5 Ways to be a Better Reader
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”
"I ENJOY READING
Hello ordinary readers!
I enjoy reading! These are three words I never thought I would say. If you read my story it would give you a bigger picture. But to summarize I grew up far from being a person who reads. I have been reading a decent amount for the last 10 years. Only recently have I picked up reading fiction. My two goals behind this blog are First, to keep myself accountable and track what I read. The second is to encourage others to read more! I am not fast, I haven’t been reading since I was 5 years old. But, I have grown to love it and want to continue. Over the last decade, I have been given a lot of advice to become a better reader so I wanted to share them with you, they are by no means groundbreaking nor original ideas. But, when I heard them it changed my life.
1. Read what you like.
This might sound like common knowledge but it is something I struggled with. My friends would talk about how much they loved Dune, The Lord of the Rings, or Little Women. Those may be great books and one day I may read them, but starting out I couldn’t handle the detail in The Lord of the Rings or the length of Dune. Then someone said, “hey just read what you like. Find an author or genre and read it.” There is no one making read what others read.
2. You don’t have to finish a book.
This goes hand in hand with the previous point. If you get 100 pages into a book and you are not enjoying it, you do not have to finish it. Some might say it gets better later on. Well, that’s great but if I have to spend the first few hours of every book not enjoying myself I am going to quit reading altogether.
3. Read in little chunks.
I was struggling to read a book because I felt like I had no time. I just couldn’t carve out an hour or two to read each day. Then a good friend said, so what if you only read for 10 pages at night or 5 pages here and there? I thought that is such a little bit of the story it would be a waste to even open the book. But as I began not focusing on reading chapters at a time and focusing on just reading a little bit here and there, this made reading enjoyable. I mean I am an adult, I don’t have to turn in a progress report on what I am reading, and I don’t have a teacher to please, I am reading for my own joy, so keep it joyful!
4. Pick your favorite medium.
This may be an underrated aspect of reading. What will make you most successful, is it a physical book, is it an iPad or your phone, or is it an e-ink reader like a kindle? I have found I love having the book for my non-fiction reading. This is because I take a ton of notes and I lend my books to others often. But when it comes to fiction, I have found I enjoy a kindle paperwhite. Using an iPad was just too bright of a screen and I was tempted to watch youtube instead. But with a kindle paperwhite, the e-ink is better on my eyes and limits distractions. Another thing I like is that I don’t have to have a lamp on when I read in bed. But, find what works best for you and it can be a mixture.
5. Read consistently.
This is something I picked up when reading my Bible. The Bible is a big book. But, if I had a consistent time each day, or every other day to read, I was much more successful. For my Bible, I made that first thing in the morning. But, what I found helpful for me with reading other books is to read them in bed. It has become a part of my night-time routine. I get to bed “usually” between 10:30-11:30 pm and I read for a bit. Sometimes I get 5 pages and I am tired. Sometimes I will read for a full hour. But, by having this consistent time, I found myself actually finishing books. There is a major caveat though! Enjoy reading! If you miss one of your consistent times to read that’s ok. Life get's busy reading is fun, so enjoy!
I think if you do these things it can help you fall in love with reading. Coming from an ordinary reader these have helped me so much in reading. I encourage you to implement some of these and remember that reading is fun a joyful, so don’t put so much pressure on yourself.
Happy Reading!