Read to Me

The Year of the Reader

2024 is the Year of the Reader. While Soft Wood element years are particularly supportive of writing, Hard Wood element years are especially supportive of reading. This element highly values growth through education and personal development. Lifelong learners, Hard Wood elements will educate themselves through ongoing classes, curriculum and reading books about areas of interest to them.

Books are available in more forms than just hardcovers and paperbacks. While more and more people are collecting certain series, special editions, signed copies or beautiful cloth bound classics, we can now download a library of books in their digital formats to our devices or listen to audiobooks while exercising or commuting. Even those who prefer to read physical copies of books may be able to access books they don’t have copies of or enhance their reading experience with audiobooks.

But according to BookTok, listening to someone read to you doesn’t “count” toward your books read tally. You have to actually read each word yourself and apparently remember the plot and character names, memorable moments and big takeaways. For bookish people in this sub-community, who are making and monetizing content on social media, this may very well be important criteria that sets the “real” readers apart from the fake ones. Or, this criticism may just be another piece of content they hope will be so controversial it will go viral.

For everyone else, it’s not that serious. We’re not reading to meet a three digit annual quota or create an impressive monthly TBR we can brag about. We read because it’s enjoyable or educational, enlightening or entertaining. We read to learn, to expand our mind or broaden our world view. We read to gain a new perspective or discover a new idea. We read to be inspired to create something ourselves. We read to escape our life or live hundreds of other lives. We read to travel or have an adventure. We read to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We read to go back in time or forward into the future. We read to live vicariously through the main character’s journey along their story arc. We read as a guilty pleasure. We read to reward ourselves or as a self-care ritual. We read to maintain our attention span, the ability to concentrate and focus for hours instead of seconds, and avoid attention deficits created by the use of technology. We read simply to pass the time. We read in bed each night or on the beach every summer, in airports and airplanes or curled up in our cosy reading nook in the comfort of our own home. We read instead of scrolling social media apps on our phones. Some of us may read to be a well-read person who can talk intelligently about a variety of topics or have a more than basic level of knowledge of the world so we can recognize patterns and connect dots, “get” references and have a better understanding of both the subtle nuances and the big picture of important concepts and ideas. We read to read.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, while the ears are associated with the Water element and the small bones of the middle ear are related with the Mountain Earth element, our sense of hearing is associated with the Hard Wood element. The energy channels of the liver run around the ears. And the liver, along with the gallbladder, thyroid and throat and feet, is associated Hard Wood element. So, what we hear others say and hear ourselves when we speak aloud can affect our health, especially related with our liver.

Hard Wood is represented in nature by the “shocking thunder”. Thunder is the sound that is caused by a flash of lightning during stormy weather. That sound can be startling, making us jump. It’s what we hear that can serve as a call to action. And books, especially when they’re being read to us, can inspire us to answer the call.

The Hard Wood element is associated with the ages of 0-6 and the early childhood stage of development. This is the time when books are read to young children and they learn how to read themselves. So, reading and listening to books being read to you, via audiobooks, resonates with the energy this year.

In fact, some books are better experienced through listening. The best example of this are memoirs read by the author of the autobiography. To hear their own words, read in their own voice, adds so much to our appreciation of the story of their lives. Two of my recents listens were Making It So by Sir Patrick Stewart and Waypoints by Sam Heughan.

Other books that can be enjoyed through listening are stories read by a narrator who excels at “doing the voices”. This is how I consume my guilty pleasure, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It’s read by the exceptional narrator, Davina Porter. She adds so much to the already astonishingly good writing and amazingly captivating story. Our appreciation of each character and their development is enriched with the different intonations, expressions and dialects of British, Scottish and American English.

Listening to the classics, read by well-trained actors who’ve studied great literature, their authors and genres, make me appreciate these beloved books even more. One outstanding example is the stellar performance by Patrick Stewart of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Stories with a lot of characters, like The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, performed by an ensemble cast of A-list all-stars can also be a fun listen. It can feel like reading a play that comes to life with all of the different actors portraying the characters with very distinct voices. Even if you’ve already read Jane Austen’s novels, listening to Emma Thompson narrate Emma along with the other voice actors is a good time.

I also like to listen to self-help books via their audio versions, if they’re read by the author. Examples of this are Atomic Habits by James Clear, Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott and Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz. The work of Alison A. Armstrong should be listened to as recordings of her live workshops with stories from her decades of studying men and her answers to questions from attending audience members.

Even when the author’s first language is not English or they have a strong British accent, I like to listen to academics and intellectuals share their interesting points of view with me in their own voice. Examples of this are God by Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Feminism Against Progress by Mary Harrington and The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry.

Audio recordings can create fond childhood or family memories. I remember as a child listening to Around the World in 80 Days on a long road trip. Another favorite was Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.

Audiobooks can also keep you company. You can listen as you clean or do chores around the house, declutter your closet or clean out the garage. Listen while you cook or bake, knit or crochet or sit down to work on a project or favorite hobby. I listen to audiobooks every day on my hour-long walks, commute to work and half hour breaks.

This year, read. Read aloud to others. And let someone read to you.

In the comments below, share the books or genres you enjoy or prefer to listen to via audiobook.

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Dara Eden is The 8 Elements Master and the creator of The 8 Elements: Feng Shui for YOU! series of guides, blogs, classes and forthcoming books. It’s her application of feng shui principles to the personal energy of people, based on their personal feng shui element. With 25 years of experience in classical feng shui and private coaching, she offers her expert and unique perspective on how YOU can honor your personal energy and feng shui yourself!