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Want to know more this year? These little habits will help you.
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Want to know more this year? These little habits will help you.

“I want to read more this year” is a common New Year’s resolution, and for good reason: Reading, especially fiction, provides a constant, reliable escape—and that’s exactly what many of us are looking for these days. moment, given the state of the world. . Plus, it’s great for your mental and physical health.

A 2016 studyled by researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health, found that adults who reported reading books for more than 3 1/2 hours per week were 23% less likely to die over the course of 12 years. followed, compared to those who did not read books. .

Another study – this one published in 2009 by the University of Sussex – found that reading as little as sJust six minutes at a time can be enough to reduce stress levels by more than two thirds.

Do you want to participate in this action? I, and some BookTokers I’ve spoken to, come with tips on how to read more. (My references? I’m a fairly avid reader, with 51 books this year and 60 last year. It’s not Figures of 365 pounds per year – how did this BuzzFeed reporter do all this that? – but it’s not bad either! BookTokers references? The thousands of people who follow them on TikTok for recommendations.)

You don’t have to read 100 pages a day. Start small.

Reading is not a competition, although Pizza Hut Book It! The program made you believe that. Any real Book lovers will tell you that it’s more about how much you absorb and what you retain from each book than how many titles you can cram into a year.

If you can find even five minutes in your schedule to read, it will help you start forming the habit, said Cait Jacobsa BookToker who has read 107 books this year. Eventually, the pages you read will add up and you won’t even hesitate to delete two chapters in one go.

“For me, even when I don’t feel like reading or don’t have much time for it, I always try to find even a few minutes in my schedule to read a book” , she told HuffPost. “I also always have a book with me, whether it’s a physical book or an e-book on my phone, so if I come across some free time when I’m away, I can take advantage of it !

Download the Libby app and check out e-books from your local library.

If you have a Kindle or other e-reader, the number one tip I can give you is to use the e-book selections at your local libraries. Since then, I’ve read exponentially more, and other people I’ve talked to have said the same thing.

If your library is registered on the platforms Libby Or Hooplayou can browse, borrow and request books directly through them. You may have to wait for some popular titles – when you go to check out a book, you’ll see how many digital copies are available and your place in the queue – but hey, it’s free.

Some libraries, including the Los Angeles County Public Library, where I check out books, have a “new & now” section on the app, featuring in-demand titles that you can check out immediately for a shortened loan term ( seven days compared to the norm). 21).

Some libraries have a “new & now” section on the app, featuring in-demand titles that you can check out immediately for a shortened loan term.
Some libraries have a “new & now” section on the app, featuring in-demand titles that you can check out immediately for a shortened loan term.

Read books that are similar in nature to the movies or TV shows you enjoy.

You know what you like in TV series, so reflect that in your book selections, said Casey R. Kelleya BookToker from Jacksonville, Florida, who has read 280 books this year.

“For example, if you like shows like ‘The Equalizer,’ you’ll love mystery novels like Ian K. Smith’s Ashe Cayne series,” she said. “If you loved movies like “Hidden Figures” that reflect the stories of real people, you’ll love books like “Harlem Rhapsody” by Victoria Christopher Murray or “The American Queen” by Vanessa Miller.”

Audiobooks absolutely count as reading.

Some snobs consider listening to audiobooks a poor reading experience, but pay no attention to that. A book is a book.

“Audiobooks are one of the favorite formats for listening to books because not only are they entertaining, but they are perfect for people who have a busy schedule with little time to sit down and physically hold a book “, said Kendall Ferrari, a BookToker from Southern California who has read 60 books this year so far.

“It’s been a game changer for me, and I always have one playing while I drive, cook or do housework,” she said.

Read what you find interesting and engaging, not what a celebrity book club recommends.

No offense to Oprah Winfrey or Reese Witherspoon — both of whom have popular book clubs — but unless you’ve reliably found books you like through a recommender, you’re probably better off following your own nose rather than chasing what is popular. Nathan Shuherka BookToker and author of Schizophrenic Reads on Substack, agrees.

