What it takes to read more
Seven ways I'm able to hit the books more than most.
How do you read so much?
I get this question more often than any other. Usually, the person asking does so hoping for either a secret to access more time or more focused attention. The truth is, I don’t struggle to focus and read because I love curling up with a book more than doing almost anything else.
That said, there is plenty that conspires to keep my mind and my eyeballs away from the pages. Some of this is unavoidable — even I don’t get paid just to read, and there have been periods of my life when protecting time for books was for more difficult.
What follows are my best tips to grow, and protect, a reading habit.
1. What book did you last love?
You may have to scan well into the past to find it. Don’t be daunted. Even if the last story you can remember gripping you is The Runaway Bunny this is still useful information.
Most of us choose books we think we should be reading and pass by the ones that look too fun as a waste of time. Let me say it once and for all:
If you love it, a book is not a waste of time. Ever.
I cannot tell you how many people who expressed shock that I read romance, fantasy, and science fiction as well as literature and informative nonfiction.
“I only read nonfiction,” many people say. “ I don’t feel like novels are a good use of my time.” This is when I step into the other room to scream into a pillow and pull myself together.
When did reading become something that had to be a “good use of our time?” Don’t pick books like you’ll have to justify your choice of reading later. Pick them like you choose truffles in a chocolatier’s shop. Which ones look most delicious to you? Those are your next reads. Need a guide? Ella Risbridger has a truly joyous substack nerding out about delicious romance novels. You could do way worse than to start there. Her book, In Love with Love is a JOY. My friend Daisy Buchanan’s book, Read Yourself Happy, provides book recs based on desired mood and is itself quite the delicious read.
A friend who often bemoaned his slow and inconsistent habit finally accepted a book I lent him. Pagans by James Alistair Henry is set in an alternative UK where the Norman Invasion never happened, the UK isn’t a unified country, and solving a murder means a diplomatic effort between different lands with entirely different religions.
My friend is a language nerd who enjoys some suspense. Seven days later, he was sniffing around for more books. I got him on the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch and he’s read six books in a month and a half. I hooked another friend who bemoaned not having read consistently in years on a romantasy series she devoured before moving on to a wide range of fiction.
Once you break the force field with a book you love, you’ll want read more.
2. What shows and films suck you in most?
Those who claim novels are a waste of time rarely feel the same about fiction in films. People are willing to watch a show or movie set in a fantasy world, usually because they are calculating the amount of time spent watching. If you can’t remember the last book you loved, get your story inspiration from what you love on screen.
Plus, if you add up how much time you spend on streaming platforms, you could get quite a lot of solid reading in with a simple switch. This is one big secret about how I read so much: I barely watch television at all. My husband and I get through a few series a year and enjoy going to the cinema, but most of the time when at home, we’d rather grab a book.
I’m not suggesting you deprive yourself of the stories that exist on screen: use them as a map to find books you’ll love just as much. For example, if you loved the film Arrival, you’ll probably love author Ted Chaing’s fiction. Arrival was based on “Stories of Your Life,” the titular piece from one of his excellent short story collections. Try searching for book recommendation by describing the plots of favorite shows or films on a site like StoryGraph, a woman-owned and run alternative to Goodreads that provides personalized book recommendations.
In fact, if fiction is a struggle to focus on, starting with short stories is a great way to build a reading habit. When I’m under a lot of stress or have big projects I’m working on, I often turn to short story and essay collections for reading so I don’t have to remember complex plots from day to day. I also enjoy these books while traveling, as a busy outside life makes it harder to digest a chunky book sometimes.
If you avoid fiction, which would surprise me if you’ve found this substack, visiting the section in the bookstore or library that most resembles your favorite films and shows is a great way to shift over. Try reading instead of watching one day a week and see if you miss that much screen time.
3. What are you a total nerd about?
I could, on any day at any time, talk your ear off about textile production, the clothing industry, sewing, fashion, and apparel in general. One friend ran to the bathroom and hid, ten minutes after asking an ill-advised question about what makes Japanese denim so desirable.
