I am now over 3 years post college. I looked back on my reading list this year, and realized that there has been a massive shift in my reading.

I could probably count on one hand the nonfiction books I read between high school and college graduation (excluding textbooks and reference materials for projects). And every single one of those books were required reading. Between graduation and the beginning of this year, I might have added another handful of nonfiction novels. During the school phase of my life almost all of my reading was fantasy and escapism. I distinctly remember telling a friend that I had quite enough of the real world in the real world and didn’t want to read about it too.

This year alone I read 36 nonfiction novels. This was on top of 26 fiction novels. The majority of the nonfiction was new, while all but 8 of the fiction books were rereads.

I realized that I’m finally far enough away from college to learn for fun. I’m actually seeking out books on topics that interest me, and real life interests have a stronger draw than fantasy. I still like fantasy, but there is room in my head for challenging and thought provoking material. It’s nice.

Anyone have similar experiences?