5 Ways to Increase Your Reading
By Hannah Dendas of naptime book review
Happy New Year! If you made a resolution to make 2022 the year you start reading more, I’m here to help.
First things first: establish your goal and make it measurable. For example, your goal could be to read one book a month or to read 6 nonfiction books in the year. Once you have your goal, read on for a few helpful tips to hit that goal.
1. Start off with something short
To give yourself a boost of confidence, pick an easy or short book to tackle first. Once you get one under your belt you’ll have a little momentum to keep going.
Southern Lady Code is a hilarious collection of short stories about marriage and family that had me literally laughing out loud. To give you a taste of Ellis’ sense of humor, her mantra is “if you don’t have anything nice to say, say something not so nice in a nice way.”
Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis
Short Stories
PRICE: $15
2. Add audio
Audiobooks are a great way to increase your reading, especially if you don’t have time to actually sit down with a book. I love listening to a book while I clean my kitchen, go out for a walk, or run errands in the car. They are widely available through libraries with the Libby app or you can use Libro.fm to support your local bookstore.
The Dutch House is not only a beautifully written story but the audio is narrated by Tom Hanks. He has a very calming voice and handles multiple characters with ease. I only wish he narrated more books!
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Fiction
Price: $31 full price / $15 w/ libro.fm membership
3. Join a book club
Whether you choose to follow a book club from a celebrity like Reese Witherspoon (@reesesbookclub), a podcast like Bad On Paper, or a local library, a book club will introduce you to new books and new people. Having the “deadline” of a book club meeting can help some people to finish a book and the discussion will deepen the understanding.
Cultish is the current selection for one of my book clubs. Montell has extensively researched the history and language of cults and writes with humor to show how they wield their power. It’s a fascinating look into many well-known religions, fitness crazes, politicians, and brands.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Nonfiction
Price: $26
4. Pick a challenge
There are all kinds of reading challenges out there like BookRiots Read Harder Challenge with 24 reading prompts (such as “read a book set in a bookstore”) to PopSugar’s 40 prompts (plus 10 bonus prompts in case 40 isn’t enough for you). This year I’ll be attempting the alphabet challenge, which entails reading a book that starts with each letter of the alphabet. If you know of a good book that starts with X please leave it in the comments!
The Turnout would check off “a book you can read in one sitting” from the PopSugar challenge. It’s a thriller set at a ballet school run by two sisters and has such a deep sense of foreboding that I couldn’t put it down. Abbott is able to make the mundane details of ballet life beautiful and intriguing but in a gritty, twisted way.
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
Thriller
Price: $21
5. The DNF (Did Not Finish)
I am here to say that it is ok to not finish a book if you are not into it, even if it is a popular/best seller/classic/gift/book club pick. My rule is I give it 50 pages and if it is not speaking to me I move along. There are so many good books out there; it isn’t worth it to waste your time on something you don’t enjoy.
Circe is a book that I consistently recommend even though it is on my own personal DNF list. It is brilliantly written and executed but it is about Greek Mythology, which is something that I am not into. We read this in one of my book clubs and I was the only person who did not like it so I’m confident that even though I didn’t finish it there are many, many people out there who love it.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Fantasy
Price: $16
Hannah Dendas is a Postpartum Doula and Certified Lactation Counselor but since the pandemic, mostly a stay-at-home mom to her three young kids.
Always an avid reader, Hannah recently started sharing book reviews on her Instagram page @naptimebookreview. She has a book stashed in nearly every room of her house, is a frequent visitor to her local library, and loves historical fiction.