In my August wrap-up post I said "Let's see what September and autumn brings. Hopefully more non-white people. I like how I say that like I don't have control over what I read." Someone (who is very nice and an awesome fellow book blogger and this is in no way meant to be mean to them or call them out) left a comment about how what you read is up to the Fates and it's whatever calls to you. And I've thought about this both before reading that comment and certainly a lot after and I figured I could make a post out of this.
On the one hand, I do sort of see my reading choices as left up to the fates. Meaning that I don't usually have a syllabus planned out ahead of time and I just sort of figure out what I'm going to read next as I go. I have thought about how what I pick is sort of up to fate. I'm pretty sure I even wrote that originally in that August post.
The reason my post doesn't say how it's up to the fates, or rather that I made the comment about me having control, is because what I read isn't completely random. It's not even a little random.
I may not plan my reading ahead of time and I may be picking what I read next on a whim, but I'm the one picking my TBR pile. I'm the one deciding what books I want to read, even if I'm not choosing exactly when to red them. And if one of my goals is to diversify my reading (and it's not to say that everyone needs to have or should have this goal) then I can't blame anyone but myself if I don't meet that goal.
Are most of the books I'm naturally drawn to written by people like me? I should look into why that is and make an effort to read someone who is not like me. That's the beauty of fiction: I can step into someone else's life.
Is it hard to find books written by non-white people? So look harder. The books may not fall into my outstretched hands but they're out there and the internet is a thing so it's not THAT hard for me to find them.
If I want to diversify my reading and I don't do that, the only person I have to blame is myself.
Does this mean my reading has significantly diversified this month? Not really. Which is on me.
