How can I start reading more? How to instill in yourself a love of reading? I receive such questions regularly. To be honest, at first I was at a loss and could not give a constructive answer, because I had never thought about it myself. I took the habit of reading for granted, because I had been reading since childhood. Thanks for this to my parents and their favorable example. Then, I began to think about how my reading experience, although not great, could help others. As a result, I have identified a few tips that could have a positive effect on the love of reading. In this post, I want to share them with you.
1. Choose only those books that you like.
Do not run after trends, do not strive to read books from the numerous lists of “Everyone should read this”. Start with what you love. What are your hobbies? Maybe you love movies. Then you can find the book on which your favorite movie was filmed. There are also various encyclopedias about the history of cinema or the biographies of great directors. Do you love history? There are a large number of novels, the plot of which is intertwined with historical events. Are you a traveler? Find a book by the author of your favorite country or city where you are going. This will allow you to get a deeper feel for the culture and history of the city. The choice is great, so take advantage of such opportunities.
If you have decided on the scope of your interests, then you should move on to the next point, which is no less responsible.
2. Choose a book carefully.
The choice of books is great – there is joy and misfortune in it. In bookstores, your eyes run wild, and there is no way to quickly make the right choice. An abstract does not always provide comprehensive information about the content. Therefore, I recommend that you select a few books that interest you and study the reviews or reviews on them. Fortunately, there are many resources and blogs now. For example, I most often focus on ratings in Livelib.ru and read reviews on the Internet, sometimes I just select the names of a book on Instagram by hashtags (for example, #атлантрасправилплечи). There you can also find books similar in subjects, perhaps they will even interest you more.
Many publishers offer an introductory fragment of the book on their websites. I think the first 20-30 pages of text will allow you to determine your approximate impression of it. Some bookstores have literary cafes where you can order aromatic coffee and read a book in a pleasant atmosphere. Use all these opportunities to your advantage to choose works that are interesting to you.
3. Don’t force yourself to read boring books!
Be able to refuse uninteresting books. Never force yourself to finish reading a boring work, even if you have spent a lot of time choosing it (although in this case such an outcome is rare). Remember that reading should bring you pleasure. If you force yourself just because you “have to”, you can kill your desire to read and waste time. Do it only for joy! You should reach for the book with interest and a pleasant sense of curiosity. That is why point 2 is so important.
But how do you define a boring book? To do this, I always use the 50-page rule. If I don’t get interested in a book for the first 50 pages, I finish reading it and don’t come back to it. Sometimes, I can give the book a chance and read another 20-30 pages. Sometimes, the book lives up to expectations, but more often than not, it doesn’t. Thanks to this rule, I save time and do not clutter my brain with unnecessary information.
By the way, you wondered why I write negative reviews so rarely. It’s simple. I carefully select each book and make sure to adhere to the 50-page rule. So, I highly recommend it!
4. Read regularly.
A habit is an action that is repeated regularly. This also applies to reading. Therefore, determine for yourself at what time of the day, how often and for how long you can read. Preferably daily. Gather your willpower into a fist and get started. At first it will be difficult, you will find excuses, but then, I promise, it will become easier, and you will get used to it. The main thing is that reading should be a joy!
Read at your own pace. Someone reads a page per minute, someone needs more time. Do not look back at others, listen only to yourself.
Always carry a book with you! Always! You never know when you might have an unexpected opportunity to read. Don’t want to carry a heavy volume with you all the time? Then e-books or book services can help you. So, there is always a way out.
By the way, I use such services and I am very satisfied. I wrote in detail here. If you want to try them in practice, then follow the link: bookmate.com/join/ptrsbrg you can read books on bookmate for FREE for 2 weeks in a standard subscription. Open the link on your phone, install the application and register
5. Make reading your priority.
There are 168 hours in 1 week. Let’s say we sleep 8 hours a day, work 40 hours a week. There are 72 hours left. Let’s say you work 50 hours. There are still 62 hours left. Can’t you set aside 15-20 minutes of this time for daily reading? No? And what if you replace browsing social networks with reading? I think it will be much more useful.
Discipline yourself. If you suddenly have free time, do not reach for the social media icon. Instead, take out a book or open a reading app on your phone (so it’s important to carry the book with you at all times). At first, it will be difficult to resist the temptation, but then, having felt the benefits of this habit, you yourself will gladly refuse to watch Instagram in favor of reading a book.
For example, according to the statistics in my phone, most of the charge is spent on bookmate)
That’s my whole little list of tips. I will be glad if they help you start reading more.
The most important thing to remember is that reading should be a joy and bring you pleasure!
Abd Faek Ghananeem is a creative storyteller with a passion for crafting engaging narratives that captivate readers of all ages. With a knack for weaving tales that resonate on a personal level, Abd’s work reflects a deep understanding of the human experience. As an author, Abd brings a unique voice to the literary world, offering stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. Whether writing for children or adults, Ghananeem’s work is marked by a blend of imagination, insight, and a genuine love for storytelling.
