Background:
I’m in my 40s and I’ve always sort of beaten myself up over not being an avid reader. I go through phases where I read a bunch, sometimes I’ll finish a book in a months time, sometimes start a book and forget it, sometimes it seems like I go literally years without really getting into any book at all. But I still accumulate them.
Because of how important reading is and now I “fail” to prioritize it, I’ve always found myself in a poor relationship with reading. I feel this artificial pressure to read things that are only important and will somehow make me more useful. I feel this artificial pressure to start one book and read it to the end. I feel this artificial pressure to become a changed person by fully investing every bit of info from every book.
I’ve been learning that these pressures are untenable.
I’ve also noticed that I partake in all kinds of things without the same expectations: tv shows, games, podcasts, media and news outlets, social media, etc.
Right now I have 6 books that I am actively reading, and I am trying to remember that it’s for enjoyment and not some high level goal. Someone told me if I read 10 pages a day I would finish about 10 books a year. I found this so encouraging.
Taking the pressure off of reading has really helped me get more productive at reading, and I think it will help me convert my habit into a truly fruitful one.
So now I ask you:
- What are your reading habits like?
- What do you like to read?
- What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?
- Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?
- What else?
I don’t read much for entertainment. Never have. The focus on “reading is super important” is honestly pretty stupid in my opinion. 99% of the shit people are reading is probably trashier than any other form of entertainment but people act like its a mark of a superior intellect because they are flipping through pages of a book.
I also find the physical act of reading a book to be incredibly distracting from consuming the information therein. I read much more efficiently and enjoyably using digital platforms than I ever did with printed media. I’m in my mid 30’s and probably an outlier for my age group in regards to how I feel about books.
Its just another form of entertainment, should not be put on a pedestal, and is really just as valid (or invalid) as any other form of entertainment—if you don’t find yourself drawn to it then don’t beat yourself up about it. No one is going around belittling people for not watching enough movies during a given annum; why treat reading a book like it’s some great and noble act?
I read for work and fun.
I like a number of different genres, historical novels, fantasy, SciFi, thriller, and many more. No crimes or romances, and biographies are a waste of paper 99% of the time.
I’m married with adult kids, and having a family and work curbs my reading time.
I started reading digital books a few decades ago, and have roughly the same amount of real and digital books, both in the five digits range.
I’m a fast reader. As a kid, I read a few novels a day. All libraries within bike range knew me, and I rarely needed a library pass. I still read faster than others, and I switched to reading English books (English is not my native language) to intentionally cut down my reading speed to 100 to 200 pages per hour. I currently proof read and edit English books for fun.
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I tend to go through phases in which whenever I find a bunch of books I’m really interested in, I’ll read a ton. But, once I finish those, I’ll read less for a while. I think my top speed if I’m really invested in what I’m reading is around 800 pages a day, but I never sustain that for long because I run out of book.
I pretty much exclusively read fantasy, with a focus on books with hard magic systems, progression elements, and/or some sort of cultivation (which itself is a progression element).
When I was a kid, I struggled with reading for years because I wasn’t interested in anything I read at school. I only really started reading a ton when I found books I was interested in (fantasy), which in turn made me a lot better at reading from all the practice.
Somewhat more recently, I’ve started reading webnovels in between traditionally published books, which is nice because you get a continuous drip of content. I also generally just read on my phone, as it’s very convenient to pop out a book wherever I am. I like physical books too, but I don’t tend to get through them as fast because I can’t fit them in my pocket and take them with me everywhere.
My experience is that if you want to develop a habit of reading a lot, you should focus on finding something you enjoy, as it’s a lot easier to make a habit of doing something you like than something you don’t like.
You just described my reading habits pretty precisely…quick, give me a new series to read that fits those descriptions
Well, it’s a bit late to be considered quick, but here’s some of my favorite series that I’ve read recently:
- Firebrand by Quill - magic school story about a boy who lives in a Roman inspired setting. The story also extends a few books after his graduation from school, which I liked.
- Mother of Learning by nobody103 - also takes place in a magic school, but in a very different setting. It’s also a time loop story and one of the best series I’ve ever read.
- Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz - pretty standard Xianxia story, but very well written. It’s still ongoing, but it’s older, so there’s a lot of free chapters already out and arcs finished.
- Mage Errant by John Bierce - another magic school type story (evidently I really like those), with a really interesting magic system and world building. John Bierce also has a patreon with a bunch of short stories, which I enjoy, and all his books have a bunch of recommendations for other stories at the end, which I’ve used to find good stuff in the past.
- Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin - This story focuses a bit more of character development than I usually prefer, but the combat, characters, setting, and magic are all great. It has a unique take on cultivation, where your power is built as a “soulhome” inside your soul, and the construction of that home gives various advantages and disadvantages along with your powers.
- Paranoid Mage by InadvisablyCompelled - this is one of the few urban fantasy books that I’ve really liked. The protagonist finds out he’s a mage at like 30 or something, but the magical government is even more tyranical than the non-magical one, so he goes on the run and tries to fight back however he can. He often makes do by making clever use of his space magic.
