It’s (almost) that time again: As the holidays approach, we’re reminded to set goals for the coming year. and one that the team at oprahmag.com happily suggests? read, read, read!
just as oprah has shown us with her groundbreaking book club, and her iteration on apple books, we love to read and encourage others to too. So if you’re looking to fall in love with your next page (Reese Witherspoon also has a book club), we’ve rounded up some helpful tips for reading more and enjoying books more in the coming year.
You are reading: How to read more books
read before you go to sleep.
forget that late night scrolling through your twitter account and go old school. Read a bedtime story to lull yourself to sleep. if you do it often enough, it can become part of your nightly routine.
“I hear a lot from people who say they’re too tired to read before bed, and I always ask them, ‘what do you do before bed?'” says sarah gelman, editorial director. of Amazonian books. “They’ll say, ‘I look at Instagram, I check emails.'” I really think people need to put their phones away and pick up books or their e-readers. Even if you read the book for five minutes and fall asleep with it on your face, which has definitely happened to me, you’ve read it for five minutes longer than you otherwise would have, and it becomes a habit.”
and maybe even when you wake up in the morning.
If your schedule allows, instead of poring over your emails or immediately starting the day’s to-do list, take a moment for yourself and set aside 15 minutes to an hour to read. and yes, you can stay in bed.
follow the “bookstagram” accounts to enjoy the literary view.
yes, “bookstagrams” aka book instagram accounts are a total thing. is a dedicated community posting covers of their latest reads (and then some). the art of these beads will inspire you to head to your local library. if you need any suggestions on exactly who to follow, we have a diverse list right here.
Always have a book on the cover.
Whether you’re headed to the office or on your way to a girls’ getaway, have a dedicated space in your bag for your next read. this way, whenever you run into some unexpected downtime, reading will always be an option.
embrace audiobooks.
even if you’re not technically reading, gelman explains that listening to a book with an engaging narrator can get you excited about finding your next novel, even for those who consider themselves old-school book readers. “For people who don’t love audiobooks, I found author-read nonfiction books, especially memoirs, to be something of a gateway.”
We’ve included some of gelman’s recommended audible picks above and these are some of our favourites.
remember, there is no such thing as a “guilty pleasure” book.
You should never let the embarrassment of liking a particular type of novel stop you from choosing a book.
“There’s a reason ‘guilty pleasure’ books are popular,” says gelman. “it’s because they’re good. they have a compelling story and they’re a quick read. people have to let go of the stigma of ‘what I should be reading’ versus ‘what I want to read’. just read what you enjoy. it’s very liberating” .
Think of your TV time as reading time.
Hopefully, this mind trick will encourage you to see the value in sitting down with a good book. Those three hours you’d normally spend bingeing on the crown? maybe use at least half that time to finally try out oprah’s latest book club pick, isabel wilkerson’s caste.
“A traditional 30-minute show is like 22 minutes if you fast-forward through the commercials, and an hour-long show is 42 minutes,” says Gelman. he likes to spend those 22 or 42 minutes reading, and explains that time tends to slow down when he’s reading an exciting text.
participate in a reading challenge.
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Spending time on a challenge is a way to compete against yourself while still working toward your reading goals. You can keep it simple with Goodreads and choose a specific number of books to read per year, as the site allows you to easily track your progress.
bookish also offers a reading challenge, although the terms are a bit more complex. In an effort to keep entrants’ selections diverse, their 2020 terms set a goal of 42 books, sending readers on a literary scavenger hunt. a couple of funny examples? one request was that he find a story dedicated to social justice, while another urges him to find a national book award winner.
see the “best lists”.
Selecting a book from the endless variety can be overwhelming. To narrow the field, peruse the reading lists of institutions dedicated to finding the best of the best.
the new york times bestseller list is proven proof of a good book to read. (The current top spot for combined print and e-book fiction is Michael Connelly’s Law of Innocence.) and the goodreads “best books” 2020 are being chosen by millions of bibliophiles as we speak.
And of course, we can’t forget about our own trusted book publishers, who have curated tons of meticulous collections spanning every genre. we have the best lgbtq novels of 2020 and even erotic stories. wherever you look, there is something for everyone.
join a local book club.
Not only will you have fellow book lovers holding you accountable for reading more, but you’ll also be part of a new community that makes finishing a book a priority. Not to mention, discussions of the book can expand your mind and perspective.
