How To Read More Books (If You Want)
From The Experts Themselves
Cute but a bit contrived, my sister was always the reader and I was the writer. For years, gifts from family members further pushed those narratives: books for her, blank journals for me. She found corners, even in crowds, to turn pagesâoften reading more than one book at a time. Meanwhile, I wrote short stories made even shorter by my inability to craft satisfying endings.
As Iâve gotten older, however, my interest in reading has grown. I credit my lingering love of language and a genuine desire to both learn more and watch less television. But I still donât feel as if it comes naturally to me. I buy booksâones recommended by friends, others by Reese Witherspoonâonly to read them partially, our time together cut short by a change in my schedule or a simple loss of interest. They remain in my bookcase, gathering the dust of my good intentions to finish them some day. I eventually end up wincing when a friend sees them on my shelf, displayed like an undeserved award, and asks for my take on a particular title.
“Reading improves our vocabularies, reduces stress, increases our ability to empathize, and helps maintain our cognitive functioning as we age.”
Reading improves our vocabularies, reduces stress, increases our ability to empathize, and helps maintain our cognitive functioning as we age. Thatâs more than enough reason to do so regularly, so Iâve long wondered why I struggle to make it a habit. Have I not found my preferred genre yet? Am I only reading a book because everyone on Instagram appears to be? Does my bedâwhere I find myself shifting my weight, position, and posture with every chapterânot make for a great nook? I have instinctual answers in mind, but I decided to ask the experts instead.
Straight from industry authorities themselvesâauthors, editors, and CEOsâhere are their tried-and-true tips for reading more.
Stop Forcing It. (No, Really.)
A few years ago, feeling encouraged by how much Iâd loved Paulo Coehloâs âThe Alchemistâ when I was younger, I bought another one of his novels after seeing it in a book shop in Aspen. I was drawn to its neon cover and swirly title font. But week after week, Iâd pull it from my bedside table, compelled less by excitement and more by obligation. The book never fully grasped me and I felt increasingly guilty that Iâd become disinterested in an authorâs hard-earned achievement. (And not just any author, but a renowned one.)
I found myself granting Coelho the benefit of the doubt; heâs the expert, so surely heâd know better than I if the bookâs ending is worth it. Who was I to assume otherwise? I also felt the need to justify the bookâs purchase and placement in my home.
“Read the books you want to read and donât sweat the ones you donât.”
Kelly Jensen, editor at North Americaâs largest independent editorial book site, Book Riot, and author of â(Donât) Call Me Crazyâ, insists we stop wasting our time. âIt’s okay to quit a book if you’re just not getting into it,â she says. âToo often we give ourselves stress about needing to finish everything we start because we heard it’s great, or it’s a book that won all of these awards, or it’s something we’ve spent money on. But those pressures only make you less interested in reading.â
And the less engaged we are, the less likely we are to make reading a habit, says Brianna Goodman, editorial director at subscription box service Book of the Month. âReadingâs not a chore,â she says. âAnd itâs hard to make something a hobby if itâs not enjoyable or rewarding. So read the books you want to read and donât sweat the ones you donât.â
A good rule of thumb? If weâre not enjoying our read by page 50âor even 25âJensen suggests we ditch it and move on to something else: âYouâll be much happier and youâll better learn what books really do work for you and which simply donât.â
Rotate Your Reads
To Jensenâs point, discovering our favorite genre may take some time. I once read that to help determine our preference, we can first consider the movies we love. Are they rom-coms, mystery thrillers, coming-of-age stories? The answer can often lead us to the right aisle in a bookstore, too.
“To help determine our preference, we can first consider the movies we love… The answer can often lead us to the right aisle in a bookstore, too.”
Another way to prevent a reading slump is to engage in what some bibliophiles have playfully named book polygamy. âDon’t be afraid to read more than one book at a time,â says Natalia Santana-Pollard, editor-in-chief of the Feminist Book Clubâs blog, a subscription box service for intersectional readers that sources solely from woman- and queer-owned businesses. âI rotate between two to five books and that gives me the option of picking up something else when I’m not vibing with what I’m reading.â
Iâve been hesitant about doing this. I always assumed that Iâd forget or mix-up plot points and characters and end up having to re-read chapters over and over again, never finishing either book in a timely fashion. But in a (now-unavailable) video, Book Riot’s former executive director Amanda Nelson offers a game plan: pick one main book, make the second one an audio version (more on that below), have the third digitally on our phone, and a fourth by our bedside.
Learn That Audiobooks *Are* Books
Years ago, when tablets and e-readers first began to emerge, my sisterâshe with the literal wall-to-wall bookcaseâremained unmoved by their appeal. She loved the tactile experience that came with a hard copy, from a textured cover to a page’s sturdy stock or deckled edge. I felt the same, and also enjoyed having one less screen to look at everyday.
