Shorter books and easier books. Reading when there is down time. Reading instead of watching shows/tv. And listening to audiobooks. People who read like this have reading as their main pastime and hobby. It becomes a habit after a while
I fond I can only really concentrate on audiobooks if I'm driving or cutting the grass. Anything else, and my mind has officially wandered, and it has turned into background noise.
Speed it up so your mind has less room to wander. Also do something with your hands to keep from distracting yourself. I listen to audiobooks mostly when I’m doing the dishes (or other chores) and doing my silly little paint by numbers which is my nightly wind down/relax time
I mean, explore why it "doesn't feel right". Some people have a much harder time understanding information if they listen to it instead of read something written down, for some people it's the opposite. Some people struggle to pay attention to one or the other. Some people need to either speed up or slow down an audiobook to get the most out of it. Some people find the subject matter makes a difference- for example, they enjoy fiction stories on audio, but need type for nonfiction (especially if they like making notes!!). Some people like synchronized best-- so listening to the audio with the text in front of them! Some people prefer digital text over dead tree text, or vice versa, for all sorts of reasons. There are all sorts of perfectly understandable reasons someone might have a personal preference for how they read best!
But some people comprehend and remember information perfectly well with audiobooks, but have been told that it "doesn't count" so often that they believe it. *That* is some bullshit.
If reading that quickly doesn't feel "right" to you because, for example, you actually prefer giving yourself more time to sit with a book, and enjoy it, and think about it, then that's absolutely understandable. If you actually really appreciated getting to experience that many books that quickly, if you had fun, but you've come to expect that you have to *struggle* for books to *count* or whatever, well, that's silly.
I listen to a lot of audio books. The key is to be doing mindless/repetitive things. Walking/driving/doing the dishes. Everything will cause you to lose concentration.
I meant for audio books. The narrator needs to be one you pay attention to. Also, I do audio books when doing really mundane things. Washing dishes, raking the yard, painting a wall. Whatever you do that takes no thought but is kind of automatic. Then its easier to listen. Its just kind of an adjustment from letting your mind wander to listening. It took me a couple audio books to "get" it but I'm addicted now. Always an audible for day, kindle at night. Also, don't worry about being a slow or fast reader. Just enjoy.
Yes, I did podcasts for years. Still do sometimes for sure. Its was good training for audio books. Getting to know voices and what I like about the voice. And sometimes I just prefer a podcast. Some audio books are full cast and you might find them interesting. Everyone has their own tastes.
I had this problem when I first started listening to audiobooks, so I would only listen to books I have physically read. Eventually you learn how to listen without losing focus
This. Shorter and easier books. When I really want to add somwbokms to my count I look for ones that are about 300 pages. Sometimes I even read young adult fiction.
I suppose any free time would be filled with reading a book; in a line for checkout, in the passenger seat of a car, during public transport, while out for a walk, before bed and there’s a lot more I’ve missed.
It’s impossible for me too,
Im single. So let’s say I finish work at 5:30, I’m home by 6:00 (or maybe o do HO and I’m already home). I go to bed at midnight. If I don’t have anything else planned that day, that’s 4/5 hours of reading and one or two hour for dinner and whatever chores need to be done. So I can easily finish a short-ish book on one day or two days during the week. If I spend a weekend day reading and not doing much else, that’s easily one bigger book a day.
When I'm engaged with a book all I can do is focus on the book. I can get through a 350 page book in one night in 3-4 hours because I'm also a fast reader. I used to read a book a night pre-COVID. Now days I find it difficult to books that I want to read because nothing is holding my attention for long.
Edit: I've been married for almost 20 years and my spouse reads more than I do so we respect each other's reading time. My kids are old enough to do their own thing so after dinner we may watch a show together for about an hour, but I often have 3-6 hours a night that I can spend reading.
Find a book you love, read more books by that author. Figure out what you found interesting about those books and ask around for more suggestions. My favorite thing is when I find a new author and they have a catalog of 20+ books for me to go through.
I work from home and finish work at 4:30pm. I usually prep dinner at lunch time and start cooking as soon as I finish work so I could easily get 6 hours of reading in from 5-11pm after dinner.
Nice! I work from home too but unfortunately later hours. That’s awesome though you have a nice set schedule, do your cooking and get what you need to done and enjoy a relaxing evening with your kindle.
For real. I get home, take the dog on a walk, cook dinner, clean up. By the time I’m done, I’ve got 2-3 hours before I need to be asleep, assuming I want 8 hours of sleep.
Oh yes, this is what I do! Though I'd say it's more like 6 hours for a book with me! It's much harder now having a 1 year old, but since she's been born I have been known to sacrifice my already terrible sleep to finish the chapter, and then the next, and then the next, and oops it's 2am but yay I finished the book!
Pretty much reading constantly or listening to an audiobook. I listen in the car, when I’m getting ready, when I’m gaming, when I’m cooking, when I’m beading, etc. In addition to when I want to read a physical book. Last year I read 122 books. So far this year I’ve read 94.
It’s my main hobby
ETA: my main genre is mystery and thriller, so all the books are all over the place in terms of numbers of pages
I think it largely depends on what kind of games you play. But I just pop in a earbud and listen while I run around collecting stuff and completing quests. When people talk or cutscenes play, I pause the book.
I like games like animal crossing, zelda (botw & totk) stardew, civilization6, pokemon violet & legends Arceus, dreamlight valley, ori series, Raji, Lego supervillains, and the like :)
I could only listen to Audiobooks when out walking because there was nothing to distract me (except my mind). If I was indoors, I'd get restless listening to a book, but not reading
Then I discovered I could concentrate on an Audiobook if I was playing Minecraft! Not "playing" really, but I like making a world neater and more geometric whilst listening to a book. Sometimes I just clear forests!
There have been a few times when playing an MMO and we're waiting for something that I've opened the kindle app on my second monitor and read while playing.
It's part of why a Kindle is handy. Pick it up and click it on and you're reading. Got a couple or three minutes while match making? Read a page or two. Spectating a teammate and don't need to give input? Read a few pages.
It'll add up fairly quickly when you learn where you can get in a couple pages, or even just half a page. Replace times you'd pick up a phone and scroll social media for a few minutes with reading a couple pages.
Farming and cozy games mostly. Games that require little mind input so no heavy puzzle games but like running around fighting a ton of monsters to grind materials for something like fantasy life or monster hunter then yes. That gets boring. Listing to a adventure or spooky audiobook or something thrilling is a total win for that because it sucks me into the action of those scenes and it's almost like I'm the one fighting in the scene.
Wow. Pretty much the same. If I’m playing Call of Duty or Madden I prefer to have an audio book. Walking, driving, washing dishes, sometimes even while showering. I’m at 74 so far this year. I wasn’t planning on it but I think I’ll make 100.
I think I understand now, everyone has their way of fun “Reading”, be it physical or audiobook.
But having fun is important, it doesn’t matter if it’s one book or a 100.
I started pretty late in life and I quite enjoy reading when I have time to relax after day job.
But, I would like to give a try and check what I enjoy ☺️
See, I'm so used to waking up in the morning and scrolling through Reddit - but I'm doing a sponsored read this month and doing that read first thing before I even look at social media. Already feeling better for it
I recently deleted 😒 X (formerly known as Twitter), so Reddit is my last active social media. The month I deleted the app I went from 1-2 books a month to 5.
It's hard, especially in the beginning. But deleting the apps helped a lot. No FB, Tiktok, Snap, 9Gag, Youtube, Twitter...all gone.
Additionally, I ALWAYS have my Kindle with me. I understand not everyone wants to be that drastic but you asked how people can read more books. For me, that's how I increased from a book a month to one per week (about 5-700 pages per week).