- The Iron Teeth by Clear Madness - This story has a goblin protagonist, and it does a good job of showing how he thinks differently from a human. I also really like the worldbuilding and how the magic systems work and are limited.
I’m even later getting around to reading this, but thanks for the suggestions!
Mostly audiobooks, 2x speed, a lot of hours a day. I do use an ereader sometimes. I’ve started collecting (just regular hardcover, mostly) physical copies of some of my favorites, but I don’t really read them like that. When possible I read entire series from beginning to end consecutively. Audiobooks and visual reading are generally different books.
Mostly mystery, in a wide variety of settings, tones, levels of intensity, but some pure fantasy. Nonfiction is mostly psychology, but some science, other stuff as well. (180 new books this year), but I re-read as much as I read new. I don’t set goals or anything, just use the “goal” to see the number each year out of curiosity.
Mid-30s, IDK. I read a bunch as a kid, then stopped the habit through high school and college and took a while to get back into heavy reading.
I wish there were better book trailers. Part of it is we get more picky about our time and know what we do and don’t like. But sometimes this leads to a certain prejudice that doesn’t let us explore something we otherwise would’ve stumbled onto.
For me with young kids, work, and generally limited time audiobooks are a compromise that allows me to combine with another activity, like cleaning or running.
Funny I’m seeing this post, though, as I placed aside 2 books that were gifted to me in hopes to read a physical book (but how.)
I read my first book in 11 years, I finished it 2 weeks ago. It’s The Expanse. I loved the series and someone gifted me the first book.
My trick? I commute by train and have my book with me everywhere I go. If there’s waiting to be done, there’s reading time.
My sleep-routine is that I read (usually my kindle) in bed at night.
It’s kind of great both because I like reading, but also because it makes me fall asleep.
Got to around 30 yrs old
I realized that I, on paper, really like non-fiction books. In practice, I really only like fantasy and space operas (different than sci-fi)
Every night before bed, I read 10 pages or a chapter. Whichever comes first. Can always read more, but not less.
So to answer,
Almost every night Fantasy / space opera Mid 30s, father I’ve added audiobooks to my commute The most important part (I think) is figuring out what you like, and then setting a small but achievable routine
- My reading habits are like everyone of my hobbies, I’m obsessed for a week then move on to a new pursuit then come back to reading several months later.
- I read text books about Aztec history.
- I’m a year away from 40 and I’m coming to terms with being alone for the rest of my life (which is exactly the same leading up to this point).
- I bought a book stand I can adjust and wheel around.
- Stop caring what other people think and just read when you feel like it. You’re overthinking this.
Being with someone has its perks, but honestly it’s way to over rated.
I just read because I enjoy it. Around 20-30 per year. This year it’s looking out to be around 25. I wouldn’t read if I didn’t like doing it. I don’t think it makes much sense to force yourself into it. Sometimes I read historical stuff but usually it’s fiction of some sort. Historical fiction, fantasy, scifi. I’m a student so I suppose that helps.
What helped me read more was getting an e-reader. It’s just so much more pleasant than regular books and the selection is much larger.
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Blind OP is going to feel so discouraged by this
I’ve been doing it wrong!
What are your reading habits like?
When I pick up a book I typically get hooked after ten to fifteen pages and then complete it on the same day (think ~100s of pages in hours, ~1000s pages in days). This often results in me semi-self-destructively finishing the book and then not touching a book for at least a few days as I have to deal with the things I neglected while reading.
What do you like to read?
Mostly Novels
What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?
Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?
I went from physical books to reading a lot on my phone. This allows me to read easily and blend in better while in public. It comes with the advantage that I break up big monolouthic reading sessions with small micro breaks.
What else?
Even though it’s somewhat obvious: I also like to get books that aren’t in my native tongue, I find that reading teaches you a lot about the application of a language.
I read when I have time and when I feel like it, these days it takes a while.
I spend most of my day reading, as a translator. But it’s almost always stuff that I wouldn’t read, if not being paid to.
If counting only books that I read for fun, I guess it’s ~2 books/month? Typically fantasy light novels. I also read a fair bit of manga (~5 chapters/day).
Beyond those LNs I think that the last book I’ve read was in September; Um Copo de Cólera (lit. “a glass of rage”), from Raduan Nassar. Short but good first person story.
I’m almost 40. I’m… tired. I don’t read stuff to feel myself cultured; I read stuff when I need to (because of my job) or when I feel in the mood to do so.
Just like any hobby or leisure activity, my interest peaks and wanes. Marie Kondo said it best, “if it’s not sparking joy, yeet it out the window”.
Pretty sure that’s exactly how she said it.
Personally, I tend to enjoy listening to audiobooks over reading. I keep a looooooong list of books that look interesting so I can pick a title when I feel like reading. Note, I don’t call it a “to-read” list because I am not going to read them all. I will never read everything on the list unless I stop adding to it at least ten years before I die. And that approach to a to-read list does not spark joy. From the get to, recognize this is not a list to ever be “completed” by design.