I’m In A Reading Rut – Here’s How I’m Breaking Free

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I’ve not been reading much over the last 18 months or so. Honestly, I was going through a bit of a rough time and reading just wasn’t doing it for me. Books have always been a safe space for me, and that hasn’t changed but I wasn’t always in the best frame of mind for a book. I did listen to a lot of audio books (mainly Jane Austen, because it’s the perfect distraction) to help me fall asleep. But I miss reading, so I’m trying to get back into it. I’ve decided to try a couple of things to get back into the habit!

Despite not reading very much, I have lots of books on my TBR pile. I’d see something that looked interesting, make note and then the motivation to read would pretty much stop there. I even bought a few, but here we are. Things have been on the upturn recently though, and I’m really missing the joy of reading.

I’m adding my reads to The storygraph

I’ve never been a book tracker but I always feel a little FOMO when people post their reading lists from the year. I sometimes struggle to remember what I’ve read so I figured if I tried adding things to an app like The StoryGraph it would encourage me to keep reading. Plus I love the charts and how it breaks down what I’m reading! So far I’ve read two books and I got a lot of joy out of adding them!

I’m instating a book buying ban

My pal Michelle spoke on her stories recently about not buying anymore books until she’s touched the unread ones she already owns. I’ve decided to follow suit! I have plenty of books that haven’t been cracked open yet… 39 books to be exact. So I’m planning on focusing only on those books instead of the never-ending TBR Pile that exists in my head. This year is just about making some progress through those 39 books.

I’m setting myself an incredibly easy target

Even though I do miss reading, I also feel like throwing myself into it and setting some ridiculous goal would be counterproductive. So I’ve set myself a very easy goal. This year I’m aiming to read five books. You read that right. Five! Considering I’ve already read two and then started a third, I’m well on my way. If I make it to five, well then I’ll add a few more. The point is to take it slow and ease myself back in.

I’m using my commute to read too

I mainly read before bed, and I tend to stick with fiction because it helps me sleep better. There’s something about reading and imagining that helps me wind down and fall asleep faster. Plus I recall reading something once that said reading fiction before bed can promote dreams. Still, I have a few non-fiction books I want to read, but reading these before bed doesn’t really do it for me… So I’ve decided to utilise my commute in order to read more. So I’ve got a book in my bag that I can read in the morning or evening. I don’t do it every day, but it’s there so I have the option! .

So here we are, trying to get back in the habit of reading! I finished reading What You Are Looking for is in The Library, which was really the perfect start to getting back into reading. It definitely counts as a cozy read and now I’ve finished, I’m already onto my next book!

Have you read anything good recently?