby at the top of our FAQ page. Hoopla is another free audiobook platform you can access with a library card, and it does not have any wait times.
You can even borrow “Playaways”, which are essentially an mp3 player loaded with a single audiobook, to which you can connect wired headphones. With a Playaway, you can leave your phone in a different room and not be tempted by the glow of a screen.
Listening to a book may be an adjustment at first, but it’s a great way to immerse yourself in a story if you’re struggling to pick up a physical book. And yes! Listening counts as reading!
eBooks
You can also consider reading eBooks, which are available via Libby and Hoopla as well. Some folks enjoy eBooks because they allow users to travel with multiple books and minimal weight—great for travel!—and if they are stuck in a line or a waiting room, they can read a few pages instead of scrolling social media or growing impatient. Many also invest in an e-reader, like a Kindle, Nook, Boox, or any kind of tablet, which mirrors the size of a physical book. Not sure what kind of e-reader you should get? The library is working on providing three different types that you can try out.
Book tracking apps
If you’re finding it impossible to escape technology, why not make it work with you rather than against you? We love the app StoryGraph, which tracks your reading, helps you set reading goals and find new books, and presents your reading habits in colorful graphics. Plus, unlike Goodreads, it is owned by a woman of color, offers nuanced rating schemes, and constantly fine-tunes the user interface. If you’re trying to avoid certain kinds of content when reading, the platform crowd-sources content warnings.
Subscribe to our NextReads newsletters
The Medfield Public Library has started offering monthly genre-specific newsletters to patrons, which offer reading recommendations. Each newsletter features around a dozen titles per month, including the latest releases within the genre, titles relevant to the time of year, and the next title for any of our relevant book clubs. You can review past newsletters and subscribe to as many as you’d like here.
Remember…
Whatever you decide on, reading should be fun! Don’t feel like you need to start with Tolstoy or the latest high-brow literary work if that’s not your bag. And you don’t need to read for two hours straight each day for it to be meaningful. Find something that speaks to you; if you enjoy what you’re reading, it will be easier to make it a habit!