If a book touches any of the above areas, I will enjoy it. My collection of books on this topic will soon be large enough to fill its own shelf, should I wish to group them together. No one on earth wants to talk about clothing production as much as I do, at least no one I’ve met yet, so I slake my fascination with reading.
What are you a nerd about? Is there something you wish friends and family wanted to discuss more? Get thee to the library. If you’re obsessed with something, you’ll enjoy reading about it. Bookish types often bemoan the decline in reading among younger generations, but in many cases reading has just changed forms. In my favorite bookshop in Berlin, a new massive section of manga has sprung up, and I grabbed a Mr. B’s Book Emporium recommended title translated from Japanese to German instead of English. I want to read in German, but I don’t automatically reach for it. I’m excited to enjoy a new form of writing in my second language, and perhaps this will inspire me to nerd out more by reading in German.
4. No one is going to test you on this.
I hope I’ve convinced to you to pick books that excite you, rather than books you see on a famous person’s ‘must-read’ list. Since most adults last read seriously when in school, it became a chore associated with having to prove they read the book properly and understood it the way the teacher wanted.
While this is useful for assessing reading comprehension for younger readers, it serves absolutely no purpose for adults who want to read more. Please don’t pick the book that “everyone is talking about” or that someone is waving up and down on every social media feed if it sounds boring to you. Stop browsing lists of “100 classics that every person should read before they die” and worrying about getting through all of them before you pop your clogs. There is nothing less fun than doing something because “they” think you should.
Please don’t make reading a joyless must like doing your taxes.
If you do nothing else after reading this, please go to the library or bookshop and grab something that feels SCANDALOUS to read. Something your high school English teacher would be shocked by. Whether this is a smutty fantasy or a how-to on a bizarre hobby or a nostalgic favorite you have been dying to re-read, pick the most enticing book you can.
This will go a long way toward re-acclimating you to reading for fun. You have to read something pleasurable for the activity to be a joy. And you don’t have to justify your choice to me or anyone. Gorge on reading you love and keep picking what looks good next and you’ll soon find yourself with a reading habit.
5. Make it easier to read than not to.
This may be the most essential point of all. If you’ve been wanting to yell at me up to now, “Caroline I know which books I love, I just don’t have any time to actually pick them up and read them!” this one’s for you.
Our lives are not designed to support a rich reading habit. Reading requires time and focus, and as the years pass, we have less of both. However, all is not lost. We can put barriers in place to reclaim our ability to read for chunks of time.
The two things that most often steal from reading time are social media/the internet and other life responsibilities. I can’t do much about your life responsibilities as parents with young kids at home, workers on a tough deadline or people with relatives needing care in the hospital are going to have less time and ability to focus on books. That’s how some phases of life go, and I definitely read way less when I lived in LA and worked long hours with a monstrous commute.
However, we can do something about keeping optional distraction at bay. If you haven’t been a reader for a long time and are just getting back to it, I recommend choosing hard copies of books. As in paper. This doesn’t have to cost you anything extra — just visit your local library and check out physical books. We don’t want you to risk your attention getting snatched by reading on a device. I’d argue that even an eReader is risky, as many of them are internet enabled, if only to allow you to purchase and upload more books.
When you are reading, put your devices FAR AWAY. At least in a different room. Having a mobile right next to you on the bed means any impulse you have to pop out of the book will be too hard to resist. Don’t tempt yourself.
If you find yourself rushing to find your devices and can’t settle, there is a new level available. I got myself a Brick1 when recently in the UK and working on writing projects. It lets me block specific apps and sites or even everything but the phone function either on a schedule or I can tap the mode on and tap off.
Other services, like Opal, offer this service, but usually with a subscription fee attached. Brick is the only one I’ve seen that’s a one-time charge and you’re done. On my computer, I have Freedom, an internet blocker that helps me when I’m writing.2 If you are the sort who would walk past a blocked phone to get online with your computer, that may be needed as well. Getting on their list means you’ll receive discounts and they often do sales for a lifetime license, which avoids the ongoing fee.
