Day 2787 – 5 Habits Every Aspiring Reader Should Develop

I have a current personal goal of reading 300 books this year. Before you think that’s crazy, I’m thinking the majority of the books, probably about 200-250 will be children’s books. I’ve read 64 books this year and only 11 have been “grown up” books. I love to read and I love to encourage others to read. So, I wanted to give you some of my habits to read more.

My Top 5 Habits Every Aspiring Reader Should Develop

1 – Have a Goodreads account and app on your phone. This amazing website and app has helped me find new books, track what I’ve read, what I want to read, and get an idea if a book I’m thinking of reading will be something I would enjoy.
2 – Have a “To Be Read List” – I use Goodreads for this. Using the app, I can scan a book and quickly add it to my to be read list. I also took my account a step further and added two shelves – to be read fiction and to be read non-fiction. This way, if I’m at the library, I can quickly look through my current 390 books on either list.
3 – Have a set time that you read. Maybe it’s 15 minutes before bed. Maybe it’s while you drink your cup of coffee. Whenever it is, keep that date.
4 – Have a location where you love to read. This is especially helpful if the location is really comfortable. I’ve mentioned before my favorite spot is curled up under the heating vent.
5 – Read books that you love. Don’t read books you think you HAVE to read because everyone says you have to read them. Also, don’t feel like you HAVE to finish the book. As hard as it is to give up another check mark on my goal of books, there are times when I’m not feeling a book and I stop reading.
5a – Do a reading challenge. This year I’ve already read some books I never would have thought to read if I wasn’t participating in a reading challenge.

What do you think of my list? What ways do you cultivate a reading habit?