How to Read More

The short answer: Read what you want to. That’s it. So why is it so hard to do so?

I want to read more

People are always telling me they want to read more, and with the new year approaching I’m expecting a new slate of resolutions where people indirectly ask me how to do so. Making a change of any kind is hard, but this is one that I’ve made and has brought me so much joy.

Why do you want to read more?

There are a few main reasons why people want to read more. The first is that they miss reading. When I was a kid I’d come home from the library with a huge stack of books and tear through them over the next few weeks, but as I got busier in high school this was a more rare occurrence, and then in college I was lucky if I managed to finish one book during summer break. I just got out of the habit of reading, lost that ability to not only focus on but find the stories I wanted.

For some it’s nostalgia, but for others it’s to experience a new world and future. Reading is a phenomenal way to experience and learn about new perspectives. Especially while we’re all living in a quarantine world, reading is a beautiful escape and reminder that there is the possibility of more.

There is another reason though. Many of us stop reading as we grow older because we got busier, but also because reading became something we had to. We read for classes and homework and education, so it stops being for fun. On top of that, Reading has an elevated reputation as a bastion of intellectualism. When people think of reading, they think of classic novels and non-fiction; things you read to feel (and look/seem) smart. I think this is why so many of us have trouble getting back into reading. We think of books as something you should do, so we seek out non-fiction and classic novels that will supposedly make us smarter.

I’m not trying to discourage people from reading non-fiction or classic novels, both are genres with tremendous works. Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill is one of the most engrossing books I’ve ever read, and I still believe Pride and Prejudice is the epitome of the romance genre. But by starting from a place of “I should read this to be better or smarter” we turn a hobby into a chore. This on top of the amount of reading we do for school and work has, over the years, made us less likely to want to read as a hobby in general.

How Do I Fix This?

The first thing is that you have to be kinder to yourself. If you haven’t read a book a long time, it might take a while to get there, and that’s completely fine. There’s a lot of pressure to read full length (and highbrow, see earlier paragraph) books, but any sort of reading counts. Whether it’s articles, fanfiction, social media, blog posts, or anything else, you are still reading. Your focus might not be as long, so you can build this up however your choose.

I also want to add that a major reason people don’t read is accessibility. Not everyone has the time to browse through the countless selections or the money to buy books, and braille novels are notoriously expensive. Physical novels can be a pain to obtain, and it feels like a sunk cost to pay $20 for a book that you don’t like. In contrast, much more can be found on the internet for free. However, this is where I scream my support for the local library. We all know you can borrow the physical books you want, as well as movies and music, but many also allow you to rent physical and audiobooks!

I credit Overdrive’s Libby app for single-handedly getting me back into reading. I had grown accustomed to reading online works on my phone, and since physical books weren’t always easy to obtain or carry around, being able to have books accessible on my personal device meant that instead of opening Twitter when I had a few minutes, I could read a few pages of a book. There was also much less of a sunk cost, as if I was bored or not in the mood for a novel, I could easily return it. Best of all, instead of shelling out for an Audible subscription, you can rent audiobooks on the app as well! While I read on my phone, you can send the books to an e-reader or your laptop. One of the things I love most about ebooks is the adjustability, so I can make the fonts and backgrounds different in order to facilitate decreased eye strain.

The final piece of the puzzle is to read whatever you want to. When my friends tell me they want to get back into reading, I suggest going back to whatever they liked as a kid. Maybe that’s a comic you loved growing up, a Young Adult series, or even a kids book. Reading things you loved is a reminder that you did like reading way back when, and brings back good memories, but is also easier to read (simpler language & often shorter) so you’re not struggling the whole way through. This begins the process of retraining your brain into both extending your focus and reminding you that reading can be fun.

The next stories you read can be whatever you like. Fanfiction comes in all lengths and genres, but there are also graphic novels, short stories, and a plethora of other options. There is so much, and you’re allowed to pick whatever sounds fun to you. Not what was recommended, or what you should read, you’ll get to that when you’re ready to. But whatever makes you happy. I got back into reading by picking up romance novels and science fiction stories because those sounded the most fun to me. For others it might be discovering a fantasy world or a book of poetry. You’re allowed to like what you like and read what you like, and you’ll find good stories in all sorts of places.

For some people, a more structured approach is best. I write down what I read in my planner, and others use great apps like StoryGraph to keep track of their reading and sort through it. Kindle lets you set goals and keep track of how many words you’re reading. Book Clubs are a great way to spend time with friends alongside reading more, and have helped a lot of people I know. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it.

In the end, reading is also a hobby, and I hope you find it fun again someday!