While it may seem impossible to find the right group, the American Library Association’s “Book Club Central” offers many resources to get you started, including heading to your nearest library to check out the reference desk for information on local book clubs. Another place to visit is an independent bookstore, where active clubs tend to seek out new members who also enjoy reading. there are also sites like meetup.com or my-bookclub.com, where you can find clubs in your area.
if you prefer to stay home, goodreads allows readers to join a virtual group through various genre-based discussion forums, from young adult novels to romance novels.
read some poetry.
Whether you’re browsing through an entire book of poetry or reading big-name love poems online, poetry can be a compelling break from the traditional fiction and non-fiction readings that tend to dominate best-seller lists. “Poetry is short and easy to digest, yes,” says O’s assistant book editor, Michelle Hart, “but reading poetry is also a great way to get the creative part of your brain working.”
To begin, consider one of the most popular poetry collections of 2019: Camonghne Felix Build Yourself a Boat, a powerful read on being a Black woman in America today.
try a story before committing.
It happens to the best of us. you pick a book based on its eye-catching cover and charming synopsis, only to have it gather dust on your bookshelf after just a few pages. it’s hard to muster the energy to read more if you select rags. Hart has a tip to combat this dilemma.
“Lithub, which is, as its name suggests, a hub for all things literary, publishes a short story or excerpt from a novel every day,” she says. “It’s a good way to try out a novel or author before you buy a book.”
invest in an e-reader.
While devoted bookworms the world over will probably always debate e-readers versus physical books, there’s no denying that devices like kindles can make reading on demand easier. According to Statista, 335.7 million e-books were sold in the US. uu. in 2019. The hassle of taking a trip to the bookstore disappears when you have a tablet that acts as a personal mobile library. and an e-reader stocks thousands of books, new and old, spanning multiple genres, priced from 99 cents. all you have to do to start reading is touch a screen.
Listen to a book podcast.
See Also: How to Share Audible Books With Others in 2 Ways
It may sound counterintuitive to plug in your headphones to improve your reading habits, but hart insists that certain podcasts will increase your interest in literature. she points to “writer’s voice” and New Yorker “fiction” as preferred programming. You can listen to each one for free on Apple or Stitcher, which are available on both Android and iOS.
the new yorker’s fiction editor deborah treisman invites a different “fiction” author to read and comment on a new story each month. (One of Hart’s favorite episodes is with comedian David Sedaris.) “It’s a great way to catch up on the New Yorker’s acclaimed tales, and as a bonus, you can hear the story read by the authors themselves,” says Hart.
And, in case you need more tips, we’ve also curated a list of our favorite book podcasts.
download a reading app.
If you find that most of the time your reading hours are slowly starting to turn into more phone time, make your device less of a distraction and download a reading app. apple books, nook and more offer digital bookstores with thousands of readings to choose from that you can choose from instantly. So the next time you unlock your phone and have the urge to tap on that instagram icon, you might be tempted to open your scribd app instead.
Take your time and set reading goals.
Often after buying a new book, the thought of even trying to finish a multi-chapter novel can be intimidating. but remember, reading is not a race. you can finish a story as fast or as slow as you want. To maintain your preferred pace, in addition to staying accountable, create personal goals. this could look like 20 pages a day, two chapters a week, or finishing the book by the end of the month. whatever works for your schedule is achievable.
If you need a little encouragement, the bookly app has a variety of tools including statistics that track your reading progress and an option to set monthly and yearly goals.
explore different genres.
It’s okay if you can’t read the year’s most popular memoirs or find that classic novels never seem to hold your attention. there are a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres (adventure, thrillers, biographies, short stories, graphic novels) for you to try and discover what really grabs your attention.
designate a cozy reading space.
Sometimes it’s all about the atmosphere. designate a space in your home as your official reading corner and make it as cozy as possible to associate reading with comfort and relaxation. it’s as simple as slipping on your fluffiest slippers and lighting your most precious candle to set the mood.
get a book subscription box.
Make reading exciting with a monthly treat for yourself by choosing from a variety of book subscription boxes. a couple of suggestions? blacklit curates selections from black authors, the page 1 book subscription has its creators choose a read for you based on a detailed profile, and my thrills club specializes in crime, mystery, suspense, and horror.
and to encourage you to read even more…
o, oprah magazine book editors curated a list of the best books of 2020. here’s a look at some of those titles.
Happy reading!
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See Also: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – Audiobook – Audible.com