The Avid Reader Inside Me

Saying that I am a bookworm is an understatement.

I cherish books and their stories in every possible manner. Just being around books brings me immense pleasure. And reading their stories delights me like nothing else. People are usually surprised at how I manage to read countless books. Allow me to fill you in on a secret — they are not countless, I count and keep a record of all the books that I have read.

Reading is my sanctuary. Or my happy place. In this fast-paced world, reading allows me to build a cocoon, slow down a bit, and take some time for myself.

Here I am, sharing a few facets of my reading routine that might explain how I read as much as I do.

Have a book with me at all times

If I get to play what’s in my bag, you can bet that you’ll find a book in there or my e-reader.

Every time, I step out of my house, I bring a book with me. You never know when a reading opportunity can arise.

Sometimes, I pack my e-reader even when I know the chances of reading are zero to nil. I live with the perpetual hope that I will be able to carve out a moment (or several of them) to spend with my book.

For instance, last week I was carrying “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller around. I read it on my train rides to work and on my visits to a few neighboring towns.

Sit down with a story for at least 30 minutes

Even on the busiest of my days, I try to set aside at least 30 minutes for myself where I can sit down with a book.

This can get a bit challenging. Especially on days when you have back-to-back work meetings and a pile of household chores staring at you.

On such days, instead of a big chunk of time, I aim to take multiple short breaks where I can squeeze in some reading.

The moral of the story is that I make deliberate efforts to secure some reading time in my day.

Audiobooks to the rescue

Audiobooks have completely turned my world around. With them, my reading has eased into different aspects of my daily life. I can listen to a story while cooking, cleaning, or taking a walk. My reading is no longer restricted to the single act of sitting down with a book.

It is very easy to incorporate an audiobook into your routine. All you need to do is pick an audiobook, put on your headphones, and pick an appropriate activity. Try to choose something where you’d be comfortable multi-tasking. Then you can blast through your activity as well as some stories.

I usually “listen” to romance and urban mystery thriller stories. They give a good contrast to the heavy fantasy books that I read physically.

I devoured the entirety of “The Brown Sisters” trilogy by Talia Hibbert and “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series by Holly Jackson on audio.

Reading before bed

This habit has been with me since my childhood.

Reading before bed is a neat way to wind down before falling asleep. It also ensures that my phone’s screen isn’t the last thing that I see before closing my eyes.

A new habit that I have picked up recently is to read for 15–20 minutes after waking up. I usually do this only on weekends but I am aiming to incorporate it into a few of the weekdays as well.

Reading after waking up lets me indulge myself a bit before I get up to tackle my day. Once your day starts and gets busy, it can seem a bit tough to fit in a book. However, if you can find some time for reading before the day begins, it can be a win.

Putting effort into picking up the next read

Ensuring that you read what you like takes effort. You need to be aware of your reading tastes and also have some idea about the book’s content.

The idea here is that if you read stories about the things that you do not enjoy, you’ll end up skipping reading altogether. So, pick books that are aligned with your tastes. For instance, I know that I don’t like stories where the main characters fall in love almost instantly, so, I refrain from picking such stories.

Several people have told me that they do not know what they might like. And I tell them that learning about your tastes may not be as difficult as it is made out to be. Pay attention to the kind of movies or shows you prefer. This should point you in a general direction of books that you might like.

Having said that you can also scour through the abundant reviews and commentaries available on the internet if you wish to learn something about a book.

Finding something to your liking is quite easy if you put your efforts in the right places.

Developing a reading habit is an undertaking. There is no doubt about that.

You need to pick a book and engage with it. Also, reading doesn’t give you instant gratification as most of the available short-form contents do. Reading requires you to be patient. You can’t just rush to the end, the story will take its time getting there.

In short, developing a consistent reading habit is like developing any other habit. And a wee bit of discipline will help a long way.

With the progress of technology, today reading has become more accessible than ever. I do hope this encourages people to dip their toes into the vast world of stories that reading can unlock.

Please do drop a comment about your reading habit and let’s chat.

Disclaimer: This article was originally published here.