I am going to take a wild guess and assume that you either read a lot of books or want to read a lot of books or maybe you are just wondering how are some people able to read so much. Well, worry not, because I am going to tell you all the secrets. After all, reading is a dying art and everyone of us has a responsibility to keep it alive.

You might have your own reasons to want to read. Maybe you want to escape the real world and want some solace in a fictional one. Or maybe you want to learn and books are the best source. Maybe you don’t read but are just curious to know why reading is so appealing to so many people.

Whatever your reason may be, secrets to reading is very simple. Reading is a very personal thing and is different for everyone. Everyone will have a unique experience

Secrets

1. Read Books You Enjoy Reading

” Everyone is a reader. Those who don’t enjoy reading just have not found the right book yet.”

I read the above statement somewhere, and that stuck with me for a long time. In this world, there are so many books on every topic written in every way. There are books on every single hobby or interest anyone can have. You think of any topic and there will be several books about it. And that’s all the books that are already written.

Every single day, millions of books are published either through big publishing houses or self-published. So, it’s just not possible that one can not find something that they might love.
Problem is not a derth of reading material but availability of too much of it. There are so many books that finding the right book is not a simple task. The only way to find the right book is to pick up and try any book that interests you.

2. Do NOT read the books you don’t enjoy reading

Now, this is a bigger challenge in my experience. We receive so many book recommendations and then we get super excited and start reading the book. But after a few pages, the book becomes a burden. We procrastinate reading and soon we develop an aversion to reading anything.

Most of my school friends stopped reading because they hated the books we were assigned to read in school. And that’s the saddest thing. Reading is a very personal experience. The way one reader experiences a book will differ from everyone else who reads the same book. Each of us has a different way in which the story comes to life in our minds. The way motivational books inspire us is different for everyone. We all take something different from each book we come across.

So, if you are reading a book and you are not connecting with it, then please do not force yourself to keep reading. There are way too many books and we have very little time. Even if we read every single minute of the rest of our lives, we won’t be able to read even 10% of all the books written. That’s such a scary thought. You might waste your precious time reading a book that you don’t like and that might mean you never have time to read the book you would have loved from your very core.

Your time is your most precious resource. You can get everything back, but not your time. So choose carefully where you spend your time. Life is too short to read books you are not enjoying.

Additional Reading Tips

1. Read books in every format possible

I know many people say they only read the physical books and can NEVER read ebooks. They don’t even consider audiobooks to be books at all. But I have just one thing to say. The books have always evolved and changed their forms. From being written on clay tablets to leaves to printed paper, the physical structure of books has changed a lot. What matters is what is written inside them.

Besides, even when printing became popular, most of the books were first published as story episodes in periodicals and then much later as a printed book.

So, I understand if you have a certain preference for a certain book format. But sometimes it’s just as much easier to use different formats. Like when you are driving or exercising, then listening to audiobooks is a much easier option. Similarly, when you are stuck in a boring meeting or even a boring party that you can’t leave, reading a few pages on your phone is much easier and inconspicuous. I mean, most people will simply assume you are texting or scrolling social-media or just checking mail. It’s so much easier to sneak in some reading time on your phone.

If you still love to read physical books only, then carry your book everywhere. You might not know when you can have time to read. You might even face an awkward situation when you can easily pretend you are reading to avoid being getting sucked into other people’s drama.

2. Replace time spent on social-media with reading books

My desire to avoid drama keeps me away from social-media too. I do scroll on social-media from time to time. I am not THAT strange. But I do not keep those apps on my phone. Instead, I have various apps on my phone that help me read something or the other. I check social media when I am at my desk and using my laptop. After all, I need to keep something to help me procrastinate from my work as well.
We get 5-10 mins between our tasks or while waiting for our life to go on. Pick something you enjoy reading and waiting time will become so much fun.

3. Get a library membership

Library membership lets me explore books I would not have explored otherwise. I mean, I do not have too much money to buy every single book I come across. I still end up buying too many books. But library membership helps keep me in check. And besides, the digital library means I can get instant access to any ebook and audiobook I want. I do not have to wait to go to the bookstore or wait for the physical copy to arrive if I buy online.

Library gives me a simple and cheaper option to explore new authors and new genres of books. Without library I wouldn’t have tried so many books I later fell in love with.

4. Love the entire reading process

Reading doesn’t start when you open the book. It starts when you find out about the book from somewhere. Then you get excited and that leads you to get that book in your chosen format. Then you read, get lost in the story, live so many lives. And then when you finish the book, you get to talk about it with everyone around you. Either you loved the book and you can’t stop recommending it to everyone you meet, or you hate it so much that you can’t stop cribbing about it. Every step is part of the reading process. Love every step. Get excited at every stage.

Life is too short to not enjoy every single moment of it.

Conclusion

Read books because you want to read. Don’t read because you think you are supposed to read something or to impress someone else. Don’t read a book to prove anything to anyone.

But read because you love reading.

Read to get entertained.

Read to learn, to improve yourself.

Read to find answers to questions you didn’t even know you had.

Read to exercise your mind.

Just Read