I used to struggle to read on public transit, opting instead to play games on my phone, which left me stressed and jittery after being on the train. I deleted the worst games (I’m looking at you, ten-year Jelly Splash addiction) and I’ve set up a profile within Brick called “reading.” It only allows me to access reading apps or audiobooks on my phone and maps — if I need to navigate — that I can click on for 30 minutes or however long my ride is. This allows me to read a book I’ve carried with me or dip in on my phone’s eReader app. I arrive feeling way better than I have in the past.
Your brain may panic at first, as it’s used to having something to distract it every time it’s bored. But like someone used to eating lots of sugar, if you give your brain a book instead of an app to scroll on, it’s a bit like giving it a piece of fruit. Over time, it will adjust, and eventually it will prefer the taste of something fresh.
6. Read in bed.
I go to bed early. As in, old-lady early. I have been known to get in pajamas before 9pm and cozy up with a book before it’s even dark in the summer in Berlin. I admit, I am an extreme case. But I don’t go to sleep early, necessarily. I pretty much always call it a night at about 11:30, no matter when I get in bed.
If you get in bed earlier with a book — if your life allows for this — one of two things will happen. You’ll either fall asleep quickly, as many people have told me they do when reading at night, or you’ll get a bunch of reading done.
Both are solid outcomes. The first means you’re likely incredibly sleep deprived, as much of the world is, and having time to catch up will help you focus on reading later. If you get in early and read a ton, you’ll build up much more time immersed in books.
The other option is to wake up a little early and read before getting up, which I also enjoy regularly. Reading a chapter before getting out of bed feels truly luxurious to me, even if it means setting an earlier alarm, because I get to enjoy warm cozy bed with a book before I’ve done anything else. I start by winning. Again, this one is only available to those without little kids at home, as no one is getting any reading done with a toddler jumping on the bed. But if you have this possibility available, I highly recommend it.
Finally, keep any non-reading devices out of the bedroom. Charge phones elsewhere and put them away before getting in bed. If you have a TV in your bedroom, try draping a blanket over it and putting the remote in another room on evenings you read before going to sleep.
7. Pick your own experiment.
Starting June 1, I’m running a challenge so we can all focus our attention more on reading and other activities that take us away from our screens. Yes, I recognize the irony of offering this on an online platform, but this is the world we live in now. And if we can use the internet to make our lives more satisfying on our own terms, so much the better.
I’ll be sharing the full details in a live on Friday the 29th, but in the meantime, if you liked summer reading lists at the end of the school year, have been craving play and more fun, but weren’t sure how to break out of your current habits, this will be just the ticket.
More details to come soon…
How do you fit more reading in?
Paid members, let’s chat about our reading habits and practices in the comments section. What helps you get more reading done, and what trips you up when you try to read more? We can help each other!
Not yet a member? This is a great time to join as paid members get slow reads (another way to strengthen your reading habit) twice a year AND will be up for extra prizes during this summer challenge. Hope to have you with us!
Receive a 10% discount on your Brick by using this affiliate link, at no extra cost to you.
Freedom does have a phone app, so it’s possible to use Freedom for everything, but I’ve found my phone and computer needs different enough that I prefer using two different services. I am not an affiliate for Freedom, but highly recommend them.
As a spinner and weaver, don't get me started on all things textile related :D
I would just add to your suggestions : always carry a book with you !
Instead of grabbing my phone mindlessly, I grab my book and carry it really everywhere with me. Even one page, then an other... it keeps me connected to my book. I like to make reading a special cosy moment, but I also like how reading can follow me in my daily life ^_^
I want to end my day earlier and read before bed, but I’m not yet in that rhythm. Sometimes I leave a book on the small table I eat at to encourage me to read a little bit when I linger over a meal or its preparation. Time/energy/focus is definitely not what it used to be.