As much asĀ I love a good book, I find that I easily, well, forget to read. Which sounds silly. But it’s true. However, I have found that if I follow the steps in this blog post, then it’s easier to have books to read.
4 Easy Tips To Read More Books This Year
1) Plan
Choose the books you want to read. It’s a bit like blogging – it’s only worth sitting down at the computer if you know what you need to do. As much fun as wandering book stores and libraries can be, if you’re reading this post you probably relate to not having the time to spend doing that wandering. Even if, like me, you don’t like being a planner, sometimes it is the most efficient way to get things done. So, how do you plan to read books? Well, firstly you need to write down (digitally or physically) the books that you want to read. That way, if you have a spare moment to look for a book to read, you don’t have to start from scratch. Similarly, if you have a book that you are currently reading, consider taking it everywhere with you. Little moments of time while waiting for public transport, appointments and any other gap in your day can be used for reading if you have the book on hand.
2) Use your local library
Many local libraries have a relatively up to date collection of books, and some even allow you to reserve books for a nominal fee. I think in my council area its 50c or 75c for a book. A very nominal fee for extreme convenience. That also includes ordering books from other libraries. The other great tip I have for libraries is to look for the “suggest a book” section. I’ve seen these online more often now, so if there’s a book you want, suggest it! If your library doesn’t have the option to do this online, ask the librarians about it next time you go past.
3) Give up
What? Look, sometimes you might need to persevere with a book to get “into” it, but sometimes you know it’s just not the book for you. I hereby give you permission, no matter how hard it is, to give up on a book you don’t like. It’s something that I find very hard to do, because it feels rude to give up on a book, but if you’re not enjoying it and see no sign of that changing – why waste your time? There are other books out there that you would enjoy more, I promise!
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4) Keep finding new books
So that you can keep planning your book reading list, you should subscribe to the email or social media accounts of book bloggers. They are a great way to keep up to date on what’s coming out and what might interest you. To make it easier for you, I’ve asked around on social media for the go-to book bloggers:
- Debbish – adult books (as in for grown ups, not the other kind of adult).
- Children’s Books Daily – the name kind of gives it away here!
- Good Things – food book reviews. Visit when hungry.
- Commas and Ampersands – Not only does Sarah do book reviews, but also book to film comparisons and film reviews.
- We Are The Books We Read – It looks like a range of books (eg fiction, biography) get covered on this blog.
- This Charming Mum – covers adult, teens and kids books.
- Modern Mrs Darcy – Quick reviews, posts by genre.
- The Sweet Little Corner – Looks like mostly fiction books covered.
What are your tips to read more books? Are you a book blogger/reviewer? Leave a link to your blog in the comments so others can find you!
Ohhh… thanks for the shout-out. I had a great reading week this week. Will have read 5 books in 6 nights! (Obviously some there I couldn’t put down!)
5 in 6 nights is great work!
I love reading. I actually used to review books as part of my job and I miss it. I also used to read a lot of books whilst commuting (while on public transport not while driving lol). Now I also find I have to ‘make time’ to read, which is sad. I find making it part of ‘me time’ is good. Reading in a bath (I’m a book girl, not a kindle girl though kindles are great for travel or hospital stays), or while travelling. A rainy weekend in bed when you don’t have much else on and don’t particularly want to. I agree, Council libraries are great for books and the staff are always so passionate about reading and will help you find books you like. Now I have a kindle I also watch out for the .99 cent sales (sorry writers) and upload them for times like holidays when I know I will be able to binge read.
I am all for reading more books! I agree, ditch the bad books because if you get on to a good book you easily find the time/ prioritise your time to read it.
Yes! PLAN. Gosh, the amount of times that I’ve finished a book and had nothing else to move onto is ridiculous. In reality it was more to do with nothing I ‘felt like’ ready. But still. This!
I’ve given up on reading books, I use Audible and listen to books while I walk. I’ve just listened to a book about Alan Turing the British code-breaker, mathematician and scientist. One of the best books I’ve listened to is David Attenborough’s time as a BBC broadcaster and Tina Fey’s Bossypants.