It’s a new year, with new reading prospects and new challenges – primarily for me, to fall back into the love of reading. I dip in and out of how much I love setting time aside to pick up a good book, I’ve managed to pick up on what makes me enjoying reading, so I thought I’d share them with you.
1) Always enjoy your book, if you’re not enjoying it then don’t continue with it. I started a book the other day, read 20 pages and hated it, I couldn’t follow the story. So instead of waisting time on that read and dreaming of my next, I put the book down. I left a bookmark in it, perhaps trying to trick my brain into thinking this wasn’t a permanent abandonment, but really it’s fine if it is.
2) Pick your next read based on what you fancy there and then. I gave up on the idea of TBR’s many moons ago, it was too restrictive and sometimes I found myself wanting to read a totally different book, when the time came to choosing. So goodbye to organised lists of which book to read when and hello to random choices and appealing plots!
3) Don’t just buy a book because of the hype, buy it because the plot appeals to you. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have bought a book because I’ve seen it mentioned hundreds of times on Twitter and Bookstagram, but a good reputation does not mean a plot I will enjoy. It’s okay not to like the books that everyone else likes, vary your reading and grow your tastes, choose books because they excite you, not everyone else!
4) Do not cover buy, I repeat, do not cover buy! I have bought plenty of book because they are stunning and would look amazing in photos and on my shelves, but believe it or not, this doesn’t equal your enjoyment when reading the book. I have read some really amazing books, favourite book worth books intact, that have shocking and unappealing covers!
5) Read when you want to, don’t feel like you have to set yourself timed goals when you have to pick up your book. Sometimes I will read at random times in the day because I just feel like it, usually I can’t concentrate on my book if I plan to read it way in advance, readathons for example! The best way to really enjoy reading, is to do it when you really fancy it, you’ll get the most out of it then.
