If you grew up thinking that reading is ‘ just not for you ’, you probably relate to moments like reading a long classic book for school and hating it, hearing about how reading makes you smarter, and never understanding how the quiet kid enjoys those big dull books.
Well, that’s fine. Even if you never liked reading, you can become a reader too!
True that some people are naturally born with a love of literature, but it’s not the case for most. Readers often experience a turning point in their lives where they discover how excellent reading is. And from there they start their journey, no matter how much they hated reading earlier.
Reading books has so many incredible benefits. Apart from the information you get, you develop a good sense of creativity, innovation, imagination, and the list goes on. So maybe this made you excited to start reading, but you still can’t beat your mind about how hard and dull it is.
This is the right place for you, dear reader-to-be. I came up with the recipe to solve your problem (of course can’t work without you willing to help). Let’s have a look:
How to start reading?
1- Forget about the old reading ideas:
No matter what your previous ideas about reading are, just put them apart momentarily. Go on with the will of discovering reading for the first time. Question why readers enjoy reading this much and try to find your answer.
You don’t want to be stubborn and reject activities that can later feel beneficial. Let it go, relax your mind, and get ready to experience the world of books, the like of which you never knew before.
2- Define your reading type:
Sometimes you pick a boring book, try so hard to pass the first twenty pages, and think this is what reading feels like. DO NOT fall for this!
Boring inconvenient books can be the biggest killers of your reading ambition. So before you start, you should recognize first what would you like to read.
Here are some general tips to help you out:
- What type of movies and shows do you like to watch? Thrillers? Mystery? Maybe you want to read something related.
- What types of books did you try before and felt off? Romance? Biography? Stay away from them for the moment.
- What do your hobbies look like? Do you love adventures? Try adventure stories. Or are you deep into art making? Maybe fantasy will suit you.
- What kind of content do you consume on social media? Inspirational? Self-help books can be good for you.
Ask yourself questions like this, and answer them honestly. They can lead you to the perfect reading genre that you will enjoy. Keep in mind that enjoying a book always comes first.
3- Start with small books:
Let’s say you found an exciting type that you want to try! Start small, do not overwhelm yourself with a ginormous book. You may feel hyped up to read it but keep your expectations modest.
Start with books, not over a hundred pages, with short chapters and few characters. This way, you will get your brain used to reading step by step, and trust me, once you get into it, you start craving your reading moments.
4- Consume books and reading content:
Well, this one is quite powerful. Bookworms have strong communities on social media, and you may find yourself in one of their lands any time (Just like you are reading my article now). Take advantage of that, follow visually pleasing pages, read their reviews, and watch reading vlogs. All this fantastic book content added to your home page will make you love and admire reading a bit more.
We all know how Tiktok has added value to the reading community in the last few years, as many book videos got viral and millions of people started reading and recommending them. Now we have a new term called Booktok, you can read more about it by clicking here.
5- Annotate and highlight:
The goal here is to fall in love with books, right? So do everything fun related to reading.
Annotating books with cute stickers is such a trendy thing to do. Define for each color a feeling (like happy, sad, angry, cute …) and put them all over your book. It will give your book and library an aesthetic look, and help you go back to specific paragraphs whenever you desire.
Highlighting is also a splendid idea. Maybe you love a good quote or a heartwarming sentence. Go ahead and highlight that! Your books will become shiny and bright. You will easily find quotes whenever wanted, and that’s more fun counted to your new hobby.
This practice right here is a great one if you want to romanticize your reading!
Conclusion : Congrats! You are getting there
These pieces of advice are adequate for you to start. Now that you have all the essentials that make the basics of a reader, the rest comes with practice and the love you build for books. With time, you start exploring readathons, reading challenges, book clubs, and much more.
So find the genre that suits you, follow fun book pages, get your cute sticky notes, and have fun with your reading journey.
Are you a reader already? You may like these topics:
Hello Noha I am Ahmed Mardat I Am really proud of you
wish you the best
Omg Hello teacher! That’s my pleasure, thank you soo much.