If you know me at all, you know that I have always been a reader. The habit has strengthened and dwindled throughout time, but the passion has always been there. For many years, in my late teens and early twenties, I felt like I had lost that passion. I knew I liked reading, but I could never find the motivation to pick up a book. I also wasn’t feeling strong in my sense of self — I felt lost, unfamiliar and uncertain of who I was. This made all of my passions and interests fall away. Oh, and it certainly doesn’t help to have a 24/7 entertainment device in my pocket at all times.
It can be difficult to get back into the habit of reading. As someone who struggled with it for many years, I think I can safely give some decent advice on the topic. So, below are a few (but not all!) of my tried and true tips for reading more:
Read books that you actually like, not books that you want to like (there’s a difference).
I know that this one seems obvious, but this was the top reason why I never had the motivation to read. I wanted to read the classics, the great works of art, the books that would make me feel sophisticated and smart when I told people I had read them. However, and no shade to the classics, but, they can be… boring. Or at least, difficult to read. If that’s all you are reading day in and day out, it can get old fast, and is a sure-fire way to kill a reading habit.
Choose books that you enjoy, books that give you that “can’t-put-it-down” feeling. Who doesn’t love a cute romance novel? A thrilling mystery? A memoir about your favorite celebrity? Pick whatever you want. If you still want to read the classics, sprinkle them in to your habit every once in a while. Or, read them alongside a book you really enjoy — which brings me to my next point.
Read multiple books at once.
This is by far my favorite tip, and for some reason, also the one that many people seem turned off by. A lot of people think that the proper way to read a book is to pick one, read it cover to cover, finish, and pick up the next one. If that works for you, great! But it’s likely that it doesn’t, and there’s two main reasons why. One, our brains don’t like to focus on one thing for a long time. Two, sometimes we’re just NOT in the mood for that particular genre! If something scary and nightmarish happens in the world, I really don’t want to come home and read my dystopian, apocalyptic book. Instead, I want to forget that the outside world exists and get lost in a romance. It’s all about context, and if you have a few different genres that you rotate in and out of, you’ll be more likely to pick up a book — any book. My favorite combination is either one fiction and one nonfiction, or one modern fiction and one classic.
Get a library card.
Buying books is expensive (since when is it the norm for a new release hardcover to be $29.95!?), and there is nothing worse than buying a book, reading it, and… hating it. Now I’ve spent $15.95 to be disappointed. Something that has helped me read more is getting a library card. In fact, when I moved a few months ago, it was the first thing I did (I’m serious — I submitted my application on day 2 of the move). Now, I’ve never actually set foot into my local library. This is partially because it’s still restricted due to COVID, and also because of the magical, beautiful app known as Libby. If your library participates in a digital consortium, you can access thousands of titles for free via an e-reader, or even your phone. All you need is a library card (and sometimes, just a phone number), and you suddenly have access to classics, new releases, audiobooks, and more. You can place holds on new books (but, be prepared to potentially wait up to 6 months to get a copy — place those holds early!!), and once you receive the book, you have two weeks to finish it before your loan ends (however, you can frequently renew the loan).
I like this app for three reasons: one, you get to read for free; two, e-readers make reading so easy (more on that in another post); and three, it gives you a bit of a deadline that makes you prioritize reading more. When you’re halfway through a book, but your loan ends in three days, you’re going to hustle through finishing it more than you might if it was a physical book on your bookshelf. It’s an external timeline that gives you a goal and an end date. And who doesn’t love a challenge?
I hope these tips are helpful to some of you. I know that to some, they are painfully obvious. If you already have a solid reading habit — great! Keep doing what you’re doing. But, if you’re like I was, wanting to read more but having no idea where to start, or trying the same strategy over and over expecting different results, I hope at least even one of these tips was helpful.
Every few weeks, I’ll send out a new post with three more tips, because I have a LOT, far more than would fit in one newsletter. I hope you enjoyed this different style of content, and be on the lookout for future reading tips & suggestions!