A nine-year-old Oskar Schell steers New York City on a quest to find the secrets of a mysterious key and its connection to his father, who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center on 09/11. Since his father’s death, Oskar struggles with insomnia, panic attacks, and depression. He often describes the feeling of depression as wearing heavy boots and deals with this by giving himself bruises. Read more
On average, I read about 50 books a year. That sounds like a lot—until you do the math. If I were to live another 42 years (which is exactly how old I am now), that means I have time for just 2,100 more books in this lifetime. That number? It gives me instant literary anxiety. The kind where you start second-guessing every page you turn.
Because here’s the thing: when you realise your reading life is, in fact, finite, you start asking tough questions. Like: Should I keep reading this book that hasn’t sparked anything in me after the first 30 pages? Or do I gently close it, thank it for its time, and move on to another—one that might actually teach me something real? Read more