It's Lit: How to Read 30 Star Wars Books (Or More) In 1 Year
You don't have to read 30 Star Wars books in a year, but you could.
As I’m writing this, I have read exactly 32 Star Wars books in 2023. (The number is expected to go up by at least several before January.) No one made me do this. I’m a strong, independent woman who happens to love reading. And Star Wars books. What surprised me most about looking over my reading list so far this year is that Star Wars books actually made up a very small percentage of what I’ve read overall (only about 15%).
But even in that small piece of my reading pie, I’ve been all over the place. Canon. Legends. New releases. Rereading previous Canon releases. Even tackling many releases from a long time ago (in a galaxy not so far away) that I simply hadn’t gotten around to reading before.
You may be wondering: How did I manage to read so much Star Wars this year? “Having a Star Wars books podcast” isn’t a relatable answer for everyone, and neither is Instagram or listening to audiobooks at inhuman speeds. So let’s go over some more practical advice in case you want to make it a goal to read more Star Wars next year.
AND, if you’re interested in hearing more about what my producer and I have read this year and our goals for 2024, we’ll be recording another Reading Resolutions episode soon to release at the end of the year. So keep an eye out for that!
Read New Books You’re Excited About
I of course have the privilege of reading new Star Wars releases before they’re available to the public, but even if you don’t, you still have total control over what you read and when. Books are announced way in advance, so you should already have an idea of what you want to read before it even comes out. And pre-orders are extremely important for authors and publishers, so you should always do that too if you can.
A lot of people assume that because they’re Star Wars fans or love to read, they have to read every book that comes out. This isn’t an issue for a lot of people, but it can cause book burnout in others. It’s happened to me. And you’re much more prone to it if you only read Star Wars books and don’t switch it up with other reading material.
I’m all for the concept of read what you want when you want. If you’re not excited about a book, there’s a chance you’re not going to be in a mindset that will allow you to enjoy or appreciate it even if it’s a book that ends up resonating with you.
Life is too short to read books you don’t want to read. If you want to read more Star Wars books, stick with what you know you want to read first and foremost. If you’re interested in trying a book but you’re not sure about it, that’s a good sign that you’re ready to dive into something with an open mind.
Read Old Books You’ve Never Read Before
It can sometimes feel like a lot of pressure to keep up with new Star Wars book releases. And I can say you shouldn’t feel like you have to keep up, but FOMO is real and it’s hard to undo that mindset.
What really helps to rekindle your love of these books and train yourself to slow down and enjoy what you’re reading is to shift from new releases every now and then to older ones. This could be anything from Legends or even Canon novels from a few years ago and beyond. Sometimes, the new stuff isn’t always the stuff you’re going to enjoy the most at the moment, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
It was one of my 2023 Reading Resolutions to read the Fate of the Jedi series, which is 9 books in total and a big commitment. BUT, the unabridged audiobooks exist and were free at my library, so while I had a little unexpected free time this summer (yay crumbling online media industry!), I decided to go for it. And I had an absolute blast.
I loved the books themselves. But I also loved just being able to lose myself in a Star Wars story that I didn’t immediately have to share my thoughts on publicly. I still will, in some capacity, but that pressure to engage simply wasn’t there. It was a fun and worthwhile experiment that I’ve since continued with the New Jedi Order books (some of them, not the whole series yet).
Don’t be afraid to explore books you haven’t before. Especially if you’ve avoided them because of things other fans have said about them. Other people’s opinions don’t take into account that you might completely disagree — never forget that.
Reread Books You Loved (Or Didn’t)
You may remember earlier this year when I reread Heir to the Jedi for the launch of my new On Second Thought series — where fans reread Star Wars books they remember not loving and come onto the show for a fresh discussion on it.
Believe it or not, that wasn’t the only Star Wars book I reread this year. I didn’t expect to do much rereading since I always joke that there are too many books and there isn’t enough time for that. But it really isn’t true, is it? And rereading has so much more value than many people realize.
For some, revisiting a favorite Star Wars book is a major comfort activity — and that’s fantastic. Sometimes, research calls for a deep dive into something you vaguely remember but not well enough to finish the thing you’re making. And honestly, sometimes you just want to hear someone read a book to you that you’ve read yourself before. That can be comforting, too.
I’ve really come around on the concept of rereading this year, especially when it comes to Star Wars. I’ve completely changed my rating on a book because of it. I’ve fallen in love with other books again just by listening to them a second or third time. Some books really are better on the second attempt. And sometimes you’re in a different mindset now than when you first read a book.
If there’s a Star Wars book you remember reading and having feelings about, give it another go. You never know what could happen. And rereading still counts as reading another book, at least to me.
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.