5 TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE

I am an avid reader, however, I constantly struggle with the fact there are TOO MANY GOOD BOOKS and not nearly enough time and sometimes I get discouraged and frustrated that I’m missing out on the GOOD books which negatively impacts my reading experience.

I know that a lot of people want to read more but are finding that they don’t even know where to begin. Some people have not had great experiences with reading and are a bit turned off from it. Below I offer 5 tips to help make reading a more pleasurable experience

1. Know what you like! – There are millions and millions of books and way too many genres and types of books to even list. Therefore, when making your reading selection you have to know exactly what it is that you are looking for. What is your brain craving at the moment? Do you want to learn? Do you want to escape from something? Is there some subject catching your attention right now? A great resource for book recommendations is my favorite site: (*ding, ding* you guessed it) GoodReads P.s. don’t feel pressured to choose the newest bestseller. No one knows what you’re reading but you! Reading is not the place to keep up with The Joneses. P.s.s Don’t forget there are some great, informative periodicals (National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, Time, etc) out there. Those count as reading too.
2. Read with minimal distractions! – Turn that darn phone off. Put it in another room. Turn off your television. If you like to read with ambient music or noise, try yoga stations or nature sounds. Make sure that you have your beverage and snacks nearby. Choose a time when you have the least distractions: make sure the kids are taken care of (spouses too), immediate household chores, etc. You don’t want anything nagging in the back of your mind.
3. Find your comfortable spot – Some people like to read outdoors. Some people have a favorite chair. Me? I like reading in the bed (although more often than naught I get a bit too comfortable, lol.). It would also help to get the temperature just right (this is where those Snuggies come in handy, lol).
4. Don’t rush it – It is not a race. I REPEAT, DO NOT RUSH, IT IS NOT A RACE. Take your time and really comprehend what you have read. If need be, make notes. I often slow myself down because I am highlighting or making connections. I also look up words and other things that may come up that may impede my comprehension.
5. Don’t force it – If you are finding that you just cannot get into a novel, it is ok to put it away temporarily or permanently. I do it all of the time. I am a moody reader and it may not be the writing that is hindering my pleasure in reading, it may simply be that I am not in the mood for the topics, subject, etc. Usually, I just move on to the next. Like most things in life, it just doesn’t work if it is forced. Reading has to be authentic in order for it to be pleasurable.

Lately I have been challenging myself to take more time with novels: savor them, make notes (and I teach my students this all of the time, *face palm*), and really allow myself to be immersed. This is why those of you who follow me on GoodReads may have noticed that my reading challenges have decreased. Since I really don’t allow myself to go back and re-read a lot of the books, I need to learn to enjoy them the first time. *Le sigh*

I hope that these tips help enhance your reading experience or even encourage you to pick up a book!

Let’s chat: What are some of your reading struggles? Any tips that you would add?

I challenge you to try to read at least one book, I don’t care if it takes you 2 1/2 years (which I bet it won’t).

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