how to read more

I read a lot. Pretty obsessively in fact. I have all my life. As a child, I would literally walk around with a nose in my book while my mom brought me along to run errands. My childhood home is one block down from the town's library - I didn't even have to cross a street to walk there on my own. I spent so much time up on the second floor children's department. I'm an only child which means I had a lot of free time at home to jump into fictional worlds. Some of my best friends were Nancy Drew, the Babysitter's Club, and the Boxcar Children. (Let me tell you, I desperately wanted Nancy Drew's strawberry blonde hair). I liked books so much I majored in English literature, and the university gave me a degree in reading. What a bunch of chumps! I would have been reading anyway!

some of my fancy B&N classics

My friends and family are often surprised at how much I read and how I find the time, so I figured it would be a good thing to share here! I'm happy to give some tips if inspires anyone to read even just a few pages more!

1. Vary your format. I know everyone has preferences when it comes to the form of the book: hardcover, paperback, audiobooks, or ebooks. Some people are real sticklers about their specific format, which I respect. But the easiest way to read more is to try a little of each. I love a physical book; there's no other feeling quite like it in the world!  However, ebooks and audiobooks are a godsend. I commute to work on the bus, so being able to read books on my phone is so easy. I spend my 15 minutes in the morning and evening reading, which gives me a nice extra slice of time. Audiobooks also allow you to multitask when reading. Anytime I spend cooking, cleaning, or grocery shopping is typically filled with me listening to audiobooks (or podcasts!)

2. Vary your genre. Okay this seems a bit obvious, but one way to read more is just try out a variety of genres! We all have our comfort zones, but branching out of them can be really good for your reading habits! I tend to read mostly fiction, and I read a lot of YA and romance. However, I've been slowly branching out into more and more nonfiction, and I've read a lot of great books! I started out with memoirs by celebrities I like (on audiobook!) which was a good push to get out of my fiction comfort zones. Just the other day I finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark, a true crime book. It was EXCELLENT and I couldn't put it down! I love mystery novels so this was a perfect nonfiction book to try!

3. Give into guilty pleasures. I'm the first to admit I LOVE cheesy romance novels. They have ridiculous covers and use the weirdest innuendos for penis, but they bring me so much joy. I think a lot of genre fiction gets some side eye from people, but I don't understand why! Romance is a wonderful genre with so much to offer. Don't get embarrassed by what you read! Reading is reading and if you want to read pulpy sci-fi, then read it all! Ignore the lists of 1,000 books to read before you die and actually pick up what you think is going to make you happy.

4. Use your library. Books can get so expensive, and I'm guilty of spending so much money on them. I love patronizing my local bookshops, but I don't always have the money to drop on every book I want. There's a magical solution to this problem: the library! They have so many amazing books for free and they have amazing librarians who are ready to give you recommendations! Plus, libraries have systems in place so that you can borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and tons and tons of physical books. Seriously, go get a library card and wander the shelves for an hour and just grab at whatever looks interesting!

5. Use a system to track what you read. I really loved Goodreads. It allows me to track what I read, read and write reviews, and discover new books! However, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I would say: find some way to keep track of what you read! Whether it's a book club with friends, a journal where you write down your books, or using some list to get through those big important classics, actually keep track of what you've been reading! That way you can look back and see what you've accomplished. Even if you only read one book in a year, hey man that's one book! you're doing great!

hanging out at one of the local independent bookshops!

The truth is: you just have to want to read. I know it sounds dumb, but at the end of the day, you have to be motivated. If you don't want to read, you're not going to! If you'd rather watch television, or go out to restaurants, or run a marathon, that's perfectly wonderful, and do whatever makes you happy. Chase your bliss! But if you want to read more, you'll just have to make the time. Even if it's 5 minutes before going to sleep, that's enough! If you really want to read more, you'll just have to prioritize it. Once you prioritize it even by the slightest amount, you'll soon find it becomes a habit! You might not read as much as I do, but hey it takes a lot of work to get there. Also, I'm a giant dork.