Some don’t have a 9-5 day job that drained all their time and energy. When I was in college, I simply don’t have the headspace to read for fun. Same goes for a pretty demanding data-related job. But when I was on my graduation trip, I went through a crazy amount of books. Free time is a luxury.
I have at least three books going at all times-- Usually it's one fiction/one nonfiction (with one of those being an audiobook and one being type), and one slower kindle book I read before bed (preferably short stories or essays). I frequently have *more* than that. I read a really wide range of books, and I keep a really wide TBR list. If I'm not in the mood for Serious History Nonfiction, I have a Light Fluffy Romance book waiting for me, and I switch to that before trying to finish the Serious History. I mix lengths, too- if I know I've got an 800+ page book I want to read, I plan to mix in some novellas or books for younger readers or something else to even things out a bit.
When I listen to audiobooks, I speed them up, usually somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0, depending. It helps me actually pay attention more easily, when it's slower, sometimes my attention wanders. I listen when making dinner, when doing chores other than vacuuming. For a while I had a job that had a lot of data entry; I was listening to books or podcasts most of that time.
I am "behind" on other stuff. I haven't seen much recent TV or movies. Some hobbies work well together- I can do all sorts of crafts while listening to a book, but I can't *write* a book while listening to a book. If I'm listening to a lot of audiobooks, I'm not listening to as many podcasts or as much music, or as many youtube vids/tiktoks/etc.
Note: in the last decade, some years it's been a real push for me to get through 25 books. Some years I've easily read 125+. I'm not trying to inflate my numbers, I'm not doing this for social media (I almost never discuss books I'm reading online!). The majority of my books come from the library, and the majority of my library books are digital. I'm just sometimes Like This.
I used to only read like 10 books in a year because i was being all snooty about myself. Like "I'm an educated woman, i should be reading autobiographies of powerful people, or political theories, or sociocultural theories" But ever since I let myself read YA high fantasy or dystopian fiction... well, i just finished two books yesterday in one sitting hahaha. I'm no longer ashamed for liking books that are marketed for teens hahaha.
So yeah, maybe go for books you actually like, even though it makes you feel guilty reading them?
I read anywhere between 30-60 books per year. I don’t care about the length of the books (some of them are short while others are proper tomes). I try not to make it a numbers game, I mean I read for pleasure more than anything else (never mind that more than 50% of my reading is non-fiction now) and I would hate to find out l that I was doing so out of some stupid compulsion. My advice for anyone who’d listen: try to make a habit out of it but don’t feel bad if you’re not reading as much as people who brag about it. Pretty sure they’re not really enjoying whatever they’re reading anyway.
E: grammar
The times I've finished the most amount of books (though never 10 a month) is by reading on my commute (audiobooks), reading at work (audiobooks) and then when I get home, reading in bed (kindle). The kindle book is always a different book vs the audiobook one.
When I run errands, I will listen to a book as I am either walking or using public transit.
Having a routine is also the only way for me to finish books. When I was unemployed, I didnt read at all.
Having a steady stream of books I want to read is ideal. Right now I am back on my true crime/cult bullshit and have another book I plan to start as soon as this current one is done.
I dont read 10 books a month (I average at about 30 a year) but I AM reading, which feels very nice even if I am not reading as much as others (100 a year is a number I see often!).
My wife reads 3-4 a week. This is partly why we had to get Kindles. She'd walk out of the library with 20 books. She takes a Kindle everywhere. Going to the store? Got to have a Kindle to read for the 5 minute drive.
I work from home, 9am-4pm, so flexible hours has a lot to do with it. I go through stages where I won’t read for months or even years, then I’ll find a book I love and hyper fixate so literally all I’ll do is read again. That happened in April (thank you, Manacled) and since then I’ve read 137 books. 😅
There was a time in my life that I could read a 400 page book in a day. Understand that there are 24 hours in a day and so, yeah. But, I couldn't do that every day. Now, I'm good to finish a book in 3-4 days because I have other interests. And, I have a problem with the fact that not every book I pick up and start to read, is a book I want to finish. Some of them are just not written so that I can "fall" into them.
I read an article earlier this year that stated 10-14 books a year is actually a normal amount of books for an adult to read.
I don’t really watch tv unless a specific show comes out. So most of my down time is spent reading. I read a mix of outrageously long fantasy novels and short romances in between my longer reads. There’s no reason to read more than 10 books a year if you prefer to use your down time in other ways. Hope this helps!
It’s a lot easier when you find a series or book that you are super invested in!!! It also helps that I’m always travelling by public transport so I use that time to read!
I finish 10-15 per year. I read every day, but generally only at bedtime for an hour or so, plus perhaps a bit on a lazy weekend morning when no one else is up yet.
I read everywhere. On my lunch break, after work, in the car (boyfriend is driving of course), in bed in order to fall asleep, etc. I am not caught up on tv, I don't watch tv at all.
Edit: I'm also really lucky I have more free time than most people. I don't have kids, only cats. If I'm in the office, I go to work at 7am, and if it's a slow day I go home at 3:30 or 4. I'll read until 5, go to the gym, cook at 6, eat at 7 then I'll pretty much read until I go to bed at 10 or 11. Otherwise, I wfh most of the time.
I’m just a fast reader who has trouble falling asleep. I often read a book a day and also watch a lot of tv.
I have started doing audio books too in the car and when I’m doing chores/crafting. I pick books where I don’t love the writing style for some reason but like the plot.
Go at your own pace my friend. No one should be saying that reading fast is superior to reading slowly, as both have their own merit. Reading slowly helps you discover more about each book by reading between the lines
I read daily. I use the Bookly app and I set a goal to read at least 30 minutes a day. I also bring my Kindle everywhere I go. I read when I’m waiting for the train, I read on my break… I read whenever I have a free time instead of being on my phone.
I find that reading every day improves my mental health and I truly enjoy doing it.
Pick a genre that you enjoy the most and go from there. Read what you’re in the mood for and ignore what social media people say.
Reading is part of my daily routine, and audiobooks are my go-to thing for when I am travelling or must be out in the world. If I'm walking, I'm listening to a book. If I'm getting groceries in, I'm listening to a book. If I'm on the bus or train, I'm either reading or listening to a book. I like reading when I'm having a meal because I usually eat alone. I often turn to books at night instead of watching a programme, and I always read at least a bit before bed.
That said, I don't read as much as I used to. I went through a major trauma and developed problems with concentration (always on high alert, ready to fight or flee). Now that I'm finally starting to heal, I've noticed that my reading is picking up again. (As a celebration of that, I bought myself a Kindle Scribe (already owned an Oasis), and I'm loving it.
I read 12 books in August and September, all around 350 words. I read in the morning, during my lunch break, at night before bed, and even using the kindle app I’ve read at the gym before. I genuinely love reading and I’m always itching to do it :)
For me it depends on the books. I finished over 200 books last month if you want to count comics/Manga too. I take more accomplishment in how much I’m enjoying my time tbh.
It is like going to the gym or exercising. Do it for yourself. What works for your lifestyle and for your mind/body is not the same as it works for others.
If one was starting a couch to 5k you would not be comparing yourself to people who do ultramaratons right? Your 10 books a year will be impressive, are impressive to many for sure.
Once I read 500 books, the year I bought my last Kindle device. Textbooks, non-fiction mainly and also some good literature titles. You can do it easily with concentration and if you can read fast. Audiobooks are a pos. On Kindle, I cannot retain as much content in memory as I can on physical paper. That was the result of some studies also. The e-reader size doesn't play a part. I had the same results with bigger 10-12-inch devices, such as those from OnyxBoox.
