Getting back into reading: experiences & advice!

[fatgrrlz]

I was talking to some friends of mine about this very discussion and I realized it would make for a great forum thread topic!

Getting back into reading books for leisure can be a challenge - whether you were a voracious reader as a kid and fell out of love with reading by the cruel educational system, or were never into it in the first place and want to get into it.

If you’re just getting into reading as a teen/adult/etc., what has your experience been like? For those that have successfully gotten into it, what are some tips or advice that could help those struggling?

-

I myself, I only really read anything if it was for school, or if it was an educational reading material for whatever I was doing (HTML guides, book tutorials for jewelry making, the like). And while I’ve picked up a stray book here or there and gave it an earnest go, I’d quickly drop off for one reason or another. The only book/series I’ve actually gotten myself to consistently read through was Diary of a Wimpy Kid - although obviously juvenile since it’s for kids, it was very easy to digest (not to mention nostalgic for someone who grew up in the height of its popularity). I think I put the series down after finishing Dog Days. I don’t think there is any harm in trying books intended for younger audiences if you aren’t an avid reader, they are made with the intention of being easy reads after all :) it’s just important to remember that it’s, well, for kids, and may be nonsensical or alienating to someone that’s older.

A big issue I tend to have is that when I look for something to read, I get choice paralysis - there’s a ton of books out there, and I’ve been burned one too many times by books that I try out that I just can’t enjoy. Anyone relate?

[CableCat]

Ooooh my friends and I started a book club on the app Fable to get back into reading! We read The Fourth Wing which recently blew up on TikTok because our friend wanted us to read it. I'm not personally on TikTok, but I did hear the book blew up in part because on the paper edges it had shadow images of dragons and was a super aesthetically pretty book. But we read it and the contents were super enjoyable! Like a Dragon "chosen one" fantasy YA but for more like ages 18-23.

My mommy used to read books to me before bedtime every night, and I always had access to books and a bookshelf in my room. So even before starting school, I had happy experiences with reading that school could not suck the joy from!

When I had to read books in middle and high school, I found joy in reading manga because it was easier to read. I could finish a whole volume with like 5 or 6 chapters in only one hour. It was also a treat for me to get to go to the mall and explore Books-a-Million and get to pick out a book to buy. I read comics, manga, YA novels, and we also had Encyclopedias like a big mythology encyclopedia!

I guess my advice is if you want to get back into reading for fun, read ANYTHING that sparks your interest! I feel like with attention spans being shot after socials media, it is more important you read something that grips your attention. Then dig deeper. So like, if a short batman comic sparks your interest, read that! Then try reading a longer Batman comic, or try to read the rest of the series. Then as your attention span grows, maybe try reading a novel interpretation or expansion of Batman if you can find one. And as you read more, take note of what you like and don't like.

And definitely get your local library card!! Just take an hour or two if you can, go to the library, and browse. Pick up books, read a little bit, see if it sparks your interest. In the United States, we have wonderful library systems that you should absolutely take advantage of! You can get lots of free and discounted access to books and many other resources, so you can read new materials without paying a dime!

[Finel]

Getting back into reading for fun is hard!

When I was a kid I used to read everyday, real typical book worn. I even slept with a book under my pillow, no joke.
As I gotten older I had less free time and more things I wanted to do with that time, and with time I just kinda stopped.

Now days it is different, I go through phases, Either I am enthralled by a book or you can't pay me to sit in one place for more then 10 minutes. I guess the adhd has something to do with it but I don't know.

My biggest reading pushes this last few years were:

• When I had a job where many shifts were empty and uneventful and there was nobody to talk to, BOOM, perfect time for a book, I am stuck in this one room for many hours anyhow, might as well read. I went through books like a thirsty man went through water bottles. simply cause there was nothing else to do
• I was sick and bed ridden and kinda lost in life and I saw some silly book I heard about some time back is free so I downloaded it, a week later I finished the trilogy, felt better, still lost, but better.