I stayed resistant as audiobooks began to popularize too, mistakenly driven by the idea that the passive activity of listening wasnât nearly as impressive as the physical act of reading. Iâve since humbly learned otherwise. (My first audiobook listen was comedian Jenny Slateâs self-narrated âLittle Weirds.â And hearing the hilarious personal essays regaled in her singular squeak of a voice really upped the laugh-out-loud ante.)
“Yes, audiobooks count as reading, and anyone who says otherwise is clearly forgetting vision-impaired folks.”
âYes, audiobooks count as reading,â says Renee M. Powers, founder and CEO of Feminist Book Club. âAnd anyone who says otherwise is clearly forgetting vision-impaired folks.â She suggests getting a library card, browsing its audiobook offerings, and downloading them to whatever device will allow us to take them wherever we go: âI always have an audiobook playing when I’m doing housework, walking my dog, crafting, or cooking.â
Much like book clubs, there are a number of audiobook platforms. Spotifyâs new collection of exclusive recordings features Forest Whitaker reading âNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,â Hilary Swank voicing Kate Chopinâs âThe Awakening,â and more. LibriVox is a free service in which volunteers across the world read and record public domain texts. A membership with the Amazon-owned Audible grants us access to original content unavailable anywhere else. And Libro.fmâa personal favorite of Powersâsâallows us to support a bookstore of our choice with our purchases. âMy subscription supports queer woman-owned bookstore The Irreverent Bookworm in Minneapolis and it’s been a game-changer for my reading,â she says.
[If youâre looking to (safely) satisfy your travel bug sometime soon with a road trip, weâve also rounded up the best audiobooks for car travel.]
Just Join The Damn Book Club
As a shy person, the idea of joining a book club has always made me anxious. My voice shakes when I present to a crowd. And being part of a teamâone thatâs relying on me, watching meâcan sometimes make me feel more embarrassed than relieved. (This is why I avoid bowling đ.)
But not all book clubs are the scary seance Iâve absurdly envisioned in my mind. We can join them virtually. We can start ones with friends instead of strangers. We can ultimately take control of the titles we read, when, and with whom.
“We can join book clubs virtually. We can start ones with friends instead of strangers. We can ultimately take control of the titles we read, when, and with whom.”
Powers just encourages us to try. âNot only will joining a book club introduce you to a wide variety of books, [but] it will also hold you accountable for finishing them,â she says. âThereâs nothing better than meeting up (virtually or safely distanced!) to chat about the characters you loved and hated or the plot twists no one saw coming.â
Powers suggests checking to see if our local bookstores or libraries offer a book club. If not, weâre still spoiled for choice as everyone from Oprah to author Roxane Gay to independent Chicago artist (and Chance the Rapper collaborator) Noname has launched their own.
And if a âclubâ isnât our style, we can still pick one accountability partner as opposed to a bunch. A friend of mine recently asked if Iâd be her book buddy as weâre both currently reading Barack Obamaâs âA Promised Land.â We implemented no timeline nor deadline, are reading at our own respective paces, and text each other every so often with our thoughts but without spoilers. It feels casual, freeing, and unburdened by pressureâthe exact kind of atmosphere a pleasurable pastime should have.
(If youâre looking to join a book club from your couch, weâve rounded up our favorite subscription boxes.)
Embrace The Art of Anytime
The loose boundaries within which my book-buddy system operates are similar to how Goodman herself makes space to read. âI donât set strict time or page count goals because every day is different and I want it to be sustainable,â she says. Before even checking her phone, Goodman makes a point to read a few pages of her book in the morning and then again right before bed. She calls this suggestion âbookending our days”âno pun intended đâand adds, âThe act of setting aside even just a few minutes on either end of the day has become so automatic that now I canât imagine not doing it.â
“Embrace reading anytime, anywhere, by never leaving the house without a book.”
Alternatively, if even that feels like too much of a strict schedule for us, Goodman says we can instead embrace reading anytime, anywhere, by never leaving the house without a book. She suggests that when we feel tempted to scroll our phones, whether while waiting for the subway or, say, in line for a COVID test (fingers crossed weâre okay!), we can simply open a book instead: âMy family makes fun of me because I wonât even go to the grocery store without one in my bag, but I swear Iâve read more books because of it.â
Reading isnât just good for us, it should feel good to us. Meaning it should be unburdened by self-imposed pressures, Instagram algorithms, or stiff time constraints. If youâre interested in burying yourself in more booksâand truly only if youâre interested in itâmake the small changes, whether they be through community or even commuting, that feel most comfortable to you.
Danielle Cheesman is the Partnerships Lead at The Good Trade. Though born and raised in New Jersey, she’s now based in Los Angeles where you can find her taking pictures, making playlists, or cuddling her pup. Say hi on Instagram!
