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

• What are your reading habits like? I try to read at a minimum a chapter a night. That said I read a lot thanks to my commute to and from work 3x per week. I seem to read about a book a week. I do it for pleasure and I’ve gotten better about not finishing books. Though I will probably finish a book even I’m not loving it. It has to be bad for me to not finish.
  In being an avid reader I think it’s important and valuable in reading some stuff that isn’t as fun (mostly classics). That said I think people who don’t read much can steer clear easily. It’s a hobby and do whatever you like doing the most.

• What do you like to read? Mostly fantasy or SciFi. Ive been branching out into more traditional fiction genres and I’ll read some historical things from time to time. I’m not tied down to a genre but I find poorly written fantasy can get carried by cool concepts or world building.

• What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it? I just started my career and I’ve been reading all my life. My mum made sure I would read since I was quite young and I liked it. I’ve had ups and downs ans I definitely read more now than I did in high school and university thanks to my long commute.

• What else? I’ll reiterate, do what you like even if it is to not read. Live life your way. That said, if you wanna get into reading, setting yourself a page or chapter target daily is a good place to start. Don’t worry about how many books you read in a period. Sit back and find enjoyment in what you are reading or did read, not stress in what you didn’t read.

I’ll throw you a book recommendation because it’s always gotten me out of a reading slump: the Scorpio races by Maggie stiefvater. It’s targeted at younger folks but I think it’s an extremely enjoyable read still and has plenty to Enjoy for anyone

I don’t read much for entertainment. Never have. The focus on “reading is super important” is honestly pretty stupid in my opinion. 99% of the shit people are reading is probably trashier than any other form of entertainment but people act like its a mark of a superior intellect because they are flipping through pages of a book.

I also find the physical act of reading a book to be incredibly distracting from consuming the information therein. I read much more efficiently and enjoyably using digital platforms than I ever did with printed media. I’m in my mid 30’s and probably an outlier for my age group in regards to how I feel about books.

Its just another form of entertainment, should not be put on a pedestal, and is really just as valid (or invalid) as any other form of entertainment—if you don’t find yourself drawn to it then don’t beat yourself up about it. No one is going around belittling people for not watching enough movies during a given annum; why treat reading a book like it’s some great and noble act?

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.

I just read because I enjoy it. Around 20-30 per year. This year it’s looking out to be around 25. I wouldn’t read if I didn’t like doing it. I don’t think it makes much sense to force yourself into it. Sometimes I read historical stuff but usually it’s fiction of some sort. Historical fiction, fantasy, scifi. I’m a student so I suppose that helps.

What helped me read more was getting an e-reader. It’s just so much more pleasant than regular books and the selection is much larger.

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.

• “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov is one of the only 3 novels I have read, that are were not part of my school course.
• Another one was some romance novel that I got as a prize for some competition I can’t remember and I managed to force myself to read it until the end. Needless to say, I didn’t like it. The setting was probably Victorian Era.
• The third is an English translation of the Light Novel “Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei”, which I am not sure when I intend on completing.

I am a very sloow reader. Foundation was a pretty thin book and I took months. I tend to read a little, imagine it, dream on it and have fun that way and this one turned out to work really well for that. I thought of checking out the Prelude and other parts in the series, but never went ahead with it.

I have seen myself getting intrigued by the thought the writer (may/may not have) put into the worldbuilding aspect and find myself exploring the same in my mind.

My habits: I read what I feel like, when I feel like it. I remember having borrowed picture encyclopedias from school libraries as a child and just leisurely reading them. Those things were pretty fun too.

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.

My sleep-routine is that I read (usually my kindle) in bed at night.

It’s kind of great both because I like reading, but also because it makes me fall asleep.

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.

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

“How do you actually read?”

I use my eyes.

1. 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.
2. I read text books about Aztec history.
3. 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).
4. I bought a book stand I can adjust and wheel around.
5. Stop caring what other people think and just read when you feel like it. You’re overthinking this.

Almost 40, comfortably established with no kids, so life is overall pretty easy.

I got into audiobooks on Libby and have gotten through about 400 in the last 4 years. I listen while I’m driving and sometimes while doing chores, but mostly I listen while hiking or paddling - on a weekend backpacking trip I can get through 3-5 books.

My books are almost all what I would call “human adjacent non-fiction” - science and information related to people and the planet, but I don’t find deep science like quantum physics relatable enough to be interesting.

I love to read and learn and wish more people wanted to talk about books, but book people and outdoor people don’t overlap that much.

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.