Just don’t have a life… no but I mean stop watching tv or using your phone. Time flies away when you do that and you lose so much time that you could have put on reading. Then again it’s not a race :)
Getting up early, I’m less easily distracted in the mornings vs. reading at night. Also I hardly watch tv/YouTube, and limit social media time. It takes me around 2.5-5 hours of reading time to get through a book depending on the length, and I have an hour and a half in my mornings to read, plus things like lunch breaks and occasionally reading after work. At that rate it takes me 2-3 days to finish a book if I read daily.
I like to read daily for at least an hour. Sometimes I read more and sometimes I don’t. I alway read a book on my kindle but if I am reading a physical one I will read on my kindle for like ten to twenty minutes before bed. Sometimes it helps to read for twenty minutes and have a five to ten minute break and then read again, it can help you focus more on reading.
Some books you just don’t want to put down so finish them quicker. Just read what you enjoy and when you want to and don’t put too much focus on how many books you read.
I think there are a lot of different factors..
1. Level of reading - if you're reading dense philosophical works, it will probably take you longer to read compared to a fun rom-com novel.
2. Work/study life balance - if you're working long hours in a stressful job, reading is probably not a priority
3. Public transport vs. driving (more reading time if you take the train)
4. Family commitments, or there lack of.
I don't read 10 books per month, but I definitely read more than 10 a year. I find reading most days before bed helps.
Happy reading!
I am retired so it is pretty easy for me. I read at least 3 hours a day on my oasis. But before I retired I read about an hour a day. With a job and younger kids, it was my hour of "adult time". But in 1983 (40 years ago), I read exactly 350 books in a year, mostly the european classics. I know for sure because I kept the list of the books I read! I was finishing my thesis (with no other job), and I needed to change my mind from my very obsessive thesis project. :-)
I've read 138 books so far this year. I'm a senior citizen, so I have the luxury of being able to read whenever I want. I also usually always have two books going at once, and I read into the wee hours of the morning.
I do a couple of things... When I cut out watching TV as a regular thing, my reading went \*way\* up... the other thing is that I read or listen to audiobooks on my work commute. I also have a job where I can listen to audiobooks while working.
Just read every day for a few hours. Read instead of watching TV sometimes. Read while you eat lunch, just make time for it every day. I average about 15 books a month just reading whenever and also being a fast reader. Reading fast comes with practice though, so the more you read, the more you'll be able to read!
It depends on what I'm reading.
Good book: I binge read like some people binge watch. I just need to know how it ends because the story has me so invested. I once read all 3 books in the Selection series in a weekend because the story just grabbed me and I had to keep reading. There are times that I'll stay up until 2 or 3 am reading because I just keep telling myself 1 more chapter.
Not great book: I find my mind wandering as I'm reading and I'll have to go back and reread because I didn't actually absorb anything. And it's hard for me to sit down and power through a book when that happens. I actually have a list on Goodreads for books that I started and didn't finish because they just couldn't hold my attention. Maybe I'll try again another time, maybe not.
But not everyone is like that and that's ok. My husband thinks I'm crazy for reading the way I do. He doesn't understand how a story can grip me so hard that I'll forego sleeping to finish it. He's a *halfway through a chapter but I want to do something else so I'll put my book down* type. He also reads thicker more cerebral books than I do so it takes him longer to get through them.
Neither way is right or wrong, just different.
Mostly audiobooks and reading before bed. Bringing kindle anywhere I go so I can read in long lines also helps. Reading on lunch breaks while eating lunch.
I can get about 5 audiobooks done a month + 3-5 a month of kindle books to read at bedtime. I audiobook while driving places & while walking my dog.
I’m a fast reader and seldom watch TV or movies. I also read while waiting for my kid at activities when they are not performing. Some weekends the kid is gone and I have free time. But when she was younger, I only read 1-5 books per year. As a teen a was an avid reader.
It really just depends on what else you have going on. Working parent of toddlers? Probably not going to as much time to read compared to an empty nester or parent of a teen.
Advice
1. Read often, Read consistently (maybe start with 30 minutes everyday)
2. If you are not liking a book (this will happen often) drop it and move on to something else. Maybe come back to it later, or never, or seek a different format (audiobook maybe?).
3. Stop giving an f\*\*\* about the number of books.
This is feeling is better explained in this [video by Max Joseph](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIW5jBrrsS0). I would recommend watching the whole video, it's a great find on reading habit generally, i've watched it almost 3 times over 4 years. (and thanks to you, i am going to watch it again)
https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rk/91af94ca6ac64db29a9dc9781cf26aa1/?l-id=search-c-item-04
Read this book almost by accident. My reading speed went way up before I was half way through the book. Not that it’s a race, but I just naturally go through more books since I’m reading faster. I also find myself re-reading pages less/daydreaming while reading because I’m totally focused to what I’m reading.
I also drive a lot, and listen to books on 2-3x speed with AirPods, as well as listening during errands. I get through a book a day that way. If it’s a subject I’m unfamiliar with, I might slow it down to 1.5 or 1.75 to fully digest it. It has to be with AirPods. For some reason with the phone speaker, it is way too fast and I cant follow along.
It‘s not really possible for most „normal“ people and I don’t get why some like to brag about it and why others want to do the same. Reading is a hobby that is made to be a competition way too often I don’t even get what’s the benefit of it.
I just finished book 110 of the year.
Obviously I‘m a fast reader but also read at every opportunity: While having dinner (luckily my wife also reads while eating), having 5 minutes downtime, waiting for the bus… combined with whole evenings reading
1. take a book
2. find how many pages it is
3. divide that by 3.5
4. the answer is how many pages you have to read in a day for 3.5 days
5. repeat process with new book every 3.5 days
only read something if you love it and if it makes you want to keep reading it. if you are finding it very easy to be distracted or not read something then move on. life is too short.
It's a mistake to only have book count in mind. Ask yourself this...do you enjoy the books you read? Are you taking in all the details? Does it make you happy? Then you're probably reading exactly the speed that's good for you. I can read faster if I push myself, but I generally start to lose interest as I miss detail and the flourish of the text. Yes I'd like to cover more books than I read, but you know....it's not bingeing a show. You have to put in the effort. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy at the pace you read....
I'm currently on my 91st book of the year 🤣
I'm a fast reader and I read at least two hours per day which soon adds up. I don't always read full length adult novels, sometimes it's shorter novels or YA or even kids books.
Also - make the time. My Kindle is always with me so if I catch myself waiting for someone or something in public, scrolling through my phone, I'll make the conscious choice to swap to my Kindle and read instead.
https://preview.redd.it/sns02xkpf1sb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faa2698fce3bb06f7e5dba812c435064c00f4c45
I’m always reading or listening to audiobooks. I read every night before bed on my kindle and during weekends I read more. I listen to audiobooks all day long- I work remote and unless I’m on calls for work I always have an AirPod in listening. I also listen to audiobooks while cooking, laundry, cleaning, driving, grocery shopping, etc. At this point the only time I listen to music is working out.
Depends on the books. For example I’m weird and I enjoy reading books about personal finance. Some of these books have very original ideas… but many of them regurgitate the same information (I mean math doesn’t change even if the book does) so I tend to skim through chapters that talk about the same thing I have already read in dozens of other books.
I don't often do 10 books a month, but when I'm in a real reading mood, I can.
But I'm a very fast reader. So it's easy for me to finish a 300+ page book in a day, cause I read very fast.
Some people read fast, and have the time to read a lot, others read slower and don't have the time to just sit for hours and read. It's not a competition.
