Background:
I’m in my 40s and I’ve always sort of beaten myself up over not being an avid reader. I go through phases where I read a bunch, sometimes I’ll finish a book in a months time, sometimes start a book and forget it, sometimes it seems like I go literally years without really getting into any book at all. But I still accumulate them.
Because of how important reading is and now I “fail” to prioritize it, I’ve always found myself in a poor relationship with reading. I feel this artificial pressure to read things that are only important and will somehow make me more useful. I feel this artificial pressure to start one book and read it to the end. I feel this artificial pressure to become a changed person by fully investing every bit of info from every book.
I’ve been learning that these pressures are untenable.
I’ve also noticed that I partake in all kinds of things without the same expectations: tv shows, games, podcasts, media and news outlets, social media, etc.
Right now I have 6 books that I am actively reading, and I am trying to remember that it’s for enjoyment and not some high level goal. Someone told me if I read 10 pages a day I would finish about 10 books a year. I found this so encouraging.
Taking the pressure off of reading has really helped me get more productive at reading, and I think it will help me convert my habit into a truly fruitful one.
So now I ask you:
- What are your reading habits like?
- What do you like to read?
- What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?
- Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?
- What else?
I finish maybe 5 books a year. The library makes it so there’s a “deadline”, that helps.
I also don’t mind picking up a book, and returning it after a few chapters if I realise I don’t like it.
It shouldn’t feel like a chore.
Utilizing the library is a good idea, I should really do they more. I know in the US they need our support too.
I use my local library from my phone with the Libby app. I don’t know if this benefits them as much as going there in person does. I did go there to get a library card though, you need one to sign up in the app.
But they have a great catalog of ebooks that I can borrow from, I’ve read the bulk of The Dresden Files that way recently and I’m about to finish it if the last two books ever come off reservation.
For me getting an alarm clock made a difference. Because that nullified my brains weak excuse that I needed my phone by my bed “for an alarm”. No I didn’t. People have woken up perfectly reliably for years before smartphones. So I got an alarm clock. And that made it easier to turn going to bed into calm reading time instead of doom scrolling (by leaving my phone charging in other room). And that’s made a big difference, not only to quality of reading but also general mood.
Wow! That’s it, tomorrow I’m buying an alarm clock! Reading your comment made me realize how unhealthy it is to doom scroll myself to sleep! Thanks for the wake up!
Lately I have been trying to notice my doom scrolling actually using it as a cue to convert that energy into reading something I’m interested in.
I’m trying to quit scrolling like I quit smoking decades ago: with intentional anger for being controlled and then redirection.
I still use my phone for an alarm but it’s always far away from my bed because if I can reach my alarm without having to stand up im liable to keep sleeping.
- My reading habits are like everyone of my hobbies, I’m obsessed for a week then move on to a new pursuit then come back to reading several months later.
- I read text books about Aztec history.
- I’m a year away from 40 and I’m coming to terms with being alone for the rest of my life (which is exactly the same leading up to this point).
- I bought a book stand I can adjust and wheel around.
- Stop caring what other people think and just read when you feel like it. You’re overthinking this.
Being with someone has its perks, but honestly it’s way to over rated.
“How do you actually read?”
I use my eyes.
I’ve been doing it wrong!
Blind OP is going to feel so discouraged by this
I would read like 60 or 70 books a year as a kid. I have the BOOK IT records to prove it. These days it’s like 10. I don’t think there is any shame in not reading per-se as long as you are pursuing other intellectual activities or hobbies.
I think people put too much emphasis on reading as some idealized time sink. There are lots of productive ways to spend free time and reading is one of them. When you are a kid you have fewer options but as an adult cooking or wood working or gardening can be a fine form of intellectual stimulation.
One counterpoint I would have to those other hobbies (I enjoy all of them, so no disrespect to them or practitioners of them) is they don’t expose a person to new ideas as easily. Reading is great for getting a potential new perspective on something, or just absorbing new ideas in general.
You can always combine both by reading up on another hobby you have, best of both worlds so to speak.
I love books
My biggest recommendation is to avoid asking for recommendations online, particularly in reading - centric communities.
People love to pretend their favourite books are classical just through sheer pretentiousness
The most genuine people you’ll find in life are the ones that are perfectly happy to admit they fucking love a trashy thriller
To preface, you are not a worse person if you don’t like to read. There’s so many different ways to learn or grow nowadays, you don’t need to force yourself to do it through a medium you don’t enjoy.
That said, I’m a person who DOES enjoy reading, but struggles to do it anyway for some reason. If that’s you as well, I get you. And I’d say it’s worth it.
In general, figuring out WHY you want to read will impact how to best work it into your life. Is it for entertainment, mindfulness, to get a better attention span, to chill out, etc. I do it for calming down mixed with enjoyment, and that impacts how I work it into my day.
What helped me was working it into my routine. I read at night. I don’t have a set schedule, I teach night school some nights, and I’m working on a masters thesis.