I am not the greatest reader but here are some stuff that helped me here and there:

First things that help me is knowing I can read whatever I feel like in the moment and I don't have to actually finish anything.
Sometimes I'm just like "I feel like reading a collection of post apocalypse short stories" or "I am very in the mood for a sports romance" or "I want to read something that will make me weep my eyes out", and that is what I will be doing for the next few days until I am done.
This might sound like maybe not that big of a tip but allowing myself to read more "silly" books (like @fatgrrlz with the dairy of a whimpy kid), and allowing myself to drop books if I just don't enjoy them anymore really helped me not getting stuck.
And to add to what @CableCat said, comics is a wonderful entry point to get back into reading if words on page are daunting (also comics are great by themselves in general).

Another thing that might help is reading with someone else, think like a reading club. during school most of the books I read I read with other people. When my class all suddenly got interested in John Green and I wanted to join in. A new girl in school who was new to the country would let me borrow her English books and that's how we bonded. A friend who got really interested in Rainbow Rowel so I read some of her books along with my friend.
Sometimes finding a reading buddy can keep you focused and interested, and it is fun to talk about it later, might even make one appreciate the book better.

Logging my books is also very helpful to me but that's it because I love lists and graphs, the simple joy of hitting a reading goal and seeing a pie chart of what genres I read that year is so fun for me.

-
When it comes to choice paralysis I only share part of the problem, there are books upon books I want to read and I am almost sure I will enjoy but there is so many and only so much free time.
I know a lot more books then I read, I tend to hover around reading circles online, I know what's popular and I know what is niche and I know where to find good recommendations for my niche. I have a lot of friends that read and sometimes I will get a message like "this book is so you" and will know they are right, adding another book to the reading list.

I think it is important to figure out what you like, and find something that fits that. Or maybe find someone (better if it's someone you actually know) that you can trust can recommend you something that fits your tastes.

One time I was trying to decide which book to take to a trip out of a stack of the top five in my reading list, I took out anything fantasy- since I didn't feel like fantasy that week, took out a sad book- didn't wanna cry in front of people, and compared the ratings of the rest of the books since I kinda didn't know how to decide. There are many ways to filter, none are perfect.

[BlazingCobaltX]

Lots of great advice already that I have also applied. Specifically, what worked for me was to start with short books that fit my interest. I started with Metamorphosis, which is only 60 or-so pages. Don't feel bad about doing that! If you're like me and had little concentration left, short books are a great way to rebuild that.

If you are stuck on what genre books to read, pick one that you feel a lot of interest towards and just stick with that for a while. Reading books also involves developing a personal taste, for which you first need to read some. Writing down what you like and dislike about a book is optional, but it makes it more engaging and helps you pin down elements you enjoy in books.

Finally, other mediums than books count too. If you enjoy manga or comics more, I personally find that valid. Start with whatever feels easiest and most accessible and build up from there. And certainly don't feel pressured to finish things you don't like; there's too much choice out there to force your way through a bad time. 

And definitely get your local library card!! Just take an hour or two if you can, go to the library, and browse. Pick up books, read a little bit, see if it sparks your interest. In the United States, we have wonderful library systems that you should absolutely take advantage of! You can get lots of free and discounted access to books and many other resources, so you can read new materials without paying a dime!

+1, and supporting your local library also helps your community.

[Yukari]

In high school I was huge on reading, but I didn't get back into it until the quarantine. Boredom has that effect on people xD

I connected my library card to Libby and bought a cheap used Kindle to read eBooks, HOWEVER! I don't recommend kindle, not just because amazon, but because it shows you adverts every time you turn it off, and you have to PAY to remove them. If I had known this, I would have bought a non-amazon eReader (I've heard good things about Kobo readers).