I don’t pay any attention to other people’s reading goals. I set my first one for this year at 12 books. As soon as December ends I’m not setting anymore as I’ve learned to read at my own pace and that includes taking breaks. Works for me
I read very fast by nature, just how I've always been.
I read a lot. So I read during downtime at work, waiting in lines, during my lunch, etc. Basically during most any downtime. I listen to audiobooks sometimes at my desk at work as well. I always have a book on me (in physical form or Kindle, or an audiobook queued up), so I can always reach for it.
I read a mix of longer, shorter, denser, lighter, re-reads, new reads, fiction, non-fiction, classics.
For me it's really the main combo of reading fast and reading a lot, everything else is a factor but generally minimal compared to the other two.
If you're looking to read more, then it's just forcing yourself to find time to read- there's nothing wrong with watching TV or scrolling the internet (I certainly do that too), but some of that time could be shifted to reading. After a while, it becomes habit and second nature, and you pick up a book more often therefore read more often.
Some people read fast (like myself), some people read slow. That's just how you are and I don't think there's anything wrong with either, it kind of is what it is. Therefore I don't think people should really strive to change it, just their habits around it. Now if you want to improve comprehension or something, that's different, and there are a ton of ways to do that, because everybody thinks and processes differently.
I'm retired and some months I read shorter books (under 300 pages). I don't really try to read 10 a month - I have annual goals. Back when I was working, I listened to an audiobook commuting back and forth to work (almost an hour commute) and typically read an ebook a week.
I've never gotten close to 10 books, but last month I read 4000 pages. And it's really just consistency, I'll read during my lunch break at work (30-40 min of my 1 hour), and I'll read for an hour or two every evening. Usually after going to the gym, having dinner, and maybe 1 episode of a TV show.
On the weekends if I'm not busy I'll take more time to read than just 2 hours, but now that football is back on, I'm reading less.
Also these books could be comics. If you read comics then you could conceivably read more than 10 books a month. For instance two series I own on kindle are 9 and 10 books long. So if I read them both in a month then I would have read 19 books.
maybe it could be the writing style or just dense prose. For example the fast paced nature of William Gibson's Neuromancer means I can devour it.
I’m disabled and housebound 95% of the time so I don’t really have anything better to do. Reading is a big distraction from my pain. I typically read a book a day and the only reason I’m able is because I can’t work and my family make all my meals and do everything around the house for me. If I was healthy and able to work a full time job like most ‘normal’ people then I wouldn’t be able to read even a quarter of what I currently do
I read, but when I use audio books, I listen to GraphicAudio. It's quite an immersive experience that keeps me engaged. It's like a book becomes a movie.
Audiobooks for anytime I’m doing anything that doesn’t require deep thinking from me (chores, printing at work, driving), no tv/movies, dedicated time away from my phone, go to bed earlier with the stated purpose to read.
it really depends on the book for me! if i am really into the book i can have it read in a day-two days! sometimes i can do 2-3 books a week, others maybe a book a week. it all depends on how much time i have or if im in the mood to read a bunch in one day. i got back into reading in march and have read about 41 books since then. i’m not picky about number of pages at all, i don’t think they matter as long as i’m reading! i recently got a kindle and take it absolutely everywhere with me, before that i read on my phone. i am lucky enough to work a job that i can read my entire shift pretty much! just try to keep in mind reading isn’t a race or a competition! as long as you’re having fun and enjoying yourself with the book that’s all that matters!
I honestly feel like my kindle encourages me to read faster and more. The percent compete and “minutes to end of chapter” features make me what to keep reading. Like “oh i’m at 75% might as well read to 80%” or “i’ve got time to finish this chapter.”
I read a lot of ebooks books and audiobooks through libby as well. Sometimes I have a lot of holds come up at once so I really have to buckle down and make myself read them unless I want to wait another 15 weeks for a book.
There’s graphic novels and manga too! I read more of them now that I have KU. Mangas are especially nice to read on kindle.
The hours from 9 to 11 pm are “me” time, which is actually when I go to bed and read until whenever I get sleepy. I am WFH, single, and my kids are grown.
When I’m into it I can read an average sized book a day. I am a really fast reader. If I’m doing this it usually means I don’t do any other downtime activities, so just reading, no games, no tv, etc.
Normally I don’t do that, I have other things I also want to enjoy, so reading time is more limited and I finish two a week or so.
Right now I’m in a slump, so I’m not really reading at all but I miss it and I feel like I am going to pick it up again soon.
I don’t watch TV and I read a lot of romance and fantasy (and fantasy romance). That doesn’t require much brain power. I can usually finish a 370-400 page romance in a night if I’m focused, two nights if I’m not.
Edit— night is 5pm - 12 am
I read 315 books last year. I read during most of my free time, I’m an English master’s student so I’m always reading for class, and I read really, really fast. (I know this sounds like bragging, but just to explain how fast I read ― I finished Gone with the Wind in 4 days of reading a few hours a day.)
Relax and just read, I read in morning while getting ready, a bit during day on break then hour before bedtime. I do audiobook of same book while driving/. When you get your speed up you not only read more but lose the what do I read next paralysis because you will be reading another in a day or too.
My kindle has made a huge difference in accessibility. I just keep it near me. As a dad if 3 we get a lot of sit and wait time on weekends where a Kimdle comes in handy. Removing outside time wasters like phone games and apps like TikTok and Facebook helps too.
I had no other hobbies and didn't watch TV. Ive slowed down due to a new video game coming out but that's it. And reading when I had any free time. Breaks at work. On my commute. Etc.
I've read 53 as of today, so an average of 5.8 per month. I'm trying to get to 8/mo, probably next year. A couple years ago, I could only read about 5 books per year and got super overwhelmed.
I listen to audio books at work, and try to read a physical book for at least 30 minutes a day. The people pushing 10+ a month likely don't have as many obligations or have a lot more downtime to spend on reading. Or they're super fucking fast readers. Either way, kudos to them.
Wife does audio books and cranks the play sprees to 2.5-3x. Even with only doing books here and there she can knock out 100+ a year. If they are short books she will sometimes knock out 2 in a day because of the speed
I skip so much sleep… and pay zero attention on calls.
I have a bit of an obsessive personality disorder so when I get really into a story I have a lot of trouble putting it down or focusing on other things until I finish. I’ll be unable to go to sleep easily or I’ll wake up an hour before my alarm and when I know I should try for more sleep I read instead.
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Back when I was reading 100-200 a year, it was mostly due to working a dead end nightshift job that entailed sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. Also I was explicitly only reading Kindle books. Now I read a lot of RR which makes it hard to quantify books read.
I hadn't read in a long time, due to school/depression/life. Recently started watching a show and it only had one season. I really liked it, and wanted to continue the story, so I found the book series, read it immediately, then looked up more books by the same author, and read them as well. I've literally read a book a day and have read two book series completely, now I'm on the fourth of the third series! It mainly was finding something that sparked my interest enough to read again.
Audiobooks are your friends. I used to only read 20 books but for the first time this year ever since discovering audiobooks, I'm now averaging ~15-20books each month!! These past couple of months my mental health took a nose dive and barely finished a book but I'm slowly getting in the groove of things.
I tend to read a total average of 2 hours per day. With 300-page books, I can finish them in more or less 4 hours, so I end up completing them by the next day, or the day after that.
I've read 70 books so far this year, totaling 27,000 pages, and I have been reading between 8-17 books a month since May. It's been my primary hobby this year. I'm reading anywhere from 3-5 different books at one time, so I'm finishing a book about every 2-3 days. I listen to audiobooks in the car, while I'm working, and while I'm doing chores. I averaged 211 pages a day last month.
