How I Read 77 Books Last Year
Reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I read 77 books last year and rather than seeing that as a chore, I relished each one. I like to keep track of the books that I read (I write down a list, can’t get into Goodreads) but I don’t see this as a competition or a race - rather I see it as an incentive to continue to make time for something that I love. I like to be able to look back and recommend books to friends or to ponder over my reading habits. Last year I read more over summer, really got into short stories and only read books written by women. I can easily break down more insights into my reading behaviour by looking over the list of books that I read, helping me to choose new titles.
I often get asked how I read so much, especially on Instagram. Since I get asked this all the time, I thought I’d share a few tips here for how you can easily read more books - whether you’re working towards a target or simply want to read more. Again, I’d like to stress that I don’t see this as a competition. I started to read more as a distraction from my phone, choosing to read on my commute and before bed rather than mindlessly scrolling. I’ve always been a keen reader and was an extremely fast reader as a child so this was never a challenge for me - it was just me consciously making an effort to spend more time doing something that I loved.
If you’re interested in my favourite reads from last year you can read my round-up here and start compiling a list of books you want to read in 2020.
MAKE TIME TO READ
Whether you spend half an hour or a couple of hours with your head stuck in a book, make time to read each day. I like to read on the train on my thrice-weekly commute and before bed each evening. I read on the train to wake up my brain and stop myself scrolling through Instagram, and I read before bed because looking at screens at the end of the day is terrible for your sleep. Find a suitable space in your day, whether that’s after you’ve put your baby down to sleep or during those previous moments to yourself in the morning. You might think you don’t have the time to read, in which case the easiest way is to swap out half an hour of TV or phone time for picking up a book.
KEEP A LIST OF UPCOMING BOOKS THAT YOU’RE EXCITED TO READ
It’s hard to get excited about reading if you don’t know what you want to read. I have a constant list on the go featuring all the books I want to read. These days, these are mostly new but I jot down titles whenever I read a good review or see an Instagrammer recommending something I like the look of. I also like to pre-order all the books I want to read in the next couple of months to spur me on to continue reading so I don’t end up with a huge to-read pile.
MAKE A LIST OF THE BOOKS YOU READ THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Whether or not you want to set goals for how many books you want to read in a year/each month, it’s a good idea to make a list of the books that you read. This will encourage you to read more, as you want to develop your list, but will also give you something to look back on for inspiration for future reads or to recommend to others. You could do this on your phone, in a bullet journal or start micro-blogging the books you read on your Instagram Stories. I personally love following people who share what they’re reading on Instagram.
JOIN A BOOK CLUB OR START ONE WITH FRIENDS
Joining a book club is a great idea if you want to combine reading with socialising or need a little encouragement to finish a book. Have a look around in your local area (keep your eyes open for signs in cafes or posts on local Facebook groups) for existing book clubs or start your own. I’m currently thinking of starting a group with friends, thinking of a monthly get together where we could all discuss a book, recommend other titles and have a lovely, cosy evening.
START OR JOIN A CONVERSATION ABOUT BOOKS
I love the monthly Year in Books Twitter chat for inspiration for future reads, making friends with other bookish people and just generally having a good chit chat about reading. I also love sharing my reads on Instagram as it always sparks up conversation with like-minded people. By joining in conversations on other people’s Instagram posts I’ve made friends and discovered some of my all-time favourite books.
INSTAGRAM BOOK ACCOUNTS
Leading on from my last point, I thought I’d share some of my favourite people to follow on Instagram for their book recommendations. These are the people I love to chat to about books or head to their feeds when I’m looking for inspiration for what to read next.