The loans from my library only last 3 weeks, and to be honest, I'm only able to finish books in that time frame if I'm extremely invested or if the book is pretty short. Sometimes, instead of borrowing the Kindle version of the book, I'll borrow a generic ePub, and do some de-DRM stuff with Calibre so I can keep it longer than 3 weeks (this might be considered morally bad but I like piracy).

idk if the following will be useful advice, but a nice thing about eReaders is that you can hide how far you are into the book. And for me, the reading experience is less daunting if I can't tell how much of the book is left. In video games, there's a concept of exit points; basically places where it feels natural to put the game down. Apparently, a lot of people consider the end of chapters in books to be good exit points. Some people (me) feel pressured to read until these exit points, even if it means they end up skimming the pages or not absorbing the info. When I use an eReader, I don't feel weird stopping in the middle of a scene. Again, this is my personal preference, but maybe this also applies to some people here?

[chicken]

Over the years I have become a great collector of books--but actually reading them is a different story

I read a lot as a kid! School had me reading all the time, and I also liked a lot of different books about animals and science and such. As I got older, however, I slowly dropped off until I barely read at all anymore. And it's not for lack of trying! But for some reason I just can't get myself to commit to reading consistently or finishing anything anymore unless it's very particularly entwined with my interests at that moment (like late last year right after I got into Star Trek TOS, I was able to finish Leonard Nimoy's autobiographies in a matter of weeks. I'm still proud of that :'-D). Something to do with it seeming like too much commitment for my brain, I think?

I want to get back into reading very bad! When I can get into it, it's such a wonderful feeling to get caught up in a book. The advice said here is very good and I'm going to try to apply it, I really think I do need to accept that I can read whatever I want whenever I want, and it's okay to not finish it. I have trouble coming back to things after dropping them for a while too, which I need to accept is okay--I've reread the beginning chapters of Jurassic Park at least 3 times by now because my brain can't handle picking up where I left off and I have nothing to show for it!

Starting with shorter stories and building your way up to longer books is a smart idea as well that I'll definitely try. I'm gonna see if I can go to the library tomorrow, too; I'm lucky enough to live just a few minutes away from one, and I've gotta take advantage of that more often!

I think I can relate to the choice paralysis; there's so many books out there to choose from, and if I don't know exactly what I want to read, more than likely I'll end up reading nothing. I don't have much to offer in the way of advice, but if you want to begin reading consistently I think adding it into your routine can help. When I did find a book I really liked, I started reading a chapter or so every morning, or sometimes just a few paragraphs (during that time I was reading before I had to go to work--I cut it close a few times LOL), and if I wanted to read more later I did that as well. Building a habit out of it can help make it easier if your schedule allows for it. Even just reading a few sentences every day is still something! :-)

[serenefork]

I've found that graphic novels and short stories have been the easiest first step into getting back into reading. I recently read a public domain short story from 1909 ("The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster) and it was short enough that I finished it quickly and it was one of the first words only stories I've read for my own enjoyment in so long. 

[fatgrrlz]

It's been really fun reading this thread so far! I wanted to wait until I got home from work to properly respond to some of you guys :3 Putting my responses under a cut cause this got longgggg

Spoiler

Ooooh my friends and I started a book club on the app Fable to get back into reading! We read The Fourth Wing which recently blew up on TikTok because our friend wanted us to read it.

Fable looks like a very interesting app! I unfortunately don't have any friends that are interested in reading or starting a book club, so I may check it out.

I read a lot as a kid! School had me reading all the time, and I also liked a lot of different books about animals and science and such. As I got older, however, I slowly dropped off until I barely read at all anymore. And it's not for lack of trying! But for some reason I just can't get myself to commit to reading consistently or finishing anything anymore unless it's very particularly entwined with my interests at that moment (like late last year right after I got into Star Trek TOS, I was able to finish Leonard Nimoy's autobiographies in a matter of weeks. I'm still proud of that :'-D). Something to do with it seeming like too much commitment for my brain, I think?

...

