How to Read More Books
Reading books helps to transport you to new worlds and new experiences wherever you may be. So, here’s a post on how to read (and finish) more books a year even if you have a very busy schedule. Be it reading more books to learn, to explore, relax, or just to finish up a goal you did for the new year. I’ll try to share some tips and tricks based on my personal experience.
Contents
I’ve always been an avid reader, averaging around 20 books a year from 2011 to 2019. However, 2020 was my greatest year so far. It was the first year that I’ve crossed the 50 book mark, reading 55 total books for 2020.
Thinking that it’s a fluke, I looked at my stats for 2021. It is currently February as I write this and so far I’ve finished 12 books, and we have a whole 10 months left, so I’m currently on track to reading 100 books in 2021.
So what did I change in 2020 and 2021 to get to read more? I did not get more time in the day compared to everyone else. In fact, I had less time in my day as the baby is now a toddler and needs more supervision and activities. The short answer on how to read more books? Audiobooks and reading what you feel like reading.
In the mood to read some more articles about books we’ve read?
First up, we discuss audiobooks, which is my #1 tip on how to read and finish more books in a year. And yes, I believe audiobooks are as good as reading.
I am personally not exclusively reading audiobooks though. I still love physical books. One of the reasons why I love physically reading is the smell of the book. The new book smell is just absolutely amazing. It’s one of the reasons why I hang out in bookstores even though I have no intention of buying anything.
You may not get that same physical experience while listening to audiobooks but they are just as good because you don’t expend much energy reading. Someone does the reading for you!
Are audiobooks considered ‘reading’ a book? Yes, it definitely counts as reading! Think when you’re a child and can’t read yet. Your parents would read a book or a story for you and you enjoy that experience. Fast forward a few years later and audiobooks is like that, albeit longer books are being read to you.
Audiobooks are the number 1 reason why I managed to read 55 books in 2020. That’s an average of 1 book a week and then some. 55 books is a lot considering my current situation. I’m a full-time working mom with a 13 month old who also loves to travel and plan experiences for her family.
On top of that, we have 2 blogs to maintain (A Journey We Love & Voyage Florida), 3 properties, and a few other things going on the side. I literally only have less than an hour every single weekday to physically read a book but I magically have hours to spend reading audiobooks. Here’s some case studies on how I magically get those additional hours to listen to audiobooks.
Some people listen to music while they work, but instead of music, I choose to listen to an audiobook. It makes my day so much better when my brain is dreaming about being away while working from home or in the office.
Of course I don’t listen to audiobooks when I need to concentrate on something or if I’m on a call but if you are doing something repetitive or need something to keep you awake, why not just listen to an audiobook to mix things up?
You’re not working the whole 8 hours anyway. A bit of your time is spent reading emails, waiting for someone to reply to a message, going to the bathroom, and making food for yourself. That time is enough to listen to a few minutes of a book. After all, you are more than your job.
Take things one small thing at a time: reading a book means tackling one sentence at a time. Listening to an audiobook is the same, you tackle a few minutes at a time until you realize you’re actually done.
Want to see my day in the life to see how I make this work? Here’s a day in the life of a working mom.
Chores can be monotonous, repetitive, and also boring. However, why not spruce chore times a bit by listening to audiobooks? I believe this will make the time go faster, as you get more engrossed in listening to the audiobook.
If listening to non-fiction books, I make sure to always have my journal and a pen at hand so I can make book notes! It’s like studying and learning something new, with a twist.
Running errands, waiting in line, walking, exercising: these are all good reasons to pick up an audiobook instead of being idle. Then you’ll also get a chance to multi-task without really disrupting your schedule.
Instead of listening to music, the radio, or watching TV, listen to audiobooks! They are amazing. Even if there’s a blackout and it’s evening, as long as your tablet or phone has a charge, one can enjoy audiobooks offline without worrying about eye strain.
Audiobooks can be expensive if you choose to own and download them for your library. Take Audible: it costs between $10 to $15 monthly for the subscription but you can get one credit a month for an audiobook and they do have audio shows or short stories included in the subscription.
There’s a lot of options available for audiobook or spoken word readers through Audible, but that’s only if you are willing to pay the monthly fee.
For those who are looking for free audiobooks, look no further than your library! During the coronavirus pandemic and we were all stuck at home looking for things to do during the lockdown, our library has ramped up its digital library. It began acquiring more e-books and audiobooks that are available digitally. Free oh free!
So that’s where we get our main source of audiobook material: our local library. It’s not a big secret and if you’re fast and patient enough, you can get the newer books within a few weeks of you requesting it.
I have never read as many newly published books (published within the past year or so when I pick them up) until I switched to the digital library content and started devouring audiobooks.
There’s a lot of tools you can use for audiobooks, but here are the apps that we use ourselves. This may only be used for US viewers since we are looking for free options. There’s three apps that we use on our mobile devices: Overdrive, Libby & Hoopla. We also use these three apps online to stream the audiobook if we can get a Wi-Fi access and I’ll stay there for a bit of time. Think working on the computer and I won’t need to walk around as much.
