How often do you read fiction and how do you manage to do it?
I want to know how you do manage your time to read. At the beginning of the year, I've made a resolution to read more this year but after 3 or 4 months of good reading, I was back to my "old version". Some good practices?
I read 30 - 60 books each year, depending on how busy I am. Mainly this is done via audiobooks - I read about 80% of my books that way while I'm doing mindless tasks like cleaning, cooking, chores etc. I also keep a book on my nightstand and I read every night before bed, often in the morning when I wake up as well.
I have a Kindle with a backlight that I keep by my bed and I typically read at least a few pages when I try to go to sleep. Most of the content I have is free out-of-copyright books from Project Gutenberg supplemented with more modern commercial ebooks once in a while. I've been reading really old children's fiction lately (e.g. Anne of Green Gables most recently) since that's usually intelligible enough even with some differences in English since it was written (or in some cases non-US dialect differences) and tends not to be so stimulating that it keeps me awake.
I've found that having a space for reading helps. I used to devour books as a child, but when I moved homes my rate of reading went down by a bit, then after a few room remodellings it has dropped to near zero. Most of my reading is done on a computer, not a book or an ereader.
I just read before bed every night. Everything I read these days is fiction. It helps me relax and eventually fall asleep. If a book is very good then it can keep me awake. For good books I force myself to put them down after an hour and I go to sleep.
Most of what I read is fiction. A few years ago I realized I had stopped reading for fun and decided to try and get back into it. At first my goal was 12 books in a year. Then each year I would try and beat my previous number. I kept a log of what I read.
As others have mentioned, audiobooks have been great. I usually listen to them while I’m doing stuff around the house. Checking out ebooks from the library also keeps me going because of the time limit. I try to get through them before they need to be renewed or returned. I guess it has helped me to turn reading into a bit of a game.
Most of my fiction reading nowadays is from web serials. I’m following a dozen or so right now, each putting out around a half hour’s worth of reading a week. I’d like to read more ‘book’ books but I have a hard time getting into them compared to serials.
Following ongoing series where there’s a chapter released every few days prevents binging, and I end up much more invested when I’ve been regularly reading about a world for months/years, with each chapter sticking in my head until the next. Plus new chapters coming out feels like an exciting event, drawing me right back in - with traditionally published novels I just don’t feel that draw as much (and when I do I can’t put it down, it kinda sucks unavoidably finishing my favorite books in a couple weeks at most).
There are problems with the format too of course - it encourages a lot of poor writing habits which, especially when combined with the low barrier of entry, means the average quality is much lower than traditional books. But when you find one you like, it’s a lot of fun to be so regularly immersed in a world you enjoy for so long.
@EdenRester I try to set a reading schedule. Nothing prolific, just some time where I can sit down uninterrupted and read. It is usually later in the evening, after the day has calmed down a bit. Sometimes in that time box, I knock out several chapters of a book. Other times, I can barely get through a few pages.
I read fiction every day. I usually finish about a book a week on average, but that number includes nonfiction as well. I’m usually reading one nonfiction book and one novel at any given time, but occasionally I’m reading longform articles on the non side and short stories or web serials on the fiction side.
I don’t manage my reading time at all. It’s just what I gravitate to when I’m not doing anything else. I read on my commute, on breaks at work, while washing dishes, before bed, while waiting for people, just generally all the time. I’m not a fast reader but I am a very persistent one.
I think the standard advice is to read as part of a wind down routine before bed, but I always found myself still reading an hour before I needed to get up. Or forcing myself to bed and still being awake thinking about the book hours later. Lots of people get audio books for their commute or bring a book on the bus. Unfortunately, my solution was to leave a book by the toilet. Regular but necessarily limited time.
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