I think I can relate to the choice paralysis; there's so many books out there to choose from, and if I don't know exactly what I want to read, more than likely I'll end up reading nothing. I don't have much to offer in the way of advice, but if you want to begin reading consistently I think adding it into your routine can help. When I did find a book I really liked, I started reading a chapter or so every morning, or sometimes just a few paragraphs (during that time I was reading before I had to go to work--I cut it close a few times LOL), and if I wanted to read more later I did that as well. Building a habit out of it can help make it easier if your schedule allows for it. Even just reading a few sentences every day is still something! :-)

You have a good point on reading what you're interested in. Definitely worthwhile to see if there's any books relating to games, movies, and other media you enjoy. TIL there are quite a few books set in the world of Halo and Dragon Age.

And definitely get your local library card!! Just take an hour or two if you can, go to the library, and browse. Pick up books, read a little bit, see if it sparks your interest. In the United States, we have wonderful library systems that you should absolutely take advantage of! You can get lots of free and discounted access to books and many other resources, so you can read new materials without paying a dime!

I connected my library card to Libby...

Fellow public library/Libby enjoyers detected They have incredibly important resources! Besides offering the typical library offerings, ours in Phoenix offers culture passes (they allow admission for 2 at various museums and gardens around the city) and a "bookmobile" that travels across the city to places like schools, churches, and senior communities acting as a mobile library :3 and most libraries are part of library collectives that offer e-books, audiobooks, and more through Libby. I don't really have much time on my hands to visit my local library, so Libby is great for finding books to read and supporting my library through checking books out!

If the library collective you have access to doesn't have what you're looking for, make sure to check and see if there are other libraries you are eligible for a card for! For example: When I was still living in Ohio, I was able to get a free card from the Cleveland Public Library - even if I didn't live in Cleveland - because they had a requirement that was simply being a resident in Ohio. This gave me access to CLEVNET on Libby, which allowed me to browse even more books than the Ohio Digital Library offered.

... and bought a cheap used Kindle to read eBooks, HOWEVER! I don't recommend kindle, not just because amazon, but because it shows you adverts every time you turn it off, and you have to PAY to remove them. If I had known this, I would have bought a non-amazon eReader (I've heard good things about Kobo readers).

idk if the following will be useful advice, but a nice thing about eReaders is that you can hide how far you are into the book. And for me, the reading experience is less daunting if I can't tell how much of the book is left. In video games, there's a concept of exit points; basically places where it feels natural to put the game down. Apparently, a lot of people consider the end of chapters in books to be good exit points. Some people (me) feel pressured to read until these exit points, even if it means they end up skimming the pages or not absorbing the info. When I use an eReader, I don't feel weird stopping in the middle of a scene. Again, this is my personal preference, but maybe this also applies to some people here?

I think it's absolutely applicable! Although you can read books on any system, eReaders enable a degree of accessiblity to them that something like your typical tablet or iPad can't, since it's tailor-made explicitly for reading (and a quarter of the price new!). There's a lot of pros and cons with the different brands out there too - my mom uses a Kobo Libra 2 and she enjoys it a lot, but also finds it rather heavy/hard to use at times.

I've found that graphic novels and short stories have been the easiest first step into getting back into reading. I recently read a public domain short story from 1909 ("The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster) and it was short enough that I finished it quickly and it was one of the first words only stories I've read for my own enjoyment in so long. 

Totally recommend short stories! Terry Pratchett has a few books that are collections of short stories that I found very fun to read through. I believe it was A Blink of the Screen that I read.

