Growing up, I was an avid reader. It was my favorite hobby and how I spent most of my free time. I loved fiction and fantasy — I read The Hunger Games series in fifth grade. In middle school and high school, though, I found it harder and harder to pick up a book for enjoyment. I was busy with homework, extracurricular activities, and I often had to read books for class. It made me sad to be distant from my favorite hobby, but it was difficult to get back into it.
Now that I’m older, I have been missing reading for a while now. I always say that I’m “trying to get back into reading,” but it really just covers up the fact that I haven’t read a book for my own enjoyment in years. Recently, I have stopped putting general expectations on myself to simply read a book, because it feels like too much. I’ve realized that I need to make goals that are manageable and that work for me.
Read a book from your favorite genre.
I’m an English major, and I have a slew of classic books that I would love to read, but I also feel like I need to read them. Books like 1984, East of Eden, and Jane Eyre have been on my list, but they can be dense. Trying to dive into books like these that have older language and more historical atmospheres feels difficult for me. Instead, I’ve learned that I need to start with genres I truly enjoy without having to think too deeply. For me, this is science fiction and fantasy, dystopian novels, or realistic fiction. These stories are fun for me to read and keep my attention easily.
Read a short or fast-paced book.
Another strategy that has been working for me is choosing books that are shorter or have faster-paced stories. I’m currently reading Clytemnestra, which doesn’t totally fall under my favorite genre, but the main character is so interesting and the story is moving quickly. The entire novel is not only focused on a month or year of the main character’s life — things are moving along pretty fast. This keeps me interested because relationships are changing, characters are growing, and action is happening. It is really easy to pick up where I left off and read for a while because I’m learning new things with each page.
Read short stories.
If short or fast-paced novels are still difficult to pick up and continue with, short stories are a great alternative. Short stories aren’t necessarily full novels condensed into a few pages, they are more like scenes or excerpts from something that feels fully realized. You don’t have to sit through chapters of world-building or exposition, you can dive right into the characters’ stories and the events happening. There are tons of literary journals that publish fantastic short stories; one of my favorites is Strange Horizons, an online magazine that publishes short stories and poetry in the science fiction and fantasy genre. These stories are often captivating right away, and they don’t feel like a huge commitment because they are much shorter than novels.
Set achievable goals.
Even if you find a book or literary journal that you are excited to read, it can still be difficult to find time to follow through. Setting achievable goals is a good strategy for anything, but especially for reading. It sometimes feels daunting to sit down and choose to read, especially if you set the expectation to get through the whole book, or even half of it. Recently, I have been opening my book before bed for about 15 minutes, not forcing myself to get through a full chapter. This has been helping my reading feel more digestible because it works in my routine and doesn’t feel like so much pressure.
Reading is such an amazing hobby to have that I’ve loved since I was little. It has helped me learn empathy and understanding for perspectives that are different from mine, and it has expanded my imagination and creativity immensely. Even if reading wasn’t always your favorite pastime, hopefully with these tips, it can start to be.