Strategies to Read More

I am and always have been a voracious reader. I attribute this mostly to being read to my entire childhood by my mom (thanks, Mom!), one of the reasons why I made a point to read to my daughter from the moment she was born (and now, at 16, she is an avid reader as well.) While turning to books when I have extra time has become second nature to me, I still have a tendency to let books linger as I take care of other parts of my life. And, being a business owner, mom, wife, and person with waaayyyyy too many hobbies (going to the casino and drinking are hobbies, right?!), those ‘other parts of my life’ can easily take over. This is sometimes just the way life goes—ebb and flow, sometimes you focus on this, sometimes you focus on that. However, I do find that there are a few strategies I’ve put in place that really help me tackle my TBR list—especially when I’m doing book challenges (you remember my 100 books in 2023 challenge? I’m on number 20!)

Strategy #1: Always have a book with me

Now, I don’t do this 100% of the time, but I try my best. I have a book in my car, if I know I might have some downtime I put a book in my handbag, etc. It certainly makes waiting ANYWHERE more pleasant and you never know when you’ll have a free half hour or 20 minutes to dive into a book.

Strategy #2: Reserve chunks of time for reading

My weekdays are pretty unpredictable. Sometimes the Captain and I will watch our show (currently The Last of Us) until bedtime, sometimes I will have work or social events until late, sometimes I’ll go to bed before the Captain and read before I go to sleep. I count these reading times during the week as extra. Where I really get my reading in is the weekend. It’s rare that I have anything planned Saturday or Sunday morning, so those are my prime reading times. I get up around 7, make my coffee, and get a good solid 2-3 hours of reading in depending on what my schedule is like. When it’s warm and I can be on my deck, that gets extended to a few more hours in the afternoon.

Strategy #3: Fill in small ‘dead times’ with reading

I have a lot of ‘dead times’ during my day where I need to be somewhere rather early or need to kill a half hour or more between meetings and don’t want to go back to the office. For example, I always go to pick up my daughter from school early so I don’t have to deal with the traffic and lines, but this means I have about a half hour of sitting in the parking lot to deal with. I read. I also have a volunteer commitment once a week that ends at 11 and a lunch commitment at noon. So I take my book with me to the parking lot of the lunch meeting and read until it’s time to go in. Instead of wasting time during those little chunks of waiting, I get to read!

Strategy #4: Tools and tips

There are a lot of things that can get in your way of reading—especially if you’re starting to have some eyesight issues. I can’t tell you how many times I told myself I’d read while the Captain was watching sports but found that there was not enough light in the living room. I wear multi-focal lenses, which usually are enough if there is a lot of light, but not always. That’s why I love reading on weekend mornings—I don’t put in my contacts and just use my reading glasses.

SO. How to get ahead of these challenges? First, I put a pair of reading glasses in my purse. I can put them on over my contacts if I find myself in a low-light situation. Second, I keep a book reading light (I have one that goes over your shoulders rather than clipping to the page) in the living room that I can use when the light is low. I’ve also realized I cannot read mass-market paperbacks any longer. The print is too small and they are just too difficult for me to focus on. NOW that is not to say I am buying large print books (not there yet, thank you very much), but hardbacks and larger paperbacks are much easier for me to read.

So there are my solutions! And since I’m doing a piss poor job of reviewing my books for the year, here is a list of those I’ve completed with a little bit about each:

1. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid—Very eh. I felt like so much more could have been done with it. Not recommended.
2. The Man on the Middle Floor by Elizabeth Moore—A decent murder mystery. Recommended if you like this genre.
3. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates—Read it if you want to be horribly depressed for a very long time as this is a looooong book of misery.
4. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers—Interesting concept handled well. Recommended.
5. When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole—Can honestly remember very little about this other than I read it all in a day.
6. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien—Delightful little trip back to my childhood!! Recommended.
7. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson—It’s been a long time since a book made me guffaw. This one did. Multiple times. Highly recommended.
8. Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet—A very surface book that tried to convince the reader it was deep. Disappointing and not recommended.
9. I Let You Go by Claire Mackintosh—Decent psychological thriller. Read it if you like that sort of thing.
10. Cider House Rules by John Irving—I love John Irving, but this was kind of a slog. Worth the read, though.
11. Empire Falls by Richard Russo—This won the Pulitzer for a reason. Fantastic and highly recommended.
12. Why My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo—Fantastic memoir and especially important if you had trauma in your childhood.
13. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite—Another very hyped book that I found just eh.
14. You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe—Humorous and honest look at George Washington’s life. Recommended.
15. March Book 3 by John Lewis—A graphic novel about the civil rights movement. Recommended.
16. – 20. A Series of Unfortunate Events books 1-5. Love love love these books. So witty and funny and well done. Read the whole series!