How to Get Into Reading

7 min readOct 21, 2022

Or How to Get Back into Reading.

As part of my commitment to nurture my hobbies I’m gonna talk about one of my favourite pastimes, reading! I’ve always loved reading books, but I wasn’t doing it consistently for a few years. But like most people, when the pandemic happened, I reacquainted myself with the hobbies that I may have neglected a bit in recent years, one of those activities being reading. So as someone who now reads fairly often, several times a month, here are some tips on how to get into the routine of reading.

1. Start off easy

Go to childhood favorites

When connecting or reconnecting to books, it’s important to start off easy, with simple, attainable goals. A great way of starting off is by re-reading childhood favorites or reading children's or middle-grade books that are easier to digest. Start with what you know or what seems familiar and build from there. If you like reading mysteries, then read those types of books, and you can always expand to other genres later on.

Some of my childhood favourites are:

All of these books are easy to read, lighthearted delights that I reread fairly often, especially when in a reading slump and need something comforting and quick to dive into.

2. It’s okay to DNF but it’s also okay to challenge yourself

Try new genres and different ways of reading

If you’re looking to broaden your reading tastes, maybe you can ask a friend or family member what their favourite books are or what books they’re interested in reading. You can also look at some online content (more on that later) for some inspiration. Challenging yourself on the kind of books you read, can be fun, insightful and educational, teaching you more about yourself and others.

That said, sometimes in trying something new we come across books we really, really dislike. This is the risk in branching out, but here’s the thing — you can always DNF! (for those not in the know, DNF means did not finish). So, when do you DNF a book? Honestly, it’s up to you. Sometimes it’s the writing, or the characters or the content that does it, and sometimes it’s just the general vibe of the book that we don’t connect with. So whether it’s at chapter 2 or chapter 22, drop that book when it feels right to you. In other words, challenge yourself but also love yourself.

3. Look to the internet!

A great place to find book recommendations and to feel inspired about reading is the internet! There are many websites centered around books, and many people that talk on the internet about the books they liked and did not like.

On that note, it’s always important to look up content and trigger warnings. When you’re getting book suggestions from people who don’t personally know you, they may not be able to warn you about the content that you would dislike. Generally, you should look up content or trigger warnings on the internet so that if there’s anything you have a hard boundary on you’ll know in advance and can make a decision on whether or not to read the book. Knowing what you’re getting yourself into also means you’re less likely to DNF books. Life's too short to read books you don’t like and it’s definitely not worth it to put up with a book that is harmful to you mentally and emotionally.

Another great use of the internet is for the tracking of books that you have read.

Some great websites where you can track the books you have read:

Through sites like these you can track the amount of books you read, get suggestions on what to read next and get statistics on the genres and categories you read from most often, as well as the authors you read the most from. You can also track your reading through reading journals or through a ‘books read’ section in your bullet journal if paper based options are more your jam.

You can also get great recommendations from avid readers on the internet. On places like booktube (book content on YouTube), booktok (book content on TikTok) and bookstagram (you guessed it, book content on Instagram) you can find content creators talking about the favourite books they read that month, what they like and don't like and why and all other bookish things.

Shout out to some of my favourite content creators on these sites:

4. Have go to places for books

Important in reading consistently is having frequent access to books. Going to nearby bookstores or libraries is of course an option. There are also a lot of sites where you can access books digitally and through audiobooks.

Some of these sites include:

5. Get a routine

Whether it’s every other day or every weekend, finding a rhythm in reading is vital.

Some ways to build a reading routine:

Set time for reading. Carve out time for reading every day or week or whatever time works for your schedule. Here’s the thing, you don’t need to stick to this routine all the time. I know this sounds contrary to what I mentioned before, but living a balanced life means being adaptable. Sometimes plans change, or we decide in the moment to do another hobby that we want to nurture. So set a routine, follow through with it and then adjust to suit life's changing circumstances.
Put the phone away. Sometimes the most difficult part of reading is concentrating while doing it. With the fragmented state that the internet and social media can leave us in, it can be hard to focus or place attention on reading things for long periods of time. That said, we can read in chunks and build our reading endurance over time. Start off small and challenge yourself little by little.
Read with me videos. These are videos that you can find on Youtube where people read with background music on or in silence. These type of videos can motivate people, as, instead of reading on their own, they are doing the same activity as someone else at the same time. Sometimes we’re able to focus better when we’re not doing our favourite hobby on our own.

6. Join a book club or a reading buddy

Just like having an accountability buddy in building an exercise routine can help you workout more, joining a book club or having a reading buddy can help you read more books! Once again, you can look to the internet to help achieve this goal. There are lots of book clubs on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and discord that you can be a part of.

There are also themed reading events, called readathons, that you can be a part of, such as asian readathon, climathon, and nonfiction november, that take place within a certain time limit. With the different prompts and challenges involved in these readathons you can find yourself reading multiple books a month. In reading books with others and talking to people online about it, you can continue growing your reading habit.

Want some more book recommendations? Here are my favorite reads of the year so far:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Gotta love Bilbo Bagins, right? Loved this adventure, how Bilbo interacts with the dwarves and Gandalf, and how Bilbo proves to himself and others that he is made of sturdier stuff. I loved the theme of gold and treasure corrupting people and preventing them from seeing reason. Also loved the riddle scene with Gollum and Bilbo, very entertaining stuff!

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

A lovely book about the joys of reading and the connections formed out of a good book. This story follows Mukesh and Aleisha as they deal with different types of loneliness and loss. Mukesh deals with the loss of his wife and the companionship they shared and Aleisha deals with the loss of closeness she once felt with her family and friends. Through the reading list, they form deeper connections with themselves, each other, and their family. I thought this book was heartwarming and quite emotional at times. If you love books about books, this one is especially comforting and rewarding.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

A story of death, grief, love and family set in Trinidad. I love the magical realism elements of it and the role of those in our lives who have passed away. I thought it was beautiful. The setting and characters were well fleshed out and I found Darwin and how he dealt with the different elements of the story especially intriguing.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

With this book, the less you know, the better. This is a slow building mystery-fantasy that is highly acclaimed, winning several prizes, including the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2021. It is a story about isolation and discovery and was, weirdly enough, a book that I read both slowly and quickly at different points.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This is my favourite Jane Austen book. The second chance romance of it all is delightful. I love the duality of Anne who is more quiet and overlooked than other Jane Austen characters. She carries her heartbreak while still trying to be there for others and is kind and selfless. I love the angst and character arcs of Anne and Wentworth and how they see each other at the end of the book as opposed to the assumptions they made of each other at the start of the novel.

Overall, while hobbies are fun activities we do in our free time, we can take them seriously in a way that’s meaningful but not stressful.

make time to follow your passion and never let your hobbies and interests take a back seat.