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SBU | Life

Reading Less, Savoring More

Abigail Taber Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Last year, in 2024, I read 115 books.

Here are rapid fire answers to questions I get about this achievement:

  • Yes, I read and remember (almost) all of them
  • They were mostly romance, horror, and contemporary literature
  • I don’t know how I had the time… I guess I didn’t have many plans

I am proud of the progress I made as a reader last year. I was able to experience many stories and read some of my all-time favorites. I am grateful to have the time and the mental energy to give each book my attention.

However, I don’t have that time, nor that mental energy, to read with such ferocity this year. And that’s okay.

This year, I have been working more than I ever have before. I am taking rigorous courses, with multiple executive roles for extracurriculars, and two jobs on top of that. I am exhausted, and I have very little time for myself most days.

So obviously, some of my hobbies have fallen to the wayside of my time. This is hard for me to come to terms with. Being a reader is such a big part of who I am. The fact that I am not living up to my true reading potential is like I am not living up to my full potential.

While I know this is not true (I am killing it in other aspects of my life), I keep having to remind myself that my reading goal does not define who I am, or even who I am as a reader.

I am allowed, and sometimes encouraged, to take my time with each read. I am allowed to make sure I am in the right mental state to fully absorb everything I can out of every book I read.

This year, so far, I have only read 44 books this year. Yes, I know that is still more than average, but it’s not my average.

But I have noticed that I enjoy the time I spend reading more. Instead of competing with my Goodreads friends (or no one in particular) to read more books, I can go through books at my own pace. Enjoying the prose, embracing the story, and savoring every word choice.

Even in the past week, I have fallen back in love with reading physical books. Instead of scrolling on my phone, I have made a conscious effort to pick up a book that has been sitting on my shelf for months.

Although I am no longer bragging about how many books I read, I still tell everyone that reading is my favorite hobby. Whether that is a book every 3 days or just a couple of books a month, that fact will always remain true.

Abigail Taber

SBU '27

Abigail Taber is a third-year writer for the St. Bonaventure chapter of Her Campus. She enjoys writing about culture, entertainment, and the happenings in her college life. Abigail is excited to be the editor for her chapter this year and to be a part of such a cool organization that centers around the work and interests of women.

Beyond Her Campus, Abigail is the Editor-In-Chief of the literary magazine on campus, The Laurel, the President of SBU College Democrats, the Vice President of the Book Club, a tutor at the Writing Lab, and a volunteer at SBU Food Pantry. Abigail has had her creative writing published in both her high school's and university's literary magazines. She is currently a junior at St. Bonaventure University, triple-majoring in English, Literary Publishing and Editing, and Women's Studies.

In her free time, Abigail, or Abbey to her friends, enjoys reading, listening to music, and thinking of her next tattoo. She is a music trivia master and a known enjoyer of any and all romance books. She hopes to work for a publishing house editing novels in the future. Growing up in a small suburb of Buffalo, New York, Abbey hopes to embody the city-of-good-neighbors attitude.