I realized yesterday that all the best book recommendations in the world are useless if you don’t figure out one thing first – how to read more. Looking back, I should have started this month with tips, but ah, hindsight. So here are some tips to help you read more.
– Make it a priority and do it first, or as early as you can. One thing I do almost every day is read from three different books. Even though I only read 2-10 pages from each book, it still adds up.
– Make it fun. When I set my huge goal of reading 300 books this year, I hit a point where reading was just not fun. I found myself reading like I was in school. If you’re not having fun reading, change things up.
– Stop reading a book if you don’t like it. This was a big shift for me over the past few years. I can sometimes tell in the first page or two if it’s a book for me. Sometimes I’ll stop after 50-100 pages (oh how hard that is when I’m trying to up my read count!) Sometimes a book will stress me out and I’m like, dude, why would I put myself through this?
– Listen to them. Audiobooks are an amazing thing and can really help increase your read count. You can listen while doing the dishes or driving or while taking a walk or cleaning. Make sure to listen to a little bit of the book before you dive in. A good reader can make a hard book much easier (I finally read The Book Thief because of listening to it).
– Join a book club. This is one thing I haven’t done yet, but I think I might enjoy it. Though, my reading tastes change a lot, so it might be harder for me to HAVE to read a book at a set time.
– Do a reading challenge. I have had SO much fun doing reading challenges this year and last. They help to open your eyes to new books you might never read without the challenge.
– Join Facebook groups. I’m in a few groups based around the reading challenges. Oh friends, that took my reading to a new level! I found people who loved to read as I did. Having a community to share your experiences with adds such a new level.
– Have your books where you’ll read them. I have a stack by my bed. I have a stack next to my computer. I have audiobooks on my phone. I have books on CD from the library in the car.
– You tell me. What do YOU do to read more? Let me know in the comments below!
Check out all of my 2018 Read A New Book Month recommendations.
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I actually set a daily page goal for each title I’m currently reading and I write that goal on my to do list for the day. I adjust the number of pages depending on my schedule, but that way I’m always doing some reading at least. 300 is quite a goal! I couldn’t do it. I manage somewhere between 60 and 70 most years. The last few weeks have been hard, though, with my own book release. I hate how slowly I’ve been moving and can’t wait to get to a point where I can make better progress. I’ll give a book 50 pages to capture me. I figure if it hasn’t by then, it probably won’t and I’d be better off reading something else.
Ooo! That’s a good one! I do that when one of my morning three is due at the library. I read the books much faster that way.
Oh man, 300 is very unlikely at this point. My current count is 129. My Goodreads goal is 175 and I am on track to hit that.
I feel ya on the last few weeks! My read count is SO low and I can feel it in my bones. I tell Bret that he can judge how well I am emotionally based on how much I’m reading. Here’s hoping both of us get more reading in soon!
Good luck with your book release!!