In 2019 I set a goal of reading 30 books. I read 64 that year.
In 2020 I set a goal of reading 65 books. I read 84 last year.
In 2021 I set a goal of reading 75 books. I’m currently reading 3 books, which will be numbers 19, 20, and 21 of the year.
Last year I had the beginning of the pandemic to allow me to stay home and read as many books as I wanted. My town library shut down in March, but luckily I had borrowed the entire Harry Potter series earlier in the year. I read all 7 in April and May of last year to hold me over until the library opened back up. And I honestly just spent most of my summer outside reading as much as I could.
So if you’re wondering how I read so many books, here are some of my hints and tips:
1. Read whenever I have spare time.
I’ve always read at night before bed; I’ll typically give myself 30 minutes to an hour to read before lights out. I also read on my lunch breaks. I’d bring a book with me to work when I was in the office and would sit at my desk and read after I ate. I still do that now that I’m working from home. I’ll also sometimes read after I’m done with work as a way to decompress before having dinner.
2. Carrying a book wherever I go.
I normally carry my entire life in my purse but I make sure I buy one/use one big enough to hold a book. I’ll read while waiting at the doctor’s office or when I’m at the ice cream shop and we have some down time, I’ll read.
3. Read more than one book at a time.
I used to never do this but it’s something I started doing last year. I’ll read two books at once: typically one non-fiction and one fiction. If I didn’t take any non-fiction books out of the library, I’ll read two fiction ones but the storylines have to be pretty different so I don’t confuse them. I’ll choose one to read during the day and the other to read at night before bed.
4. DNF books I don’t like.
Sometimes it’s hard to give up on a book because you want to give it a chance since someone took the time to write it. But there are just times that you’ve not vibing with a book or it’s not what you expected. It’s okay to not finish it. By accepting that I can DNF books, I don’t spend unnecessary time reading them when I could be reading other books I enjoy.
My fellow readers: what are some of your reading tips?
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 
When I started reading again this year, it was because I was teaching online and needed a break from the screens. So after school, I would read until dinner and then do tv. So about an hour or so each night. Then I got into a few good books and was reading after dinner too a bit!
Now I get home from work and watch a short netflix episode, and then just read until like 9. Usually a solid 3 hours each night! Right now I have to finish the book on I’m before my trip to the library on Saturday so I have a strict 75 pages or more a night. Its not as easy a read as the romance/YA books you suggested so its hard to keep it up sometimes! 😂 at least 25 more pages to go tonight….
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Always always always have a book on me, & read when I can. I also usually have 2 or 3 books on the go. I feel lost when I don’t have a book on me.
Way to go on the reading girl!!
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These are SOOO good!! I have such a hard choosing to not finish a book. I think I’ve only done it maybe a handful of times and normally just suffer through, so that’s a really good one that I need to work on. I also have trouble reading more than one book at a time. Doing the fiction and non-fiction would probably be the only way I could do it, but I should try that one.
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I sometimes feel bad not finishing a book but I also don’t want to waste my time reading a book I don’t like when I could be reading one I love. It took me a while to figure out when/how to DNF though. I recommend the non-fiction/fiction route for reading two books at once. I fear that if I read two fiction books at once I’ll mix them up haha
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I feel bad too. Like I’m the problem and not that I’m just not “vibing” with the book LOL but I’ve got to get past that. I think it helps you get most of your books from the library. I used to buy all of my books and I hated to buy something and not finish it, but I’ve stopped buying so many books which helps me feel better about giving up on one.
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I definitely don’t feel as bad not finishing a book that I get from the library because I can just return it. I get nervous buying books because I’m like, what if I hate it and now I own it? haha
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EXACTLY! I’m going to get Hazel a library card for her second birthday, so maybe I’ll start getting some there too. It’s just so much more logical.
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