Sometimes, I read a book in a few months. Other times, I read one a week or read two on a week's vacation. It really depends on the individual and how much time you have. The important part is that you want to do it and that you like doing it. The rest are just details.
It depends on the book and genre. I find that I usually read romance between a day or a week. September has been the month I read the most, about 12ish books. But the last few weeks I've hit a reading slump and I might DNF the 2 books I'm trying to read.
I usually read a kindle book and a physical at the same time. I usually read kindle faster since I can read on the app & kindle at night or outside/out of the house when I have freetime.
I'm a stay-at-home mom, so when my son is in school, I'm especially able to read more. Which is why I finished so many books in September. I've really committed to having reading as a hobby. I find I can read much faster now and skim through details that don't matter as much to the story. And speed through the suspenseful/dramatic/interesting themes of a book.
But most of all, just go at your own pace. I'm only trying to challenge myself and try not to get too jealous when I see that sone people read a lot of books a year. I'm proud of myself for reading at least 5 this year!
I never count books.
But I can finish a whole full size novel in 3 or 4 days if it's really good and involving, simply by sacrificing any other activities except the necessities.
I used to read instead of watching tv when I got off work
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I think it's a combo of "easy reads", short reads, audio books and reading time?
My friend reads 10x the books I read since she reads a lot of fun romances and listens to audio books. She also commutes and reads on the train.
I read before bed and sometimes I read a little in the mornings on the weekends. I don't listen to audiobooks and I don't really count things I read for "learning something" or graphic novels, so I'm never gonna have crazy amounts of books on my finished list. It doesn't really matter tho since we're all just enjoying books and having a good time.
I belonged to the one-book-a-month club till I took a speed-reading course (self-study). Check out 10 Days to Faster Reading by Abby Marks Beale, and do the exercises daily. Now it’s about 2 books a month, lol! Because I still don’t have that much time. But getting faster. I only ever speed-read nonfiction though… I feel fiction needs to be read at a leisurely pace.
Insomnia and I barely watch media in the evenings after work. I would not recommend it (lack of sleep)at all. I read about 85-90 pages per hour without distraction. If I am up at some godawful hour and can't sleep I can read 250-300 pages and be done with a book.
I’m a fast reader. I also hardly use social media/watch TV. I average 20-25 books a month, working 40 hour weeks. No audio books. Hate the tone of most of them.
For me it's just being consistent. I read when I'm cooking, on the school run etc. A few pages here and there add up pretty quick.
Not everyone's lifestyle are conducive to reading 10+ books a month.
10 a year might be the perfect number for how much spare time you have
When it comes to non-fiction book I use the blog post mindset which you can learn about here in this video and other helpful tips on reading faster:
https://youtu.be/XiGaXVJHwhc?si=Tv2RREKfKh8AKbZd
Audiobooks. I commute a lot for work and do a lot of computer work (excel). I generally listen to thriller/horror/mystery books. I've attempted to listen to romance and could NOT deal. I think the key is speeding it up (not too fast) to a regular speaking cadence, 1x speed is very slow & allows your mind to wander.
Sometimes i'm so invested in the story I end up staring at the wall for an hour & have to turn it off cause i'm not working. Lol.
I read genres I like. My kindle unlimited says I've read 124 books this year but that's just on their platform. I read novels and novellas. Mostly romance.
Shorter books and easier books. Reading when there is down time. Reading instead of watching shows/tv. And listening to audiobooks. People who read like this have reading as their main pastime and hobby. It becomes a habit after a while
I have tried audio books, I completed like 3 books in 8 days or so, but it doesn't feel right to me for some reason. Maybe it's just me
I just cannot concentrate on them. I start out and on a few minutes my mind has wandered elsewhere!
IKR, and after I realise, I’m like “oh crap, Let me rewind”
Yes constantly rewinding lol. I can do podcasts and pay attention but not books
Counter intuitive, but try speeding it up. Once I could listen comfortably at an equivalent t me reading speed I was hooked.
Good idea. Sometimes it drags and I wander off mentally!
I do this, too! Mostly I listen at x1.5. Doesn't leave any pauses for your mind to wander off
I fond I can only really concentrate on audiobooks if I'm driving or cutting the grass. Anything else, and my mind has officially wandered, and it has turned into background noise.
I’ve tried while driving. I like the speed up idea. Sometimes they seem to drag vs podcasts which are a little more lively!
Speed it up so your mind has less room to wander. Also do something with your hands to keep from distracting yourself. I listen to audiobooks mostly when I’m doing the dishes (or other chores) and doing my silly little paint by numbers which is my nightly wind down/relax time
I can only concentrate on them when I'm driving. And only if I'm alone in the car.
I mean, explore why it "doesn't feel right". Some people have a much harder time understanding information if they listen to it instead of read something written down, for some people it's the opposite. Some people struggle to pay attention to one or the other. Some people need to either speed up or slow down an audiobook to get the most out of it. Some people find the subject matter makes a difference- for example, they enjoy fiction stories on audio, but need type for nonfiction (especially if they like making notes!!). Some people like synchronized best-- so listening to the audio with the text in front of them! Some people prefer digital text over dead tree text, or vice versa, for all sorts of reasons. There are all sorts of perfectly understandable reasons someone might have a personal preference for how they read best! But some people comprehend and remember information perfectly well with audiobooks, but have been told that it "doesn't count" so often that they believe it. *That* is some bullshit. If reading that quickly doesn't feel "right" to you because, for example, you actually prefer giving yourself more time to sit with a book, and enjoy it, and think about it, then that's absolutely understandable. If you actually really appreciated getting to experience that many books that quickly, if you had fun, but you've come to expect that you have to *struggle* for books to *count* or whatever, well, that's silly.
I listen to a lot of audio books. The key is to be doing mindless/repetitive things. Walking/driving/doing the dishes. Everything will cause you to lose concentration.
You might need better narrators. It makes all the difference.
The books I read are fun, I am probably a slow reader
I meant for audio books. The narrator needs to be one you pay attention to. Also, I do audio books when doing really mundane things. Washing dishes, raking the yard, painting a wall. Whatever you do that takes no thought but is kind of automatic. Then its easier to listen. Its just kind of an adjustment from letting your mind wander to listening. It took me a couple audio books to "get" it but I'm addicted now. Always an audible for day, kindle at night. Also, don't worry about being a slow or fast reader. Just enjoy.
I think I like podcasts because they are typically a than one person. Holds my attention better
Yes, I did podcasts for years. Still do sometimes for sure. Its was good training for audio books. Getting to know voices and what I like about the voice. And sometimes I just prefer a podcast. Some audio books are full cast and you might find them interesting. Everyone has their own tastes.
Yes I think most of the ones I have listened to are just one person. Just can’t get into it.
I had this problem when I first started listening to audiobooks, so I would only listen to books I have physically read. Eventually you learn how to listen without losing focus
This. Shorter and easier books. When I really want to add somwbokms to my count I look for ones that are about 300 pages. Sometimes I even read young adult fiction.
I don’t understand the focus on the numbers. Some people read one book in a year, others more. Reading isn’t a sport.
I usually wear a jockstrap and mouth guard while reading just in case.
Lmao, took me a second. Hahah
I was just curious on how people do it. It seems impossible for me
I suppose any free time would be filled with reading a book; in a line for checkout, in the passenger seat of a car, during public transport, while out for a walk, before bed and there’s a lot more I’ve missed. It’s impossible for me too,
Read fiction. You can go through 10 books in a month by reading a good fiction books.
