You don't need to find extra time, spend up big, lock yourself in the bathroom, or be super smart. Read on to find out 10 easy ways to incorporate more reading into your life and reap the benefits!
I never used to be much of a reader.
I mean, I loved to read, absolutely, but I just didn't make time for it.
I now read 1-4 books each month.
How do I do it?
Read on, sweet friend, and I will tell you the 10 secrets that you need to know to become an Avid Reader...
1. Use ebooks
Yes, I do have a kindle, but before that, I just had the free kindle app on my phone.
You can get free ebook readers on any device, and there are a bunch of them out there. This means that you are able to make use of every single tiny little snippet of time throughout your day, because you always have a device on you, right?
Snuggling with your kid on the couch while they watch that show for the zillionth time. Read.
Waiting. So much waiting. Read. Read in waiting rooms, in the car, at the playground, school pickups, waiting for the kettle to boil. You name it. Read.
On the toilet. Yep. I said it. Pooping gets boring. Read.
There are a heap of free ebooks that you can read on your free ebook readers, or, you can pay for them and download pretty much any book in the entire universe. Okay. Cool. Moving on.
2. Read whatever interests you
I used to try to read classic literature and what I thought I should be reading.
I wanted to make my way through the 'Top 100 Books You Should Read Before You Die' lists and tried to force myself to persist with books that I did not enjoy.
Bleh. No.
READ WHATEVER YOU WANT! - It's still reading.
Epic fantasy, almanacs, magazines, self-help books, Christian fiction, novellas, poetry, erotica, graphic novels, religious texts, travel books, memoirs, biographies, choose your own adventure.
Whatever you enjoy, read that.
Now, let me get all controversial here for a minute. Are you ready...
Audiobooks count as reading, too! So much so that Imma make that my next point.
3. Use Audiobooks
Allow me to repeat myself. Listening to audiobooks counts.
That way you can read while you do all the things; dishes, ironing, vacuuming, walking, driving, painting, putting on your makeup, making the bed, and gardening. Ultimo multitasker!
Yes, you can use a paid subscription service like Audible, but you can also get them for free in places like the Libby app (discussed in the next point), Spotify, and even YouTube (and probably a gazillion other places that you can find with a quick Google search).
4. Use your library
The library is free. Free is good. You can read more if you don't have to pay for every book.
If yours is like mine, then it is connected to a network of libraries and you can go online, check out their catalogue, and request to borrow a book that is in any of the libraries in the network.
They also have ebooks, audiobooks, and online magazine subscriptions. Oh! and groups that you could join, and activities for the kids during school holidays. The list goes on.
Libraries are absolute gold.
Chat with your library, and check out the Libby app (through which you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks), to see what you can get your hands (and ears) on.
5. Join a discussion group (like a book club or a Facebook page)
I used to be a member of a book club.
We ate snacks and I made a lifelong friend (Hi, Jill!)
We talked about books... Sometimes we didn't.
I got to hear lots of different opinions and interpretations, and we had some great discussions. I also got to read a lot of different things that I wouldn't usually have chosen, and it helped keep me on track. I was given a book, and a deadline, which sometimes I didn't meet, but that was okay too.
This may not work for some, it that's you, then maybe joining some book-related Facebook pages might be more your thing.
I am a member of a whole heap of different book-related Facebook pages, like:
and a bunch of others. Okay, I admit, I am mostly a lurker, but I find out about A LOT of amazing books by reading what people say on these pages.
If you're less of a wallflower and like to participate, then you can get as involved as you wish - ask questions, seek/add recommendations, participate in group discussions about certain books, etc.
A Facebook group might be just the thing to help you discover new books and inspire you to read, too.
6. Set a goal and keep track
How many books do you want to read? By when?
Set a goal and start a list somewhere.
Use a reading tracker, (like my free printable reading book tracker bookmark, or another free printable. Google: printable reading tracker for adults and check out the many on offer).
I have set myself the goal of reading 50 books by the end of the year and am keeping track of my goal and my progress on Goodreads.
This leads me to my next point...
7. Use Goodreads
It is also a community.
You can read blurbs and reviews, check out ratings, leave your own reviews, vote for books, and keep track of your own reading by adding books to 'Want to Read', 'Currently Reading', and 'Read' lists.
You can get involved in discussions, and once you get some friends, you get to see what they are reading too!
Honestly, Goodreads rocks.
How often do you think 'I'm going to read that', only to forget all about it, then you get in a bookstore/library and are standing there staring at the overwhelming amount of choices thinking 'Where do I start?'.
Add books to your 'Want to Read' list IMMEDIATELY and never have those problems again. Voila!
8. Use pretty stationary and/or a reading journal
Handpainted bookmarks, coloured tabs and highlighters. Whatever you like. Load yourself up on all the cool notebooks and stationary and get as creative as you like. Take notes, draw pictures, whatever floats your boat.
Fun.
9. Try different things
This point goes hand in hand with #2 - Read what you want.
Do you actually know what you want? Do you know what you love to read?
Try everything out! Never read a graphic novel before? Try borrowing one from the library.
Never listened to an audiobook?
Never tried reading a young adult dystopian science fiction novel?
Never read a book that is a '𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘰’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵' (um, just like THIS ONE)?
Try it!
You might just find your next favourite thing.
10. Make it a date!
A date with yourself.
Pour a glass of wine or make yourself a hot cocoa, get a block of chocolate, and a warm fluffy blanket, and settle in with that hunky spunky shape-shifting bad boy love interest that gets introduced in the third chapter.
Read in the bath, or in bed, or outside on the porch, or on the train. Make it special, and think of it as time for you.
Read what you love, in a way that you love, and enjoy. Reading is the best. You will find your groove, and it will probably be different from mine, or your friend's, or Jenny Powell's.
Who cares.
There is no wrong way to read and no wrong thing to read.
You do you.
Much love,
Marley x