The first tool that we use is Overdrive. One can use it on an Android, a Kindle tablet (a cheap Amazon tablet), or stream online using your PC.
If you’re using the app, when you launch Overdrive for the first time, it will ask you which library you have a card with. If your library partners with Overdrive then it should be easy to find on the list.
Overdrive will then ask you to log in using your library card number and PIN (at least in my library we use a PIN, in others you may use something different. The screen will then change and will then show you the digital catalog your library has.
Our library only has audiobooks and ebooks on Overdrive, so you can browse or search for the books you are looking for. To download a book, you’ll have to click on the + button on your bookshelf to add a book to your list. Borrow it and Overdrive will download it for you.
Once all the parts of the audiobook has been downloaded, you are then able to listen to the book offline (or online, if you are so inclined). Every time you pause the book or if you have to return it, when you download the book again, Overdrive remembers where you left off. Amazing!
I believe the number of days and the number of items you can check out depends per library. Our library allows us to borrow digital material from overdrive up to 21 days (3 weeks). We can then put 10 holds, and can borrow 10 materials at once. Every time an item is due, it will just be removed automatically from your loans. No need to worry about due dates and returning stuff manually.
Hoopla works differently than Overdrive where there are unlimited copies of a book within their system. Overdrive, on the other hand, only has limited copies per book in the system, depends on how many your library has acquired.
One can also enjoy audiobooks and ebooks using Hoopla while offline. You’ll just have to download the book and it is available for your offline enjoyment the duration that the material is checked out to you.
You can use hoopla by downloading the app (on Android and even in the Amazon app store for Kindle), or online if using a PC. The catalog is fairly extensive, with a few indie-published books thrown in the catalog for good measure.
I barely use hoopla since apparently it costs the library system more. Every time one downloads anything from hoopla, the library gets billed a set amount every month, regardless if the user has finished the book or not.
Libby is an upgraded version of the Overdrive app. It has a better user interface than the Overdrive app, but has the same functions: one can download audiobooks and ebooks and enjoy them offline.
Some materials are more available on Libby (at least in our library’s case), but I find that the download takes longer. Unlike Overdrive, I can’t delete the parts that I’m done with in Libby. Both Libby and Overdrive does have bookmark functions which you can use to take you back to the spot where you stopped listening.
The bookmark function works really well if switching between devices but if you’re online, Libby and the browser will sync to the last position you left off. No need to remember which chapter or time stamp you stopped off!
If you want to read more books a year and are tired of listening to audiobooks, then you’ll have to schedule time to read physical books.
In my opinion, the best time to read a book is at least an hour before you want to go to sleep. Reading before you go to sleep puts your mind in a more relaxed state, so you can ease in to bed.
One can also use lunch times to read. When I needed to travel without leaving the office, I would open up a book and there I was, already in a different place. When that hour is nearly up, then the book gets kept in a purse and back to work I go.
Look at your weekend and weekday schedule. Find a convenient time where you can sit or lie down and enjoy a book. Every situation is different so tailor your schedules according to your needs.
Possibly one of the best tips I could provide is to bring a book wherever you may go. This is helpful if you’re waiting for your number to be called at a bank, the DMV, or a restaurant, where you need something to occupy you yet hear what the announcement is saying.
Even if you only get to read a few sentences, the simple act of picking up a book every time you are waiting can amount to eventually finishing up a paragraph, a page, a chapter, and so on.
I bring a book to the bathroom, I read whenever I’m there: in the toilet, brushing my teeth, walking around the house, and I bring a book in my purse. You will never know when you will need the book with you, so why not just tote it around.
If you don’t want to tote a physical book because it can get heavy, then it’s a good time to tote your e-readers around. I have a few e-readers loaded with e-books in this case.
When traveling abroad for a longer period of time, e-readers are the perfect way to tote books without bringing a physical copy from home. That way, you can also hit up some local bookstores in the destination you’re visiting and bring some physical books home as a souvenir! Less baggage to bring!
There’s always so many books available to read and consume in the market that it is impossible to read every single book that you want to pick up. To read more books every year, you’ll have to learn your book preferences.
Is a specific genre calling out to you more than most? Are you more of a fiction reader? If so, what type of fiction? Non-fiction? What type? Business? Travel? A bit of both and more?
By knowing your favorite genres, you tend to avoid analysis paralysis, especially when picking up books to read next. You go to the bookstore or library and just go straight to the section you need. You can customize your search list for upcoming books or best books on a certain topic (like the best travel books to read).
Get to know yourself and your reading interests, and you’ll end up reading more books. Also know that you can’t read everything that you want so just read a sentence or two at a time, and just finish whatever you can!
So do you have any other tips on how to read more books per year?
Whether you want to make this a goal for the year, to get ahead with school or work, then reading a lot more books and understanding what you’ve read is a useful skill to learn. Add this to your list of things to accomplish this year!
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Interesting. I used to read a lot of books when I was younger but as I got older my book reading has tapered off.
Thanks for the comment ~ I used to average only 1 a month until 2020, to be honest. I also thought I wouldn't have the time nor the energy to read all these books but finally optimized that can read 2 a week (maybe more!) :)