When I was younger, I was constantly reading. I remember bringing books with me when my family went out to dinner and reading as we waited to be seated.
I fell in love with reading at a young age and took refuge in the stories that I read. But as I got older, school became more difficult and time consuming. I didn’t have as much time to read for pleasure, and the only things that I was reading were mandatory books or articles for school. Throughout college, I have had times when my school load lightened up or when I was on vacation from school, and during these times I would fly through books I usually didn’t have time to read. This past summer, I began reading consistently again, and not just for a few days here and there, and it made me realize how much I missed having a constant source of relaxation in the form of books.
But then I read a book I couldn’t really get into, school started again and I had to spend more time worrying about what I was going to do after graduation. I needed to find a way to get excited and make reading a real part of my life again.
It’s normal for life to get overwhelming and for your favorite pastimes to fall to the wayside. But if you want to get excited about reading again and work it into your busy schedule, here are five quick ways that might do the trick!
- Join a book delivery service
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One thing that pushed me further into my reading slump was that all the new books coming out that seemed interesting to me were just too expensive for me to afford to buy. I looked up a couple of books that had just come out on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop (a website that allows you to support local bookstores) and on the actual websites of a few independent bookstores in my area. On almost all of these websites, the books I wanted were around $20 each.
I know that $20 isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but as a broke college student, I can’t afford or justify spending $20 on something I don’t really need. The fact that I wanted two books, which pushed my cart total to around $40, didn’t help.
After doing research on some cheaper options for my book buying needs, I decided to join the book subscription service Book of the Month. With Book of the Month, your first book through them is just $9.99, and every month you get a book after that it costs $14.99– and there’s free shipping! If you don’t want to get a new book one month or you aren’t done with your last book, you can skip the month at no charge.
I just received my first book through Book of the Month, and getting their little blue box and nice hardcover book made me feel excited to start reading consistently again!
- Join or start a book club with friends
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Over the summer, two of my friends and I read a book together and made a point to text each other about it. I know that’s not really a book club (more of a lazy version of it), but even the short text conversations we would have about the book we were all reading made me excited to pick it up and find out what was going to happen next.
Besides having someone to talk to about the book you’re reading, book clubs are great because you and your friends can motivate one another to keep on reading.
Jordyn Bodner, a third year at the University of Florida and a member of the Her Campus UFL PR and events team, explained that it can be hard to find “me time” as a college student. Although she loves reading, she rarely finds time to sit down with a good book because she is busy balancing working a job, taking a full class load and participating in extracurricular activities. The idea of a book club helps her feel excited to read more often because she knows she’ll be connecting and talking with other people reading the book with her.
Reading is usually a solitary act, but having others there to enjoy a book with you and motivate you to keep reading makes the experience even richer.
Bodner, inspired by this amazing way to connect with others while enjoying a good book, started a Her Campus UFL book club. When asked about her reason for wanting to start this book club, Bodner said that she grew up as a teacher’s kid, and no one ever understood when she’d choose to read a novel instead of watching a movie.
“Starting this book club is a way of showing my younger self that reading is power,” she said.
- Reread an old favorite
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For me, the feeling of no longer being excited about reading usually comes after starting a new book, not liking it as much as I thought I would and leaving it unfinished. After reading a book I didn’t connect with as much, I often find myself not trying to read another book again for a while.
One cure I found for this was to reread an old favorite novel. Reading a book that you know you already love is a great way to kick start your interest in reading again. There is nothing like the comfort of a familiar story.
Some people might think it would be boring to read a book you’ve already read, but I encourage you to try it anyway. Your perspective and headspace might have changed from the first time you read the book, and this might lead to completely different thoughts and feelings about the novel then what you took away from it the first time you read it.
- Listen to audio books
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While listening to an audio book is not technically the same as physically reading a book, it’s the same idea – you’re getting to enjoy a story someone wrote. Audio books are a great way to get excited about books, especially if you don’t really enjoy the act of sitting on the couch and reading a book for long periods of time.
You can do other things at the same time you listen to an audio book like cleaning your room, doing errands, working out or going on a long road trip. Audio books are great for times when you need to distract yourself and keep yourself entertained. The fact that you don’t have to make a huge time commitment to an audio book, and you can just listen to it as you get ready in the morning or are walking around campus makes it a great way to start reading again.
- Download book-related apps
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A great app that I discovered over the summer is called Libby or Overdrive, depending on the device that you’re accessing it on. Libby or Overdrive is an app that allows you to put in your library card number and check virtual books out for free! The app has a wide variety of books to choose from, and even very new and popular books are available for check out.
Another app that is sure to spark your excitement about reading is Likewise. On Likewise, you get reading recommendations based off books that you have already read and enjoyed. You can also follow people on Likewise and see their book recommendations.
Both of these apps provide free and innovative ways to easily get books and book recommendations!
In college, it’s hard to want to read for pleasure when we all already have so many mandatory readings that we have to complete for our actual classes. I get it. But I think that the fact that the only times we read things are because we have to for school makes us associate reading with homework or chores.
However, taking the time to remind yourself that reading can be relaxing and a way to unplug is important. All of the ways I mentioned in this article have worked for me whenever I’ve been in a reading slump, and I’m so happy they gave me the opportunity to fall in love with reading again. I hope they can do the same for you!