[close]

[owlhari]

we were one of those kids that could devour a 500-page novel in a single day. but then high school hit, we got very busy (and also got some very terrible mental health, whoops) and didn't really have the time for reading anymore. the only stuff we read was the required reading for english class.

well, we still read fanfiction. still do! and still write it, alongside our original works. fanfic is nice when you want a short story about characters you already care about. or a novel-length deep dive into the world that will leave you thinking about it for days. but fanfic is a different experience than published fiction. a different flavor, maybe. both are great but sometimes you wanna expand your palate because one flavor's getting a little stale.

since we started college (and gained a bunch of free time that we never had in high school) we've been trying to start reading original fiction again. most of the books we read are on libby, using our local library card. physical books are nice. but we also wanted to combat the daily problem of: "well, we're laying in bed on our phone. should we doomscroll or stand up to get a book?" the answer will always be doomscroll unless the book is also on the phone.

we started with books we remembered from our childhood. one of the first ones was warrior cats, just to experience what reading warrior cats would be like as an adult. (it was interesting for sure. only reread the first book haha) then read coraline, then the martian. the martian is a comfort book for some weird reason. anyway.

we tried to find books we hadn't read before, but often found that we would become afraid we wouldn't like it and the time spent reading would be a waste. which is very silly, because we don't have that fear when watching tv or buying video games, for the most part. still trying to fight that feeling, especially because we'd probably like a lot of the books we're "scared" of!

to help with that, we've been letting ourself just... not finish a book if we're not vibing. or if we're just not in the right time to finish it. we're sure we'd like discworld, so we started reading one of them, but then got really busy and stopped a quarter through. and that's okay. maybe we'll pick it up again, maybe we won't, maybe we'll just read another discworld book instead. reading should be fun, and if it's not fun then we should stop!

[KatKing]

im very picky with the media i consume. i dont mean to be, its just hard for me to get into anything. with a tv show or movie i can look at screenshots, or see a clip, or watch a trailer, and decide if it looks interesting. with books you really cant do any of that. browsing my local library is such a pain. i look for covers that look interesting, even though logically i know that doesnt mean much. i read the backs, and nothings interesting. All i see are names buzzwords and snippets of plot. i put it back, because how do i even know if its good or not?

i like reading though, so i wish i could find more books. sadly, i havnt read many books. i just cant bring myself to commit to a book unless i really like it and i usually dont. but i have older books that i read when i was younger i really like. so i know what i like. but i dont. its weird.

for me, i really enjoy reading nonfiction. i found that out after dejectedly going to that section after not finding any fiction books that seemed enjoyable. theres a lot of cool stuff there. if you just want to read anything, see if any non fiction strikes your fancy. something probably will.

as for fiction, idk... once you find a book you like try looking up what other fans of the book like. or books that are simular. might help

[Memory]

Give the books their daily place. For me, it's before going to sleep. I think it's quite good to do something off-screen before going to sleep.
But my books are mostly biographies of racing drivers of the 50s... so no high-tense fiction. Too much action would make falling asleep harder.

School definetly consisted out of lots of books with overcomplicated language, that deserve to be left in the dust really. What's the point of writing books? Well, to be able to read them, first of all. That's the authors job to make the story happen, to make the imagination of the reader travel far, to transport information, whatever...

Michael Ende saved my reading experience (to be precise "Momo"). And kids can read his books as well. That's true art, to write books for kids that can entertain adults (same goes for movies). To have a deep and interesting plot, you don't need complex sentences. I'd say if you want to get back to reading, get a classic kids story.

[TheFrugalGamer]

...we tried to find books we hadn't read before, but often found that we would become afraid we wouldn't like it and the time spent reading would be a waste. which is very silly, because we don't have that fear when watching tv or buying video games, for the most part. still trying to fight that feeling, especially because we'd probably like a lot of the books we're "scared" of!...

I totally get this! For me it's 100% an anxiety thing. I get really apprehensive when consuming new media because it's unfamiliar, and I like to watch/read/listen to the same thing over and over again, because I find it calming. It's great for a while, but sometimes I do have to kick myself to get out of a rut, because it's not always good for me. It's something I'm always having to work on.

as for fiction, idk... once you find a book you like try looking up what other fans of the book like. or books that are simular. might help

For me what has helped was getting really picky with the tags and genre names. I know they're just marketing tools, but signing up for Goodreads (or similar) and digging down through the categories has helped me find a lot of fiction books that I've really liked. Sometimes I feel like we might as well make the algorithms work for us if they're going to insist on sticking around.

