Welcome to the Reading Lens — a space for reflection, curiosity, and deeper engagement with the stories we read.

As I explore stories from around the world — across different cultures, time periods, and themes — I keep coming across questions that linger long after the last page. Questions not just about the stories themselves, but about the very fabric they’re made of. These thoughts don’t quite fit into the regular newsletter — and that’s exactly what the Reading Lens is for.

This isn’t about dissecting literature like a scholar with a scalpel, and I’m not here to lecture you. What I do want to do is spark thought, invite curiosity, and offer perspectives that might deepen your reading experience. If you’d like to take a closer look at the pieces of the puzzle, let’s explore these questions together — lift the ink from the page and examine what lies beneath.

Whether it’s the balance between fact and fiction in historical novels, the role of the narrator and their voice, or the recurring motifs that shape a story — these are the kinds of topics I’ll reflect on here. Not to reduce literature to a set of techniques, but to highlight how all these elements work together to create something that pulls you in and stays with you.

Think of it like listening to a symphony. You can sit back and simply enjoy the music — let it move you, unsettle you, or bring you to tears. But once you begin to notice the individual instruments, the way themes are introduced, echoed, and transformed, your experience deepens. The music doesn’t lose its magic — it becomes more alive, more layered, more meaningful.

Reading can be the same. The more we understand about how stories are built — structure, voice, time, theme, even silence — the more attuned we become to the craft, and the more profound our experience of reading can be.

To bring these reflections to life, I’ve gathered the Reading Lens articles here. Each one takes a single idea — a narrative choice, a storytelling device, or a readerly experience — and explores it through the lens of curiosity and engagement. Pick a topic that sparks your interest, and dive into a deeper look at how stories shape the way we see the world.