{"id":5069,"date":"2021-06-16T08:09:03","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T08:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=5069"},"modified":"2021-09-19T14:58:08","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T14:58:08","slug":"how-to-get-back-into-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/how-to-get-back-into-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Back Into Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Are you an old bibliophile who’s dropped the habit? Wondering how to get back into reading? You’re in the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve read 10,187 books, which is a made up number. I don’t know how many I’ve read, but it feels like a lot. I currently manage about 2-4 books per month, but it wasn’t always this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was a small human, I metamorphosed into a fully grown creature in what can only be described as bucolic countryside. As a child, it was fun, with significant time spent outside in nature and playing sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the general lack of other humans to talk to, it also resulted in significant ‘me time’, which was partly filled by reading and waiting patiently for a dial-up Internet connection to play computer games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was a sucker for adventure books and couldn’t get enough, devouring Bernard Cromwell’s Sharp series<\/a>, for example. At this time, for lack of other stimulation, reading was an escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward a few years to university, and predictably the reading habit crumbled like a poor pastry, replaced by predictable student proclivities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t get me wrong, it was all fun and games, but I gradually realised that something inherent to my psychic well being was missing; getting lost in a good story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you’re like me and intermittently enter book funks, here’s how to get back into reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us fall for the trap of reading what we think we should instead of what we really want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Restarting a habit is hard enough, without battling through boring books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you loved reading comics as a kid, start there. The content doesn’t matter, just the context of consuming words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I love non-fiction, as you can see from my book summaries page, it’s harder to kickstart a habit when the material is dense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Humans have been telling stories since we were waving spears around and rocking the loincloth. We’re wired for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you restart the habit, pick a fast-paced fiction and get lost in a good story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We mistakenly assume that we must carve significant chunks of time for our hobbies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For mountain climbing? Maybe. For book reading, not so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the best things I did to increase my word consumption was downloading the Kindle app on my phone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever I had a few spare minutes, queuing or lunching, I’d whack it out and read a couple of pages, priming the habit pump and pushing the book along piecemeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kindle app’s a good start and vital in a pinch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, there’s nothing better than having a larger surface without the shiny screen, making it easier on the eyes and the feeling of reading the real thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where previously I was an analogue traditionalist, the ease and portability of the Kindle<\/a> make it a no-brainer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But perhaps the best features of all are the highlighting and notes options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever I spot a juicy passage, I save it and can export my favourites later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When reading on a digital device, I never look at the length of a book ahead of time, simply judging a book by its cover if it piques my literary curiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even now, when I’m back in the swing of things, it’s offputting to imagine labouring like a misshapen beast through 600 pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignorance is often bliss in book-length. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like everything in life, taking one page at a time is the answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon you’re swept up in the story and will be amazed at your sexy reading stamina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the thought of reading a full-length novel is too much to stomach, consider whetting your literary appetite with a starter, in the form of a short story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll burn through the books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just the habit of picking up a book is key. Repetition is your friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to get back into reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pick a childhood interest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Start with fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Download the kindle app<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Buy a Kindle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don’t look at the length of the book<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Read short stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n