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Do you have a goal of\xa0reading\xa0more, but any time you start working on that goal, it feels like a chore? The\xa0equivalent of eating your broccoli?\n\nMy guest today argues that the problem is likely due to the fact that you're trying to\xa0read\xa0what you think you\xa0should\xa0be\xa0reading, instead of\xa0reading\xa0what you actually enjoy.\xa0\n\nHis name is Alan Jacobs. He's a professor of literature and the author of\xa0The Pleasures of\xa0Reading\xa0in an Age of Distraction.\xa0At the start of our conversation Alan offers a critique of a certain approach to\xa0reading\xa0the so-called "Great Books," and makes an argument for choosing what you\xa0read\xa0based on Whim, with a capital W, rather than following any kind of list. He then makes the case for following that Whim into\xa0reading\xa0not only the books of your favorite authors, but the books your favorite authors\xa0read, which can actually lead you back to the Great Books, but in a way that will allow you to enjoy and appreciate them more. Alan makes the case as well for the value of re-reading\xa0books. Alan and I then discuss tactics to get more out of\xa0reading\xa0in our age of distraction, including his opinion on\xa0reading\xa0ebooks versus paper copies. We also get into his take on speed\xa0reading\xa0and whether it's okay to not finish books you're not digging. We end our conversation with what parents can do to raise eager\xa0readers.\xa0\n\nGet the show notes at aom.is/pleasuresofreading.