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i read 45 books in 2024 (brag) and i want to continue to prioritize reading in the new year, above tv or scrolling or gaming
my biggest reading hack is to be reading 2-3 books at a time so whenever you wanna read you have something that can match your specific mood
Jan 1, 2025
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not an avid reader (~3-4 books / year, trying to get that number up) but the things that have really invigorated my reading when it feels like a chore to get started:
- reading books that aren’t challenging to start off. all about love and the will to change by bell hooks were the first books i was able to successfully finish in like, years bc her writing style is very colloquial despite the subject matter being very dense. similarly, finding a fun fantasy book (or other genre fiction) to get back in the practice of turning pages and “wanting to find out what comes next” is gonna be paramount to being able to do that for books that are gonna require a little more give from you down the line (haven’t read a physical book in over six months so personally going to start legends and lattes soon to try and trick my brain into not thinking books are time-consuming and scary)
- audiobooks; for me at least reading requires too much visual processing + “sitting still” time that i can’t multi-task and read, so i have to schedule when i’m gonna try and do it (unlike tv where you can have it on in the background as you do dishes or working from home or something and can look up periodically) - taking a chunk of podcast + music time and replacing it with audiobooks has been a game changer bc i now read at the gym, at the office, and in transit <30 min long bc i have to track what station i’m at or see where i’m going
Mar 28, 2024
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so that when you want to read you're not forced to read whatever one book you've already started. works especially well if you're reading books in different categories or genres
Jan 27, 2024
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re read your favorite book from when you were a kid
read true crime or celebrity biographies or romance novels
as the other rec said, read short books! I did this for a year and it helped me so much to get back into the practice of reading
go to the library and check out three or four books— don’t buy them so you don’t feel guilty if you cant get through one
go outside with a book when it’s sunny, it’s harder to see your phone screen in the sun, and reading outside is both a big flex and a great joy
I have a personal rule about screens in bed outside of specific times which helps me read instead of scrolling if I want to lie down for a bit
It does take a little bit of practice to get it reincorporated back into your routine but it’s easier if you love it !
Apr 24, 2024
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Jan 16, 2025
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as the old guy Kurt Vonnegut says:
"I go down the steps and my wife calls, “Where are you going?” “Well,” I say, “I’m going to buy an envelope.” And she says, “You’re not a poor man. Why don’t you buy a thousand envelopes? They’ll deliver them, and you can put them in the closet.” And I say, “Hush.”
So I go to this newsstand across the street where they sell magazines and lottery tickets and stationery. I have to get in line because there are people buying candy and all that sort of thing, and I talk to them. The woman behind the counter has a jewel between her eyes, and when it’s my turn, I ask her if there have been any big winners lately.
I get my envelope and seal it up and go to the postal convenience center down the block at the corner of Forty-seventh Street and Second Avenue, where I’m secretly in love with the woman behind the counter. I keep absolutely poker-faced; I never let her know how I feel about her. One time I had my pocket picked in there and got to meet a cop and tell him about it.
Anyway, I address the envelope to Carol in Woodstock. I stamp the envelope and mail it in a mailbox in front of the post office, and I go home.
And I’ve had a hell of a good time. I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you any different.”
Jan 8, 2025
Jan 8, 2025