How to Read More Books

How do I read so much? I have read 40 books already this calendar year....and I actually spend the majority of time during the business week specifically on my writing or on tasks that help me with my search for full time work.

My husband put this article on my Facebook page today and it addresses many of the tactics that I use use in making sure that I meet all of my reading goals. This article is worth reading!

Find it here: How to Read More Books 

I would add a few things that has helped me read more books

1) Using Goodreads to track the books that I am reading. I tend to read multiple books at a time and I often consult Goodreads to see if there is a book that I should resume reading. While there is a social media aspect to Goodreads I find it a good way to track everything that I am reading.

2) Allowing myself to abandon a book if I am not enjoying the process. I've found in fiction that I do not need to like characters but I do need to find them compelling and want to know where the story is going.  For non-fiction I need to feel like I will continue to learn something if I stick with the whole book.  My primary complaint with non fiction is feeling like there is not anything else I truly need to get out of the book.  However the lack of citing studies and sources has made me throw books aside thinking that they are academically sloppy. My amendment to this allowance I give myself to abandon a book is if I promised someone I would discuss it with them. Typically this is due to taking a class or promising someone I would give an impression of the book.

How does this help me read more? My list of books I WANT to read is so long and I am not wasting my time on books that I do not want to read. One of my absolutely favorite reading blogs Book Riot has an article on abandoning books that I found to be a good resource in making this decision.

3) Find a way to read books that people are talking about. This is why some people love getting involved with book clubs. Despite living in a highly literate community I have yet to find a club that would work for my various needs. But paying attention to current trends is a great way to be socially motivated for me as I can have a quick casual conversation about things that may come up. Some of my favorite things to do to stay up to date are as follows: 1) Subscribing to book subscription boxes (my favorite is Book of the Month and once I am financially stable again I REALLY want to try Nocturnal Readers), 2) comparing books to the movie or TV shows (I am overdue to reread Outlander which I haven't read since high school but I LOVE the TV show) 3) Browsing bookstores and amazon charts to see what's new


But overall the article on how to read more books touches  on a lot of the topics that I would uplift. I am just jealous that I did not think of writing an article like this myself!