Dearest friends, let's talk about reading habits! Some of us have it, some of us don't. Some of us used to have it, lost it and eventually found it again and you know what? That's totally okay! I used to be an avid reader up until college years - which was a solid decade ago - and eventually my reading habits went as low as spending a whole year reading a mere 3 or 4 books, if that much. Eventually college was over, work life joined forced with adulthood and time was short but the thirst for books started growing again. It was and is an escape of sorts and honestly I found a few tricks and ways to make me read more.
01. Join a club
"We are all in this togetherrrrr...." aren't we? I mean, The Shelfie Club came up with a reason and that reason was to get us all together, reading and sharing. So joining a club, it being a regular monthly reading club or any other sort of book club, just like ours, might just be that little push you need to take the next step and read a whole lot more. Maybe you won't make it from 5 books a year to 50 books in a year but maybe we can double that 5 into a 10 and a 10 into a 20. Who knows? Which leads me to the second point.
02. Set a realistic goal
Read 3 books in the last year? Let's aim for 5 in 2020. Read 21? Let's aim for 30. Set a realistic goal and aim for it. Make your friends become your personal cheerleaders. I am turning 30 this year and decided that to celebrate it I would read 30 books in 2020. Last year i read a sad number of 9 whole books and a half dozen unfinished ones so I know my goal is high but guess what? We are in the middle of March and I've already got to 18 books. If i can do this, anyone can!
03. Read in the weirdest places
Read while eating? Done that. Reading while waiting or in public transports? That's not even new. Read while in the loo? Oh yes, i have! This last one is probably the place where I get most of my reading done besides the usual bed and sofa combo. Call me weirdo but i find that time on the loo to be very relaxing and further more I am not wasting time while having a bowel movement...trust me, I am lactose intolerant, sometimes it takes longgggg!
04. Read what you want
Young adult? Go for it! Erotica? Oh, honey, we are all in that boat even if we don't admit it. Let's face it, facing a pile of books or even e-books that we just "want to read" but have zero interest to us is like facing your boss when you have gone over a deadline with an unfinished project. You'll find every possible excuse to avoid it so why not read something you like instead? Let it be a guilty pleasure, maybe it won't be a trend or maybe it will be what everyone else is reading but if you like it, grab it by the pages and give it a go. Your taste can change every month, every fornight or even from one day to the next. I know I like to mix up my erotic adult fiction with ghosts stories and non-fiction books, among classics and some trends. There's nothing wrong as long as you're reading and actually enjoying it.
Join the conversation!