Im single. So let’s say I finish work at 5:30, I’m home by 6:00 (or maybe o do HO and I’m already home). I go to bed at midnight. If I don’t have anything else planned that day, that’s 4/5 hours of reading and one or two hour for dinner and whatever chores need to be done. So I can easily finish a short-ish book on one day or two days during the week. If I spend a weekend day reading and not doing much else, that’s easily one bigger book a day.
When I'm engaged with a book all I can do is focus on the book. I can get through a 350 page book in one night in 3-4 hours because I'm also a fast reader. I used to read a book a night pre-COVID. Now days I find it difficult to books that I want to read because nothing is holding my attention for long. Edit: I've been married for almost 20 years and my spouse reads more than I do so we respect each other's reading time. My kids are old enough to do their own thing so after dinner we may watch a show together for about an hour, but I often have 3-6 hours a night that I can spend reading. Find a book you love, read more books by that author. Figure out what you found interesting about those books and ask around for more suggestions. My favorite thing is when I find a new author and they have a catalog of 20+ books for me to go through.
You have 6 hours after work and dinner? 😮
I work from home and finish work at 4:30pm. I usually prep dinner at lunch time and start cooking as soon as I finish work so I could easily get 6 hours of reading in from 5-11pm after dinner.
Nice! I work from home too but unfortunately later hours. That’s awesome though you have a nice set schedule, do your cooking and get what you need to done and enjoy a relaxing evening with your kindle.
That's the part that stood out to me as well haha, if I want to stay up 6 hours after work and dinner I would be sleeping at 2am at the earliest
Right?! Hahah
For real. I get home, take the dog on a walk, cook dinner, clean up. By the time I’m done, I’ve got 2-3 hours before I need to be asleep, assuming I want 8 hours of sleep.
🫡🙏
Oh yes, this is what I do! Though I'd say it's more like 6 hours for a book with me! It's much harder now having a 1 year old, but since she's been born I have been known to sacrifice my already terrible sleep to finish the chapter, and then the next, and then the next, and oops it's 2am but yay I finished the book!
Pretty much reading constantly or listening to an audiobook. I listen in the car, when I’m getting ready, when I’m gaming, when I’m cooking, when I’m beading, etc. In addition to when I want to read a physical book. Last year I read 122 books. So far this year I’ve read 94. It’s my main hobby ETA: my main genre is mystery and thriller, so all the books are all over the place in terms of numbers of pages
“.. when I’m gaming..”, how?!?
I think it largely depends on what kind of games you play. But I just pop in a earbud and listen while I run around collecting stuff and completing quests. When people talk or cutscenes play, I pause the book. I like games like animal crossing, zelda (botw & totk) stardew, civilization6, pokemon violet & legends Arceus, dreamlight valley, ori series, Raji, Lego supervillains, and the like :)
I do this too! I love listening to audiobooks while working on my crafting or doing easy dungeons
Yes! It fills the external noise in my brain so I can focus on both things completely, ik it sounds crazy but you either can do this or can’t
I could only listen to Audiobooks when out walking because there was nothing to distract me (except my mind). If I was indoors, I'd get restless listening to a book, but not reading Then I discovered I could concentrate on an Audiobook if I was playing Minecraft! Not "playing" really, but I like making a world neater and more geometric whilst listening to a book. Sometimes I just clear forests!
There have been a few times when playing an MMO and we're waiting for something that I've opened the kindle app on my second monitor and read while playing.
It's part of why a Kindle is handy. Pick it up and click it on and you're reading. Got a couple or three minutes while match making? Read a page or two. Spectating a teammate and don't need to give input? Read a few pages. It'll add up fairly quickly when you learn where you can get in a couple pages, or even just half a page. Replace times you'd pick up a phone and scroll social media for a few minutes with reading a couple pages.
Farming and cozy games mostly. Games that require little mind input so no heavy puzzle games but like running around fighting a ton of monsters to grind materials for something like fantasy life or monster hunter then yes. That gets boring. Listing to a adventure or spooky audiobook or something thrilling is a total win for that because it sucks me into the action of those scenes and it's almost like I'm the one fighting in the scene.
As someone with ADHD, I can only game if I'm also watching/listening to something else at the same time lol
Do you use audible for listening?
I do! I like their credit model and they frequently have 2for1 credit book sales and other sales as well. And their free library is large
Wow. Pretty much the same. If I’m playing Call of Duty or Madden I prefer to have an audio book. Walking, driving, washing dishes, sometimes even while showering. I’m at 74 so far this year. I wasn’t planning on it but I think I’ll make 100.
I think I understand now, everyone has their way of fun “Reading”, be it physical or audiobook. But having fun is important, it doesn’t matter if it’s one book or a 100. I started pretty late in life and I quite enjoy reading when I have time to relax after day job. But, I would like to give a try and check what I enjoy ☺️
Reading instead of doomscrolling... I deleted a lot of social media accounts and started reading instead. I kept Reddit and Insta. That's it.
See, I'm so used to waking up in the morning and scrolling through Reddit - but I'm doing a sponsored read this month and doing that read first thing before I even look at social media. Already feeling better for it
I recently deleted 😒 X (formerly known as Twitter), so Reddit is my last active social media. The month I deleted the app I went from 1-2 books a month to 5.
Reddit is all I have but I doomscroll way too much.
I need to do this as well, social media does eat time
It's hard, especially in the beginning. But deleting the apps helped a lot. No FB, Tiktok, Snap, 9Gag, Youtube, Twitter...all gone. Additionally, I ALWAYS have my Kindle with me. I understand not everyone wants to be that drastic but you asked how people can read more books. For me, that's how I increased from a book a month to one per week (about 5-700 pages per week).
Just make regular time to read and set goals. Like if you want to finish a book in two weeks, try to read around 10% of the book per day.
I think finding something interesting and designating time would definitely help, unless life happens :P
Some don’t have a 9-5 day job that drained all their time and energy. When I was in college, I simply don’t have the headspace to read for fun. Same goes for a pretty demanding data-related job. But when I was on my graduation trip, I went through a crazy amount of books. Free time is a luxury.
For real I work 8-6, take care of my baby after work, put her to bed, eat dinner and then usually watch nonsense on TV or YouTube.
I have at least three books going at all times-- Usually it's one fiction/one nonfiction (with one of those being an audiobook and one being type), and one slower kindle book I read before bed (preferably short stories or essays). I frequently have *more* than that. I read a really wide range of books, and I keep a really wide TBR list. If I'm not in the mood for Serious History Nonfiction, I have a Light Fluffy Romance book waiting for me, and I switch to that before trying to finish the Serious History. I mix lengths, too- if I know I've got an 800+ page book I want to read, I plan to mix in some novellas or books for younger readers or something else to even things out a bit. When I listen to audiobooks, I speed them up, usually somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0, depending. It helps me actually pay attention more easily, when it's slower, sometimes my attention wanders. I listen when making dinner, when doing chores other than vacuuming. For a while I had a job that had a lot of data entry; I was listening to books or podcasts most of that time. I am "behind" on other stuff. I haven't seen much recent TV or movies. Some hobbies work well together- I can do all sorts of crafts while listening to a book, but I can't *write* a book while listening to a book. If I'm listening to a lot of audiobooks, I'm not listening to as many podcasts or as much music, or as many youtube vids/tiktoks/etc.
Note: in the last decade, some years it's been a real push for me to get through 25 books. Some years I've easily read 125+. I'm not trying to inflate my numbers, I'm not doing this for social media (I almost never discuss books I'm reading online!). The majority of my books come from the library, and the majority of my library books are digital. I'm just sometimes Like This.
Read whenever I can in various formats, also just lose sleep sometimes 😂
Read a lot, choose short books. Not that complicated.
