Last year was my first year reading more regularly in a really long time, and I ended up reading 30 books! I’m going to say this now, it wasn’t easy. There were several moments where I wanted to give up. There were so many months where I read nothing, and there were so many months where I read everything under the sun.
But I did it, and it was so rewarding.
I’m going to tell you how I went from not reading at all in 2021 to reading multiple books a month in the year 2023.If you were thinking about wanting to read more but lack motivation and overall will, feel free to take advice from my process.
Disclaimer: Every reader is different. Slow readers exist, fast readers exist. So, don’t feel like you have to read 30 books a year like I did. Go at your own pace.
Finding Books that Interest Me and not Everyone Else
In the age of Booktok and Bookstagram, it’s very easy to want to do (or read) something simply because it’s popular. Nothing is wrong with that at all, but when I first started reading I saw myself becoming a victim of forcing myself to like books because other people liked them. With reading being a very subjective task, I realized that my view on a book will almost never align with someone else’s.
Soon after I began searching for books that I found interesting and not necessarily what’s all the rage. Don’t get me wrong, I trust reviews! If I come across a book that’s popular on Booktok it may spark my interest, however it’s truly up to me to decide if I’m going to read it because I like it or because someone else liked it.
This can be hard especially due to social media, where it seems everyone reads the same thing. I often feel left out because I don’t read what everyone else reads. But then I pick up one of these “popular” books and remember that my reading wouldn’t be meaningful if I read a book I wasn’t that into.
Setting a Goal
Setting a reading goal was something that I never thought of doing until I joined the Bookish Community. This is how goals worked: you use whatever form of reading tracking you like, I prefer StoryGraph but I know a good number of people like GoodReads. You can also use journals or a paper chart if you like a more physical approach (I’ve seen some really cute journal templates on TikTok!) And at the top of the year, I record how many books I wanna read by the end of the year.
Every time I read a book, I add it to my list and I’m able to track how many pages I read in a day, and my thoughts on certain parts. Once I’m finished, I can rate the book and add a review to have it stored for later.
What helped me the most about setting a goal and using an app when it came to reading is simply that I enjoy seeing my progress with numbers and stats. Also, it felt like I was in competition with myself to complete my goal by January. Thus, causing me to push my limits and read more books.
Finding a Community
Just like having a group of friends on campus to study with, I knew I had to find a community of people who shared the same interest in reading as I did. During the time, Booktok was really big and I followed a few book people on Instagram. That’s when “Tyra’s Library” was born. I started using Bookstagram in January of 2022. And it was such a life-changing experience. It opened doors for me to meet new people who were on the same journey as me and meet others who already went through it. It also allowed me to connect with other readers to talk about books, share reviews, and give advice.
I am by no means a “Book-Influencer.” Yes, it does seem pretty cool to have book sponsorships, but that’s not really what it’s about for me. It’s more about sharing my passion and my hobby with others who could relate.
All of these elements mixed together in one big pot truly helped me become the eager reader I am today. But one specific piece of advice I wanted to offer for all is to do things like reading or a certain hobby for yourself. Reading, especially reading a lot, is not one size fits all. You have to find where you fit, and sometimes that may be somewhere where you least expect it.