[MrsMoe]

It would be a stretch to say I real a LOT as a kid, but there were definitely a few books I loved as a kid and spent my free time during school with (mainly Warrior Cats and Harry Potter). I was in the same situation as most of you, with high school taking up all my time and making me far too stressed out to even think about books.

I'm still struggling to get back into them, but I think I got a good routine down. I'm finally able to go to my local library and even though it's REALLY small, I managed to get three really neat books out of it (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Interview with a Vampire, and Dracula). My plan is to basically start my day off by reading one chapter from each of them. This might not work for everybody, but starting each day by reading a small bit of a book might develop a good habit.

[CableCat]

+1, and supporting your local library also helps your community.

Thank you for highlighting this! Responding to add on about how libraries help your local communities:

1) They allow access to books and internet, and also just a safe, quiet, air conditioned space that people in your community may be financially barred from in other circumstances (not being able to pay internet or electric bill, not being able to afford a working computer, limited amounts of books, unsafe home environment, etc.)

2) They provide "third places" for kids, teens, and adults. People in general have work/school and home, but the local library is a safe and education "third place" to go to that provides social events, education, and enrichment. The events held are age appropriate and often facilitated by volunteers.

3) Local teens often earn scholarships through accumulating volunteering hours, so by having higher demand for services, libraries will take on more volunteers thus expanding those opportunities to meet volunteering requirements for teens.

4) The ways libraries allocate their budgets is based on demand and need from the community. I was told by a librarian in my old county that they will stock more of certain genres and titles of books based on how often certain books are in demand/being checked out. The librarians keep digital databases of the check-in and check-out information, and they use that information to determine how to meet the demand of their communities. So by checking out books you like, you increase demand for those books! More community involvement justifies a larger budget and growing the public library.

5) Many librarians in the United States are passionate about providing access to information, even when certain people may wish to restrict or censor information. Libraries become a point where accessing ideas outside of those of your own community spheres is possible. This is important for community growth, social justice, personal development, etc.

6) Libraries sometimes also provide access to streaming services and educational resources online, as well as digital and audio book versions of books to increase accessibility to information without financial barrier.

7) Librarians are usually wonderful people who will help you find the answer to any question. They will be the signpost to guide you to the information you are seeking without judgement (usually).

8) Libraries provide events and resources for parents and children to help encourage early development and literacy!

9) Some libraries also have Libraries of Things full of tools you can check out to maintain your home and property. Tools that would normally be expensive for the average homeowner to purchase! And some have Seed Libraries where nurseries and local garden clubs donate local heirloom and organic seeds. Library card holders can get free local and organic seeds to grow their own produce on their property or in community gardens! These things encourage keeping well-maintained and self-sufficient communities and neighborhoods.

That's what I can think of at the moment, but many libraries go well-beyond just books. But by engaging with your local library you can help to grow these resources for your local community! So please, go get your library card and check out books. Pick up a flier for their events. Make suggestions if you think a resource or event could benefit your local community. Maybe even see if they take donations if you are able to give one! Volunteer your time if you can. You cannot go wrong by making a visit to your library!

[Yaya]

Getting back into reading is definitely super tough! I had this happen in college when I was reading a lot for school and could not get myself to read for pleasure. I also had this happen again as during COVID I really wasn't reading that much.

How did I get out of it?

I found two solutions that worked for me:

One was to make a list of books I wanted to read (on GoodReads, but you can do wherever) and sort them by page length. I then started with the smallest books (which were sub 50 pages) and worked my way up till I was back to reading 250-300pg books.

Secondly, I gave myself permission to take books I didn't really want to read off the list and not feel bad about it, and also permission to stop books midway if I wasn't feeling it. I have ADHD, so sometimes if I don't want to do something it's just because I'm not that into it, so at that point I usually give myself a break till a new book grabs my interest.

Book clubs help too!