“We’re inundated with people talking about ‘must read’ or ‘best of the year’ lists, but if you’re trying to take up a new hobby, you need to make it personal for it to be sustainable “, he said. . “Eventually, you will expand your tastes and selection as you fall more in love with reading.”

Read what you're personally passionate about, not necessarily what everyone recommends.

10,000 hours via Getty Images

Read what you’re personally passionate about, not necessarily what everyone recommends.

Join an unconventional book club.

You’re probably familiar with standard book clubs, with assigned readings and obligatory chatter. But what about book clubs for the less sociable among us who still want to socialize, just a little? Enter Quiet Book Clubs. In local chapters across the country, Silent Book Club members gather in bars, coffee shops, bookstores, libraries, and online to “read together in quiet camaraderie.” This sounds like an introvert’s dream.

Become reading buddies with a friend.

Do you find even a Silent Book Club a little too much commitment or social task for your liking? Make a pact with a good friend to read a book together. That way, you’ll have something to talk about Friday at dinner besides the new “White Lotus” trailer or your friend Ethan’s trip to Turkey for a hair transplant, as glittery as that all sounds.

Want to make reading more social? Make a pact with a good friend to read a book together.

FG Trade via Getty Images

Want to make reading more social? Make a pact with a good friend to read a book together.

Avoid regularly timed television or internet browsing for a book.

Smitty, a BookToker who has read 48 books this year (it would have been more, but he’s read quite a few fantasy books between 600 and 1,300 pages), tries to prioritize reading over other forms of media.

“It’s very easy to get sucked into episode after episode of a TV show, but I generally prefer reading to watching TV or video games,” he said. “At first it was something you had to get used to, but once you get into a book that hooks you, it’s very easy to forget about the TV screen.

Find your niche and follow book influencers who belong to the same genres.

BookTalk is one of the most vibrant and thriving communities on TikTok for a reason: it’s a fantastic place to find truly original book recommendations, ones that seem tailored to your tastes. Once you know the genres or authors you’re interested in, search those terms or names to find BookTokers who have similar tastes.

“There is a book influencer for every genre or targeted demographic to help you find something to read,” Kelley said. “If you like thrillers, you should follow @adosof.books. If you like speculative fiction, you should follow @theblerdlibrary.”

Find BookTokers who have similar tastes. If you like speculative fiction, @theblerdlibrary is a great choice.

tiktok.com/@theblerdlibrary

Find BookTokers who have similar tastes. If you like speculative fiction, @theblerdlibrary is a great choice.

Really get to know an author by reading their entire work.

This year, I dug deep into the catalog of Larry McMurtry, a novelist best known for “Lonesome Dove.” After reading and loving “The Last Picture Show”, I launched into its “Houston” series in six parts. By the end, I felt like I knew the characters personally (some to an aggravating degree: get your life together, Danny Deck!) and, in a very different way, the author.

Create a visual reminder of all the books you’ve read.

Anthony “Da Kidd PG” Bagley is the founder of Black Kidds also readsa book platform that encourages people to read across a wide range of genres and book authors. A physical book reader, he gets excited about reading by looking at all the books he has already finished.

“Stack all the books you’ve finished in a place you see every day,” he said. “Seeing the growing pile is a great source of motivation: you’ll want to keep adding to it! » (If you are an eBook reader, you can catalog and view what you have read by creating a GoodReads or The StoryGraph account.)

Don’t feel bad if you give up on a book.

BookToker Max Dunn estimates he’s read about 115 books this year. That said, he also threw in the towel on some books. (In online book communities, these books are labeled DNF: Did not finish.)

“I’m a big believer in giving up books you don’t enjoy or putting them aside when you’re not in the mood and trying them again later,” said Dunn, who runs a book club on the Fable app called “The club of well-made books.”

“So many people, myself included, strive to finish every book they start, even if it becomes a chore,” he said. “But reading as a hobby should be something you want to do and enjoy, not something you feel obligated to do.”