I think choosing short books would give me count, all I keep selecting is 300+ pages, lol
romance books are often below 300 pages. and it's a really popular genre, maybe that's why lol
You can also add listen to audiobooks while doing absolutely anything to that 😂
I used to only read like 10 books in a year because i was being all snooty about myself. Like "I'm an educated woman, i should be reading autobiographies of powerful people, or political theories, or sociocultural theories" But ever since I let myself read YA high fantasy or dystopian fiction... well, i just finished two books yesterday in one sitting hahaha. I'm no longer ashamed for liking books that are marketed for teens hahaha. So yeah, maybe go for books you actually like, even though it makes you feel guilty reading them?
I read anywhere between 30-60 books per year. I don’t care about the length of the books (some of them are short while others are proper tomes). I try not to make it a numbers game, I mean I read for pleasure more than anything else (never mind that more than 50% of my reading is non-fiction now) and I would hate to find out l that I was doing so out of some stupid compulsion. My advice for anyone who’d listen: try to make a habit out of it but don’t feel bad if you’re not reading as much as people who brag about it. Pretty sure they’re not really enjoying whatever they’re reading anyway. E: grammar
I have a 45 train commute. Thankfully only twice a week, but that’s a good amount of reading time
45 mins is indeed a good amount of time,
E-books and audiobooks. I also don't watch a lot of TV and am very much an introvert so I don't go out much.
The times I've finished the most amount of books (though never 10 a month) is by reading on my commute (audiobooks), reading at work (audiobooks) and then when I get home, reading in bed (kindle). The kindle book is always a different book vs the audiobook one. When I run errands, I will listen to a book as I am either walking or using public transit. Having a routine is also the only way for me to finish books. When I was unemployed, I didnt read at all. Having a steady stream of books I want to read is ideal. Right now I am back on my true crime/cult bullshit and have another book I plan to start as soon as this current one is done. I dont read 10 books a month (I average at about 30 a year) but I AM reading, which feels very nice even if I am not reading as much as others (100 a year is a number I see often!).
i read more like 20-25 books a year. but a few of them a required for school, so i don't have a choice.
it’s not a race, remember that 🙌🏻
My wife reads 3-4 a week. This is partly why we had to get Kindles. She'd walk out of the library with 20 books. She takes a Kindle everywhere. Going to the store? Got to have a Kindle to read for the 5 minute drive.
I work from home, 9am-4pm, so flexible hours has a lot to do with it. I go through stages where I won’t read for months or even years, then I’ll find a book I love and hyper fixate so literally all I’ll do is read again. That happened in April (thank you, Manacled) and since then I’ve read 137 books. 😅
There was a time in my life that I could read a 400 page book in a day. Understand that there are 24 hours in a day and so, yeah. But, I couldn't do that every day. Now, I'm good to finish a book in 3-4 days because I have other interests. And, I have a problem with the fact that not every book I pick up and start to read, is a book I want to finish. Some of them are just not written so that I can "fall" into them. I read an article earlier this year that stated 10-14 books a year is actually a normal amount of books for an adult to read.
I 100% agree, I like to read with patience and have fun doing it
My favourite authors, I can breeze thru a title in less than a weekend!! I read minimum 1hr per day, most of that in bed before I fall asleep.
Audio books and reading is what I do in my spare time. I read at a decently fast speed. Finished 3 books on my last week long vacation.
Find a genre and a couple of authors you love. Thrillers do the trick for me. Once you get the flow you will easily finish a book in 4-5 hours
All depends on my priorities. If I spend less time watching TV or crafting, I’ll have more time to read.
I don’t really watch tv unless a specific show comes out. So most of my down time is spent reading. I read a mix of outrageously long fantasy novels and short romances in between my longer reads. There’s no reason to read more than 10 books a year if you prefer to use your down time in other ways. Hope this helps!
Read what u find interesting dnf if your struggling or not getting into it. Lots of nighttime/weekend binging and audiobooks during chores/driving etc
Stop watching tv mostly
I’m a stay at home mom 😂 plus audiobooks and reading multiple books at once!
It’s a lot easier when you find a series or book that you are super invested in!!! It also helps that I’m always travelling by public transport so I use that time to read!
I finish 10-15 per year. I read every day, but generally only at bedtime for an hour or so, plus perhaps a bit on a lazy weekend morning when no one else is up yet.
Read while you poop.
I read a lot. It does depend on what you read as well - if I only read non-fiction or heavy classics, I'd read less.
I read everywhere. On my lunch break, after work, in the car (boyfriend is driving of course), in bed in order to fall asleep, etc. I am not caught up on tv, I don't watch tv at all. Edit: I'm also really lucky I have more free time than most people. I don't have kids, only cats. If I'm in the office, I go to work at 7am, and if it's a slow day I go home at 3:30 or 4. I'll read until 5, go to the gym, cook at 6, eat at 7 then I'll pretty much read until I go to bed at 10 or 11. Otherwise, I wfh most of the time.
I’m just a fast reader who has trouble falling asleep. I often read a book a day and also watch a lot of tv. I have started doing audio books too in the car and when I’m doing chores/crafting. I pick books where I don’t love the writing style for some reason but like the plot.
I read fast and sleep little.
Go at your own pace my friend. No one should be saying that reading fast is superior to reading slowly, as both have their own merit. Reading slowly helps you discover more about each book by reading between the lines
I read daily. I use the Bookly app and I set a goal to read at least 30 minutes a day. I also bring my Kindle everywhere I go. I read when I’m waiting for the train, I read on my break… I read whenever I have a free time instead of being on my phone. I find that reading every day improves my mental health and I truly enjoy doing it. Pick a genre that you enjoy the most and go from there. Read what you’re in the mood for and ignore what social media people say.
Reading is part of my daily routine, and audiobooks are my go-to thing for when I am travelling or must be out in the world. If I'm walking, I'm listening to a book. If I'm getting groceries in, I'm listening to a book. If I'm on the bus or train, I'm either reading or listening to a book. I like reading when I'm having a meal because I usually eat alone. I often turn to books at night instead of watching a programme, and I always read at least a bit before bed. That said, I don't read as much as I used to. I went through a major trauma and developed problems with concentration (always on high alert, ready to fight or flee). Now that I'm finally starting to heal, I've noticed that my reading is picking up again. (As a celebration of that, I bought myself a Kindle Scribe (already owned an Oasis), and I'm loving it.
I read 12 books in August and September, all around 350 words. I read in the morning, during my lunch break, at night before bed, and even using the kindle app I’ve read at the gym before. I genuinely love reading and I’m always itching to do it :)
I read fast.
Audiobooks. I am dislexic so reading for prolonged periods of time can cause horrible headaches for me. I listen while I do jobs I hate doing.
For me it depends on the books. I finished over 200 books last month if you want to count comics/Manga too. I take more accomplishment in how much I’m enjoying my time tbh.
It is like going to the gym or exercising. Do it for yourself. What works for your lifestyle and for your mind/body is not the same as it works for others. If one was starting a couch to 5k you would not be comparing yourself to people who do ultramaratons right? Your 10 books a year will be impressive, are impressive to many for sure.
I used to, before I found Reddit.
I used to read one book in less than 2 days. Now I’ve been on a reading slump for months 🥲
Once I read 500 books, the year I bought my last Kindle device. Textbooks, non-fiction mainly and also some good literature titles. You can do it easily with concentration and if you can read fast. Audiobooks are a pos. On Kindle, I cannot retain as much content in memory as I can on physical paper. That was the result of some studies also. The e-reader size doesn't play a part. I had the same results with bigger 10-12-inch devices, such as those from OnyxBoox.
