This article is not intended to be judgmental. Unlike some old people, I am not here to yell ‘GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND READ SOME BOOKS, YOU DIRTY MILLENIAL’. No, that’s not my point. I just want you to rediscover your love of reading. I know that many of us used to be the nerdy bookworms of our primary school classes. The ones with our nose always buried in a book. But now that we are engrossed in our academics, it’s hard to read just for pleasure. Time is scarce, readings for class are plenty and mental energy is a distant memory. Yet I found myself wishing I would read more, like I used to do. So I set out to change my reading habits and I succeeded! I’m back to reading about 50 books a year and I’m here to share my 6 secrets with you, so you too can regain your status as book nerd.
- Start with some light books
To get back into the reading vibe, you need to start off light and easy. Books that are perfect for this are easy-read thrillers by John Grisham or Tess Gerritsen, nonsensical romance novels like those of Jill Mansell or some funny, weird stories like “The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared”. These kinds of books are easy to digest and once you remember how fast you can finish a book, you’ll want to read more and more!
- Find out what you love – and read that
Honestly, pretentiousness has no place in the life of a true bookworm. You have read everything by Murakami? Congratulations, I haven’t. Instead, I have read 5 different but equally trashy young adult fantasy series. Let go of the idea that you need to read Real Novels and instead just read the books you want to read. Of course, I have some heavy and difficult books on my to-read list, but next to the occasional Austen and Shakespeare, I have a number of delightfully weird books by David Mitchell and a whole bunch of badly-written fantasy books with the same plot over and over again. Why? Because I love them. Give me magic or give me death. Maybe I am not as cultured as I can be; I have plenty of Big Books to get through, but goddamn if I’m not enjoying myself. Find out what your favorite genre is and stick to that for a while. You’ll be guaranteed to keep reading to get to the next book! And don’t you dare call it a guilty pleasure. Read whatever the fuck you want to.
- If you don’t like a book, stop reading it
This was one of the hardest things to learn, as there is this idea that books should be finished once you start them. However, life is way too short to force yourself through a tedious book. There is nothing worse than letting go of your reading rhythm purely because the book you’re reading is not interesting enough. And yet, I find myself holding on to terrible books way too long. It’s okay to stop reading them! Put them down and start another one. You can always go back to it if you keep thinking about it, but if it was really that bad, you probably won’t regret it at all.
- Join Goodreads!
You probably already have an account, but it’s time to take it out of hibernation, shake of the dust and start using it again. Goodreads is an amazing online platform to discover new books, keep track of what you are reading and make lists of books you want to read in the future. You can recommend books to your friends and see what they are reading. Basically, you will never stop discovering books you want to read! One of its best features, though, is that you can set yourself a reading challenge. It will indicate how far ahead or behind you are on your schedule. I always find it a great motivation to see a progress bar telling me that I’m doing well!
- Find moments to read and stick to them
This sounds like an easy and logical advice, but it is the hardest one on this list. Because our lives are so chaotic and full, it is terribly difficult to actually find the time to read. A simple way to start is by reading before you go to bed. This is something I think we all used to do anyway and it’s a great habit to get back to. It gives you a calm moment of collecting yourself before you nod off and it’s actually way better to read a little instead of checking your phone until you fall asleep. Science says so and don’t argue with science. After you read every evening, you will want to continue reading in your book at other times as well. Which brings me to my last tip….
- Carry a book with you at all times
You never know when you have the time to read! Some instances are more predictable than others; waiting at the dentist or bus stop are always perfect opportunities, but others may arise as well! A teacher that is late, not being allowed to leave the classroom when you finish your test. All small moments that you can spend plunged into the world of your book.
There! These 6 tips should be all to get you started on your reading journey. I sincerely hope you will rediscover your love of reading and pick up more books. And of course, you’re more than welcome to hit me up for some recommendations!
Maaike Oosterling, Class of 2016, is a Cognitive Science and Psychology major from Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands.
