Want to become a person who loves reading?
I used to love reading when I was younger. The Twilight Series and The Percy Jackson series were my everything. Then high school and college happened. All the time I spent reading was devoted to dense, academic texts that completely dulled my passion for it.
Now, as I reach adulthood I am yearning for that spark with reading I used to have. I am sure that’s the case for a lot of us out there!
I have reignited my passion and become a person who loves reading AGAIN and so can you! Maybe you never enjoyed reading as a hobby or you’ve just lost it along the way, I am here to get you back in the saddle so you can confidently say you’re a person who loves reading.
The lifestyle of a person who loves reading is one built on smaller habits that lead to bigger changes.
Let’s get you reading more books and enjoying yourself in the process!
This post is all about habits to transform into a person who loves reading.
Habits of a Person Who Loves Reading
1.) Read what Interests You
Perhaps you aren’t sure what books you will enjoy. However, you do know what kind of tv shows, podcasts, and movies you like! Let’s start there. Are you into true crime series, romantic comedies, fantasy movies, documentaries, soap operas..etc.
Start with a genre you think you’ll be interested in, based on the media you already consume. If you’re into romantic comedies, start with Colleen Hoover or a Lucy Score book.
If you’re into mystery or thrillers, Dan Brown is amazing!
2.) Look up Book Reviews
While you are beginning your search for the right book, the pure volume of options can be overwhelming. Once you find a genre or possible author you may like, take a look at what other people are saying about the book.
I recommend looking at Good Reads, a social media website devoted to reviewing and recommending books. There is usually a plethora of opinions and this may help guide you towards what you are looking for.
What is helpful about good reads is you can find people who really loved the book and people who didn’t enjoy the book as much. Don’t let those comments completely sway you but use them as a guide to make your own decision.
ALSO, Bookstagram or Booktok are helpful in deciding what to read next. This can be useful to find out what people are reading right now and what is trending. That being said, take what people say with a grain of salt.
Sometimes, the most popular books aren’t always the best. Get multiple sources of information before making a decision!
3.) Join a Book Reading Community
Once you’ve dipped your toe into what others are saying about books, join in on the conversation! Joining a book club or participating in a book exchange are good ways to get motivated to read by others. I have found these through facebook or friends at work!
If you are having trouble finding a physical community of book lovers, there are plenty of online communities to listen to and share your thoughts about your favorite books.
- Create a GoodReads account and leave a review after you finish a book
- Follow bookstagram accounts on instagram
- Join a Facebook group about books you enjoy
4.) Give the Book a Chance!
Even the most page turning of books can seem like a chore when you are not in the habit of reading. To be a person who loves reading, you have to have the patience to let the author develop the plot, set up the character backgrounds, and get an idea of the world they are building. We are so used to this being done for us when we consume movies or tv series that reading a book can seem tedious at first.
Like any habit, learning to love to read takes time! Take a deep breath and train your brain to relax in the suspense of what is to come.
When I first started to read again, I was the queen of half read books because I thought they were either boring or too hard to follow. If you stick with it, most books beautifully bring together the plot and are worth your time.
Practice makes perfect! The more you read, the more you will enjoy it. Don’t give up on yourself.
5.) Set a Reading Schedule
Like any habit, you need to set aside a time you devote to reading. Especially when you are new to it, setting a nonnegotiable time you allocate just for reading is important. I started reading for around 20 minutes a day in the morning. This was a doable amount of time for me.
It doesn’t have to be a marathon of reading for hours, the important part is consistency. Returning to the book everyday, no matter for how long or how many pages, is really the most important building block of this habit.
5.) Set a Reading Goal and Track It
Like any habit, setting small goals towards larger one’s creates a whirlwind that helps it stick and become a lasting lifestyle change.
Set a goal for yourself. Whether it be how many days you consecutively read or how many books you plan on reading, make it something tangible you can measure.
For the most part it takes most people around two months or more to form a new habit, around 66 days.
This is where that consistency becomes important! You don’t have to show up and read for hours on end everyday, you just need to show up for yourself everyday. This way, you aren’t tied to whether you finish the book or not but your success is bound to your commitment to the task itself!
While it may seem daunting to commit to two months of reading every day, start smaller! With a more manageable goal, you are more likely to stick with it.
6.) Make a Cozy Reading Sanctuary
The next element of transforming into a person who loves reading is creating a space that nurtures this hobby. This should be a quiet, comfortable, and peaceful place. For me, this is my couch, with my dog, in the morning.
If you are struggling to get into the zone, when you sit down to read, creating a space solely for reading can be helpful. When you designate an area specifically for the purpose of reading, you will prepare your mind for focus and quiet. Eventually, when you enter into this space, you will have no problem diving straight into your book!
If the weather is nice, a hammock is also the ultimate space for a person who loves reading on a warm, summer day. Get creative! This space is personal to you, it can look however your heart desires.
7.) Keep a Book with You
Another practical way to transform into a person who loves reading is to keep a book with you while you’re out and about.
Carrying a book with you can help you meet your reading goals by sneaking in a few pages here and there throughout the day. This can help eliminate the worry of not making enough time either in the morning or at night to keep up with reading.
Reading is something you can do almost anywhere! You can whip out your book while you’re in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, when your flight is delayed, or when your friend is late to your lunch date.
8.) Start with Smaller Books
When I wanted to become a person who loves reading, I pictured myself reading 700 page novels and crossing books off my to be read list left and right. Sadly, this was fairly hard when I even opened a book in years.
Much like the time commitment you make to reading, starting off with smaller, shorter texts can help you commit to the habit by creating more digestible goals.
Poetry books can be a fun and easy way to get into the habit of reading. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is a captivating collection of short poems about love, loss, abuse, and feminism. This is a page turner you could finish in an afternoon. It is so well-written.
An easy way to get into classic literature is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This less than 200 page book is an already familiar story that hooks you in immediately.
9.) Just Keep Reading!
On your journey to becoming the person who loves reading, there will be ups and downs throughout. There will be some boring reads or reads that seem impossibly dense, this is unavoidable.
One thing I can absolutely promise is that, if you keep at it, you will absolutely fall in love with reading. I think all my fellow “bookworms” know the feeling of the first time we couldn’t put down a book because we were so enthralled. This spark of your first book love will come!
Consistency is the key to becoming a person who loves reading.
One thing that motivates me to keep reading is my “To Be Read” list, which is about a mile long. Making a list of books that peak your interest and make you excited to read can be extremely motivating!
You absolutely have what it takes to transform into a person who loves reading. By creating and sticking to these habits, you can be the bookworm you’ve always wanted to be.
Now you know the secrets of how to read more books and actually enjoy it!
This post has been all about the habits to transform yourself into a person who loves reading.
