Reading habits that made me a happier bookworm
Look at me, for 10+ years thinking that reading by myself in a silent corner of a coffee shop was the epitome of a fulfilling bookworm existence!
In the several years of my reading life I’ve learned that the happiest kind of reader is the one willing to change her ways if it means potentially enhancing her enjoyment. It’s as bright and true as the moon to say that the ways of reading that have taken me too long to discover have shown me a world in which consolation and community exist without boundaries. I hope the habits below will take you as they’ve taken me to that safe, wonderful place. Happy bookworm, happy life!
Take time to read regularly
A full-time job, or really a full-time anything, has to be one of the best thieves of our hobbies or passions. Sometimes those responsibilities will inevitably keep us from our personal enjoyments, but I believe in our ability to create for ourselves that time to enjoy whatever it is we enjoy best. There are various slices of time that could be filled with a little reading — an hour before work or during your lunch break, on your commute, the few hours before bed — and with a little effort those moments can become consistent. For me, a day’s strain is constantly relaxed every evening when I finish my duties, plop myself on the couch and open up a book. When you experience the certainty of immersion from a good book the first time, the effort to recreate it will come easier while still giving the same reward, whether it’s reading for twenty minutes a day or an hour each week.
Make books a travel companion
Maybe a sub-bullet to the first habit, but I have seen the benefits of bringing a book with me wherever I go. Since downloading the Libby app on my phone I am now 100% guaranteed to have a book nearby at all times, and so when I’m standing in line at a coffee shop and whip out my phone, instead of opening Instagram I think, why not read my book on Libby? And just like that, my habit of social media scrolling is more easily and readily converted to flipping through a story. Even if it’s for a few minutes, immersing myself in my book can make standing in that line or sitting in that car go by faster, and can even turn it into a pleasant time.
Take notes while reading
This habit has played a huge role in increasing the quality of my reading experiences by forcing me to slow down and try to interact with the text. I take out my journal for books I think will be challenging or will explore my interests or that I’ll be discussing about, and if there’s even a slight twitch of the brain as I’m reading I’ll write it down. Eye-catching quotes, questions about the plot, interpretations, feelings toward characters, likes & dislikes — all these things are candidates for my journal and more importantly, they’re subjective to my own eyes. There’s a joy in jotting down whatever you feel like throughout your time with a book because they are forming the way you comprehend it. Books are always asking us to explore the things they contain, and I think note-taking is a fine instrument to achieve that.
Learn what your reading tastes are
You love some, you hate some — the trial and error process applies to just about everything, including reading, but it seems like the amount of books in orbit these days is a bit limited in variety and thus keeps folks from getting to experiment with all that’s out there. I’m a believer in the idea that there’s a book for everyone, but it’s ultimately up to the reader to find it. If you think to yourself, why do I hate this book that everyone else loves, that just means your preferences lie elsewhere! If there’s anything I learned from my trial-and-error reading, it’s to abandon books you don’t jive with and seek out others that might offer something different. Luckily, there are all kinds of reading lists on the internet if you feel a bit lost — what are your interests? What do you like/dislike in a story? Are you attracted to the classics or to the quirky/funny/eerie/reflective? There’s so much out there. So! Much!
Read with others
I save the most significant for last. A few years ago I joined my first (online) book club via Reddit and went through the rewarding experience of discussing books with other avid readers. Now having joined the SBJ book club last year, I can wholeheartedly say that my reading life has become so enriched by the community I’ve become a part of. It’s illuminating to hear other people’s perspectives of the same story, exciting to chat unconstrained about all things bookish, and reassuring to know that by my side are folks who adore reading as much as I do. What Alexandra Schwartz from The New Yorker says about fiction, Turning to invention to get at deeper realities of experience is fiction’s righteous mission, has become an even stronger truth for me since learning to see stories from the experiences of others.
It’s been such a pleasure to learn new habits that help me to both keep up with my reading and enjoy it even more. Please let me know if there’s anything you do to achieve these things! ٩(^◡^)۶
Taking notes on what I read outside of my academic work has been a game-changer for me as well! It's made me engage with books so much more deeply, I'm more confident in my opinions cause I spend more time reflecting on what worked/didn't work for me, and it's helped me figure my taste out a little bit more. And, of course, I can't say enough good things about joining the SBJ book club!
I love these habits! A big change that has helped me read more regularly is reading multiple books at the same time. I used to strictly be a one book at a time kind of person, fearing I couldn't give sufficient focus to more than one book, but then if I wasn't in the mood to read that one book, I wouldn't read at all. Now that I read multiple books, I'm reading all the time and I think my enjoyment of all of them is enhanced because I only read each one when I actually want to! It's great! Note-taking is so intimidating to me for some reason...but I really need to give it a go. And yessss, chatting books and reading together in the book club is simply the best and has brought me so much joy! 💕