How to make a good habit of reading books?

Question

Hi! Friends,
I want to make a good habit of reading books whenever I'm free. Please tell me some tips to become a book worm. Also suggest some books of interest.

Answer 1

try multi tasking - i.e. when riding the bus or tube, read! When waiting for someone or something somewhere, read! Half your evening in reading and television sections and grow the reading part gradually until you can trow that damned TV out. Spend more time away from the computer - that's a tough one ;-)

Essentially, observe yourself for the first few days and learn to understand your habits. Idle time is reading time. Do your chores more purposeful to avoid them stretching across the whole day.

That's all stuff to allow you time to read... but wait - that's not the most important thing! You have to love to read first because if this is "work" for you, you won't be able to concentrate long and as soon as your mind wanders, reading becomes difficult as you need to keep going back to previous lines etc.

So I guess the most important thing is to find the kind of literature that keeps you interested, hooked, spellbound, tied to the pages... Be not afraid to put away a book that doesn't do it for you! Read the first 20 to 30 pages or so and if it doesn't grip you, take the next one! Reading something you don't enjoy is a waste of time!

Recommendations: Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash; Thackeray, Vanity Fair; Collins, The Women in White; Martel, Life of Pi; Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior; Cave, and the *** saw the Angel; Dostojewski, Crime and Punishment etc.

Answer 2

First find books that are interesting to you. Carry a book at all times when you are out. This way if you have a few moments you have a book to read, very good if you ride busses. If you find it difficult to read long books find a book of short stories. I joined the local library so I could try out different authors without having to buy books. Charity shops are also a good place to find cheap books. You will find that once you have a few good authors the stories will be compelling and you will have trouble putting them down. If you begin to read something and it is hard going or plain boring don't try to stick with it, find another book.

I read the following authors so have a look you might like one:

Stephen Coonts - spy novels
Terry Pratchett - a take off on life, classed as Fantasy
Dan Brown
Terry Brooks - Fantasy
Jeff Lindsay - A bit strange but good
Isaac Asimov - Sci-Fi

Lots of others. If you find an author you like there is usually a list of the books they have written in the book so you can look for other titles.

Answer 3

Turn the telly and computer off - both are time eaters. You'll be amazed how much you can read in an evening or times when you take the opportunity to read. If you don't have a favourite author or genre a book of short stories that catches your eye can be a good way of reading the works of a variety of writers. Once you know who/what you like there are websites that can suggest similar writers - www.fantasticfiction.co.uk is excellent for this. Visit your local library - if you're not paying for the book then you might be more likely to be adventurous. Literature courses are a good way of learning about new writers - you will be given a reading list which will (probably) force you to try writers you may never have considered - this is good. It did me a lot of good and introduced me to the classics and modern fiction.

My personal likes are 19th century fiction: Charles Dickens, Emile Zola, Gustave Flaubert, the Brontes, Jane Austen etc. Modern writers that I enjoy include Jonathan Coe, Alexander McCall Smith, Isla Dewar, Emily Barr, Khaled Hosseini.

I have a 360 page on which I review books - this may be helpful.
Good luck. I love to read and you can't beat a good book.

Answer 4

I find if you read a book which you generally find interesting then your instantly become involved, and will WANT to read it in every spare second of the day. I'm really into true crime, and thriller books so John Grisham to me is a good read, as well as the traditional horror writers such as Stephen King. I think once you find the genre which is best for you, you will soon learn that becoming a book worm isnt something you teach yourself, if your interested in the story, your want to read it till the end! Generally i read before I go to sleep

Answer 5

Congratulations for wanting to read books.
First, you should choose your titles and read several books at one time: read an easy book in the tube or in a bus; read books with a good story at other times, or read some philosophy (maybe start with "Sophie's choice").
Personally I used to be up quite early in the morning, then have breakfast and read for at least half an hour before going to work : this is a very relaxing habit and you are very receptive at that time of the day.

Answer 6

What you need to do is make time in your schedule for reading and when you have that get a gripping book. Try The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams or any other book that fits your genre of interest. Try to read a book without putting it down. I've tried it and it works really well.

Answer 7

Get someone to read with you, or start reading a book that someone you know is working on.
Being able to talk with someone else about their take on the book, and thinking about it critically yourself, makes the experience more rewarding.
And don't think that it needs to be award winning literature, either.

Getting into the habit of reading anything can lead to the habit of reading everything.

Some quick reads (heavy on sci fi and fantasy):
Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card
The Color of Magic, by Terry Pratchett
American Gods, Neil Gaiman

Answer 8

Buy a book, when you get bored, sit down and read it. Simple as that. As far as what, it depends on your interests. Do you like horror? Try anything by Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Check out what they have at the grocery stores. You can find some good paperbacks by bestsellers there. Or try some of the classics. Go to a library and just browse. If you want to read, you will be entertained.

Answer 9

Well to get into reading you have to find a book that really catches your interest and most of the time the author of that book would have other books written that could also be great reads for you. Find a type of book you like to read such as fantasy, science fiction, fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, etc...
If you enjoy reading fantasy I highly recomend any of Tamora Pierce's books to read, especially Terrier the newest book to her collection. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books are great too. There are so many great books out there to read that I could list but that would take too long...

Answer 10

Set aside some time for reading, for example after a meal, then it will also give the meal chance to digest. Turn the TV off, and sit down with a coffee, tea or whatever. I would not recommend reading horror stories in bed though.

Finding something you are interested in or an author you like may take some time. Something short, or a collection of short stories to start with, to help get you into the habit, then maybe graduate to the classics.