Typically when I tell people that I am a reader, the response is “I wish,” “I hate reading,” or “I don’t think I have read a book in _ amount of years,” which are all valid responses. I used to be that person, it would have never crossed my mind even three years ago that I would one day be writing an article about how much I love reading. Yet, here I am, having read more than 20 books in 2022, I am here to give you some tips on how I became a book lover.
1. READ BOOKS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN
When I told people that I hated reading, I usually talked about the books I was assigned to read in school. They were usually assigned so that I could write essays about them, so the teacher could teach a point, and they were often written way before I was born. Hear me out: classics can be great, but usually, the books I was reading in the class had no connection to me and I hated being rushed to read.
There is no such thing as a right or wrong book to read! Perhaps you are into thrillers, maybe you are into romance books, or maybe you just like the style of a specific author; whatever it is just do what makes you happy. For a long time, I shied away from reading because I was struggling to finish a book, to begin with. Then one day, I picked up Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, and I finished it within a couple of days. A couple of years later, I hopped on the Colleen Hoover bandwagon and I never turned back.
There is no such thing as a right or wrong book to read!
2. It Is Okay to Have Unpopular Opinions
If you have walked into a bookstore recently, or if you have been on social media, you have probably heard of “Book Tok,” referring to the books recommended by influencers on Tik Tok. For a long time, I will admit, I was weary of reading these books because I thought they were too mainstream and overhyped. For example, I tried putting off reading “It Ends With Us,” by Colleen Hoover for as long as possible because I thought that the book was receiving too much attention, and it was probably not as good as social media made it out to be. Yet, after having friends tell me to take a chance on the book and continuously watching book review videos on Tik Tok, I did it, and I loved it. However, I know that has not been a reality for everybody, and that is ok! You do not have to like everything you read, and even if it seems like you have a different opinion than those around you, that is okay!
3. Make Goals for Yourself!
Once you get into the groove of reading good books that you are interested in, I find it enjoyable to track my practice. Therefore, I recommend using an app or some sort of tracking mechanism to help you track your progress. I use Good Reads, which helps me keep track of the books I am reading and how far along I am in the books I have read. Some other ways of keeping track would be making a list on paper of books you want to read and then crossing them off as you go.
Reading does not have to be dreadful, in fact, it can be very therapeutic and fun if you make sure you tailor it to your interests and what you want from a story!
Since we are here, here are 5 of my favorite books:
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
- Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
As I mentioned before, reading should be fun and enjoyable. Don’t feel like you should be following the book trends! Read what you like, at your own pace, and have fun!