Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to read as if we were rushing through an airport.

Eyes scanning. Pages turning quickly. A quiet pressure to keep moving, to finish, to extract something useful before the next demand arrives. Even our reading — the very thing meant to slow us down — has learned to hurry.

Winter invites us to do the opposite.

I noticed this one December evening when I realised I had read several chapters without truly being in them. The words were familiar. The story was fine. But my attention was already halfway elsewhere. So I stopped. I went back a page. And this time, I read as if I had nowhere else to be.

The difference was immediate.

Sentences stretched. Images sharpened. Silence gathered between paragraphs. The book had not changed — my pace had.

Slow reading is not about difficulty or effort. It is about permission. Permission to linger on a line. To reread a paragraph because it felt good rather than because it was confusing. To let language work on you gently, instead of trying to work through it.

In a culture obsessed with speed, slow reading becomes a quiet act of resistance.

It says: I am allowed to take my time.
It says: This moment does not need to perform.
It says: Reading is not a race.

Today, on Day 9 of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to experiment. Choose a book that welcomes slowness. Read fewer pages than usual — but notice more. Let the rhythm of the words set the pace rather than your habit.

⏳ Today’s Reading Picks — “Slow Reading Essentials”

Books that reward patience, attention, and gentle presence:

• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek — Annie Dillard
• Braiding Sweetgrass — Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Living Mountain — Nan Shepherd
• The Book of Delights — Ross Gay

These are not books to rush through. They are books to keep company with.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Visit the “Advent Calendar” collection on Bookshop.org

And if you’d like to stay in this slower rhythm:
👉 Visit the Reading-for-Pleasure Starter Shelf

• A Man Called Ove — Fredrik Backman: Short chapters, deep heart, unforgettable payoff.
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman– Relatable loneliness, gentle humour and hope
• The Reading List — Sara Nisha Adams: A love letter to books for non-readers.
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold — Toshikazu Kawaguchi – Short, magical and deeply satisfying.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time — Mark Haddon: Fast, different and instantly engaging.
• Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt: An octopus narrator that wins over even non-readers.
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry — Rachel Joyce: Simple premise, quietly transformative.
• The Outsiders — S.E. Hinton: Fast, emotional and accessible at any age.
• Sapiens — Yuval Noah Harari: Big ideas, conversational tone.
• Educated — Tara Westover: Compulsive, human and inspiring.
• Born a Crime — Trevor Noah:  Laugh-out-loud storytelling with substance.
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — William Kamkwamba: Short, hopeful and deeply motivating.
• Atomic Habits — James Clear:  Bite-sized, practical and confidence-boosting.
• How to Stop Time — Matt Haig: Gentle fantasy with emotional pull.
• Tuesdays with Morrie — Mitch Albom: Short, meaningful and accessible.

Tonight, try reading less.
But notice more.
And let slowness return reading to what it was always meant to be: a place to rest.