How to Read More Books

I don’t listen to too many audiobooks; it’s just not my preferred method of consuming literature. With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve decided to republish a classic piece each Sunday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. For e-reader devotees, you can try Kindle Unlimited, which has a free trial and charges you $11.99 a month for access to 4m titles, including audiobooks. Maybe it’s listening to a self-help audiobook while cleaning.

I wasn’t proactively making time to read books each day. When I looked at my own reading habits, I realized that my reading habits were mostly reactive, not proactive. After thinking for a moment, Buffett pulled out a stack of papers and trade reports he had brought with him and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. At first, everything seems idyllic – until she finds out it’s a cult with literal demons. That way, when they’re added to your library’s catalogue, you are the first in line to put a title on hold. I prefer putting my phone out of reach, so that I’m not tempted to take a scrolling break.

• Now I’m going to completely contradict that advice by recommending you avoid reading on your smartphone as much as possible.
• Maybe it’s listening to a self-help audiobook while cleaning.
• One of my favorite corners of Instagram is #Bookstagram, where readers post aesthetically pleasing photos of their favorite books.
• When I looked at my own reading habits, I realized that my reading habits were mostly reactive, not proactive.

If you’re on the road a lot, your drive can be a golden opportunity to consume a big ol’ library of books. Next time you’re traveling by plane, instead of loading your phone with apps and movies, stock it with books. My favorite time to get reading done is when I’m on a plane. I never get in any good, focused reading when I read on my phone. Five minutes later the itch comes back, and I repeat the cycle.

Be an active reader

Follow them, and you might be reading more books in a month and year than ever before. To answer that ever-pressing question, we spoke to authors, bookstagrammers and TODAY’s Book Lover in Chief, Jenna Bush Hager herself, for tips. Before she was 19, Shelby Zang didn’t consider herself a reader. First, with fiction, there’s a lot of nuance in the story that can be lost if you skim it.

Any other suggestions for how to read more? Years ago, I wrote a post about how to read more books and I still stand by all my recommendations in that post! "This article really helped. The pictures made it easy to understand and it was explained easily." English teacher Tristen Bonacci, MEd, says to “read every single day” to build the habit, even if you’re only reading a little bit. Or maybe you want to get into reading but don’t know where to begin.

Start small

But regardless of what happens during the rest of the day, I still get my 20 pages in each morning. And if you do it first thing in the morning, then the urgencies of the day don’t get in the way. As of today, I’m 100 pages into my 7th book. So, I had to figure out a strategy that would allow me to read more books without letting typical distractions get in the way. Now, there are plenty of excellent articles on the web, but generally speaking, the quality of good books is better.

Or, if books feel like too much, you can turn to short-story collections or long-form journalism. And when you do, think of it less like a to-do list and more like a treasure trove. Consider signing up for newsletters with book recommendations and glancing at book lists that interest you to keep that list growing. Reading will come far more naturally if you focus on what you enjoy and close the cover on what you don’t. And if you pick a book you don’t enjoy, try not to be hard on yourself.

“We can talk about time-management strategies all day, but if a reader doesn’t have good books at the ready, then there’s a duty—but no motivation or enthusiasm,” Bogel says. Or maybe for you, it’s reading fiction on Sunday evenings to counter the Sunday Scaries. Or maybe it’s not weird at all — because reading feels even better when it’s a social experience.

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This may take the form of an in-person book club, an online community like Zang’s, the bookish corners of TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms or a simple running conversation with the readers in your life. If you find yourself stalling, though, with all the choices, start keeping a running list of books to read based on recommendations from booksellers; people you trust; publications and more. “I love that moment, when I finish a book and realize it’s time to choose the next one. After the first week, move up to ten minutes a day.

Follow simple yet effective ways to squeeze more reading into your schedule.

Research shows more than four in 10 U.S. adults read as part of their bedtime routine — averaging 36 minutes of reading time each night four findmsinteractive.info (or more) nights each week. There were times, too, when I didn’t feel the call to read at all. Over the past year, I’ve reveled in the feeling of pouring myself into a book after pouring myself a cup of coffee, awake in my imagination before the day begins.

A spare “moment” lasts about 5-15 minutes, or about the amount of time I can read on my phone before the itch to check another app arises. The other advantage of paper books is that I find it easier to highlight and make notes compared to e-readers. You almost always have your phone with you, and will thus almost always have a library at your fingertips.

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After the research I did for my article on how to get better sleep, I have added reading to my “prepare for bed” routine as well. If time allows, I’ll read more at other times as well. Most people can finish reading 20 pages within 30 minutes.