My fixed point every day: some time when I feel ready (a fixed time would stress me out), I turn off my laptop, text my partner good night, and put my phone away. I get ready for bed. What follows is designated reading time. I read for as long as I enjoy it, am not too tired, and can still focus. If I’m not getting tired, I’ll dim the lights at some point. Sometimes, I read one page, sometimes 50. If you force it, it won’t be enjoyable.
I also always carry the book and try to read while I’m on the tram or train. Especially for somewhat longer journeys, which I take somewhat regularly, I get a lot of chill reading done like that. But that’s pretty specific to my situation as I’m a public transport commuter and have a partner that lives 4 train hours away.
I have, on a few occasions, rebooted my reading habit from traveling by airplane.
I have found that if I do everything I can to feel as good as possible before a flight, and bring a book in my carry on, it’s one of the rare situations that there is nothing pulling me away from reading. I went somewhere for work last month and I finished 2 books on that trip. That made me really happy and motivated to keep it alive.
Got to around 30 yrs old
I realized that I, on paper, really like non-fiction books. In practice, I really only like fantasy and space operas (different than sci-fi)
Every night before bed, I read 10 pages or a chapter. Whichever comes first. Can always read more, but not less.
So to answer,
Almost every night Fantasy / space opera Mid 30s, father I’ve added audiobooks to my commute The most important part (I think) is figuring out what you like, and then setting a small but achievable routine
What are your reading habits like?
When I pick up a book I typically get hooked after ten to fifteen pages and then complete it on the same day (think ~100s of pages in hours, ~1000s pages in days). This often results in me semi-self-destructively finishing the book and then not touching a book for at least a few days as I have to deal with the things I neglected while reading.
What do you like to read?
Mostly Novels
What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?
Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?
I went from physical books to reading a lot on my phone. This allows me to read easily and blend in better while in public. It comes with the advantage that I break up big monolouthic reading sessions with small micro breaks.
What else?
Even though it’s somewhat obvious: I also like to get books that aren’t in my native tongue, I find that reading teaches you a lot about the application of a language.
Early 40s here. I read a lot, but never books.
I read online. I get information, jokes, funny stories and random bullshit.
I can’t imagine myself sitting down and reading a book in the near future. I don’t have the time, and if I did, there’s so many other things I could be doing for much more personal benefit.
I read a shitload of manga so I try to balance it with a book every once and a while
Mostly audiobooks, 2x speed, a lot of hours a day. I do use an ereader sometimes. I’ve started collecting (just regular hardcover, mostly) physical copies of some of my favorites, but I don’t really read them like that. When possible I read entire series from beginning to end consecutively. Audiobooks and visual reading are generally different books.
Mostly mystery, in a wide variety of settings, tones, levels of intensity, but some pure fantasy. Nonfiction is mostly psychology, but some science, other stuff as well. (180 new books this year), but I re-read as much as I read new. I don’t set goals or anything, just use the “goal” to see the number each year out of curiosity.
Mid-30s, IDK. I read a bunch as a kid, then stopped the habit through high school and college and took a while to get back into heavy reading.
I used to be an avid reader but as I got older and busier I just couldn’t find the time.
Then when I did have time there was always distractions, or other things I could be doing.
So now I read primarily via audiobooks through Libby and my library.
I read 130 books or so last year that way.
Mowing the yard? Audiobook.
Long drive? Audiobook.
Waiting at the doctors? Audiobook.
Dishes? Audiobook.
And then when I’m really invested I’ll relax by playing some mindless game while I listen. Think match 3 or bejeweled.
Just engaging enough to keep me from getting bored while listening but not so much that I can’t do both.
Balatro, BABA is you? Bad candidates for playing and listening.
The last couple of years I burned through the wheel of time series, all of Brandon Sanderson’s books (except skyward which I haven’t gotten to), a lot of Adrian Tchaikovsky, and others.
I read before i go to sleep each day. I have been for more than 10 years now. I have read fantasy for quite a while, but after reading mistborn and stormlight archive back to back, i can’t bring myself to read anything fantasy anymore.
I mostly read about topics i would like to know more about. Physics, life, philosophy, anything that i come across and think “cool”.
Mind you, english is my second language, so since i mostly read in english, it helps with that, but now i can enjoy books in swedish as well, which also motivates me to keep reading.
I spend most of my day reading, as a translator. But it’s almost always stuff that I wouldn’t read, if not being paid to.
If counting only books that I read for fun, I guess it’s ~2 books/month? Typically fantasy light novels. I also read a fair bit of manga (~5 chapters/day).
Beyond those LNs I think that the last book I’ve read was in September; Um Copo de Cólera (lit. “a glass of rage”), from Raduan Nassar. Short but good first person story.
I’m almost 40. I’m… tired. I don’t read stuff to feel myself cultured; I read stuff when I need to (because of my job) or when I feel in the mood to do so.