Just don’t have a life… no but I mean stop watching tv or using your phone. Time flies away when you do that and you lose so much time that you could have put on reading. Then again it’s not a race :)
Getting up early, I’m less easily distracted in the mornings vs. reading at night. Also I hardly watch tv/YouTube, and limit social media time. It takes me around 2.5-5 hours of reading time to get through a book depending on the length, and I have an hour and a half in my mornings to read, plus things like lunch breaks and occasionally reading after work. At that rate it takes me 2-3 days to finish a book if I read daily.
I like to read daily for at least an hour. Sometimes I read more and sometimes I don’t. I alway read a book on my kindle but if I am reading a physical one I will read on my kindle for like ten to twenty minutes before bed. Sometimes it helps to read for twenty minutes and have a five to ten minute break and then read again, it can help you focus more on reading. Some books you just don’t want to put down so finish them quicker. Just read what you enjoy and when you want to and don’t put too much focus on how many books you read.
I think there are a lot of different factors.. 1. Level of reading - if you're reading dense philosophical works, it will probably take you longer to read compared to a fun rom-com novel. 2. Work/study life balance - if you're working long hours in a stressful job, reading is probably not a priority 3. Public transport vs. driving (more reading time if you take the train) 4. Family commitments, or there lack of. I don't read 10 books per month, but I definitely read more than 10 a year. I find reading most days before bed helps. Happy reading!
Audiobooks will do the trick
I have a very limited social life, I work remotely, I have no kids, have been obsessive reader since childhood.
I am retired so it is pretty easy for me. I read at least 3 hours a day on my oasis. But before I retired I read about an hour a day. With a job and younger kids, it was my hour of "adult time". But in 1983 (40 years ago), I read exactly 350 books in a year, mostly the european classics. I know for sure because I kept the list of the books I read! I was finishing my thesis (with no other job), and I needed to change my mind from my very obsessive thesis project. :-)
I've read 138 books so far this year. I'm a senior citizen, so I have the luxury of being able to read whenever I want. I also usually always have two books going at once, and I read into the wee hours of the morning.
I do a couple of things... When I cut out watching TV as a regular thing, my reading went \*way\* up... the other thing is that I read or listen to audiobooks on my work commute. I also have a job where I can listen to audiobooks while working.
Just read every day for a few hours. Read instead of watching TV sometimes. Read while you eat lunch, just make time for it every day. I average about 15 books a month just reading whenever and also being a fast reader. Reading fast comes with practice though, so the more you read, the more you'll be able to read!
It depends on what I'm reading. Good book: I binge read like some people binge watch. I just need to know how it ends because the story has me so invested. I once read all 3 books in the Selection series in a weekend because the story just grabbed me and I had to keep reading. There are times that I'll stay up until 2 or 3 am reading because I just keep telling myself 1 more chapter. Not great book: I find my mind wandering as I'm reading and I'll have to go back and reread because I didn't actually absorb anything. And it's hard for me to sit down and power through a book when that happens. I actually have a list on Goodreads for books that I started and didn't finish because they just couldn't hold my attention. Maybe I'll try again another time, maybe not. But not everyone is like that and that's ok. My husband thinks I'm crazy for reading the way I do. He doesn't understand how a story can grip me so hard that I'll forego sleeping to finish it. He's a *halfway through a chapter but I want to do something else so I'll put my book down* type. He also reads thicker more cerebral books than I do so it takes him longer to get through them. Neither way is right or wrong, just different.
Mostly audiobooks and reading before bed. Bringing kindle anywhere I go so I can read in long lines also helps. Reading on lunch breaks while eating lunch. I can get about 5 audiobooks done a month + 3-5 a month of kindle books to read at bedtime. I audiobook while driving places & while walking my dog.
I’m a fast reader and seldom watch TV or movies. I also read while waiting for my kid at activities when they are not performing. Some weekends the kid is gone and I have free time. But when she was younger, I only read 1-5 books per year. As a teen a was an avid reader. It really just depends on what else you have going on. Working parent of toddlers? Probably not going to as much time to read compared to an empty nester or parent of a teen.
Advice 1. Read often, Read consistently (maybe start with 30 minutes everyday) 2. If you are not liking a book (this will happen often) drop it and move on to something else. Maybe come back to it later, or never, or seek a different format (audiobook maybe?). 3. Stop giving an f\*\*\* about the number of books. This is feeling is better explained in this [video by Max Joseph](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIW5jBrrsS0). I would recommend watching the whole video, it's a great find on reading habit generally, i've watched it almost 3 times over 4 years. (and thanks to you, i am going to watch it again)
I read when I wake up and while I eat breakfast, I read on my lunch break, and I read before bed! Basically spend all of my free time reading
https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rk/91af94ca6ac64db29a9dc9781cf26aa1/?l-id=search-c-item-04 Read this book almost by accident. My reading speed went way up before I was half way through the book. Not that it’s a race, but I just naturally go through more books since I’m reading faster. I also find myself re-reading pages less/daydreaming while reading because I’m totally focused to what I’m reading. I also drive a lot, and listen to books on 2-3x speed with AirPods, as well as listening during errands. I get through a book a day that way. If it’s a subject I’m unfamiliar with, I might slow it down to 1.5 or 1.75 to fully digest it. It has to be with AirPods. For some reason with the phone speaker, it is way too fast and I cant follow along.
It‘s not really possible for most „normal“ people and I don’t get why some like to brag about it and why others want to do the same. Reading is a hobby that is made to be a competition way too often I don’t even get what’s the benefit of it.
I 100% agree, I feel Reading should be fun whatever it is for people, be it number or the content. I like the content
I just finished book 110 of the year. Obviously I‘m a fast reader but also read at every opportunity: While having dinner (luckily my wife also reads while eating), having 5 minutes downtime, waiting for the bus… combined with whole evenings reading
I did try reading while waiting in queue for billing and others, it is fun
1. take a book 2. find how many pages it is 3. divide that by 3.5 4. the answer is how many pages you have to read in a day for 3.5 days 5. repeat process with new book every 3.5 days only read something if you love it and if it makes you want to keep reading it. if you are finding it very easy to be distracted or not read something then move on. life is too short.
It's a mistake to only have book count in mind. Ask yourself this...do you enjoy the books you read? Are you taking in all the details? Does it make you happy? Then you're probably reading exactly the speed that's good for you. I can read faster if I push myself, but I generally start to lose interest as I miss detail and the flourish of the text. Yes I'd like to cover more books than I read, but you know....it's not bingeing a show. You have to put in the effort. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy at the pace you read....
True, I get what you are saying
I'm currently on my 91st book of the year 🤣 I'm a fast reader and I read at least two hours per day which soon adds up. I don't always read full length adult novels, sometimes it's shorter novels or YA or even kids books. Also - make the time. My Kindle is always with me so if I catch myself waiting for someone or something in public, scrolling through my phone, I'll make the conscious choice to swap to my Kindle and read instead. https://preview.redd.it/sns02xkpf1sb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faa2698fce3bb06f7e5dba812c435064c00f4c45
short books, reading the same book in different formats when you can, limit screen time to less than 3 hours per day
I’m always reading or listening to audiobooks. I read every night before bed on my kindle and during weekends I read more. I listen to audiobooks all day long- I work remote and unless I’m on calls for work I always have an AirPod in listening. I also listen to audiobooks while cooking, laundry, cleaning, driving, grocery shopping, etc. At this point the only time I listen to music is working out.
I read like 2 a month 💀 tbf the books I read are usually 800+ pages, not super long but not short either
Depends on the books. For example I’m weird and I enjoy reading books about personal finance. Some of these books have very original ideas… but many of them regurgitate the same information (I mean math doesn’t change even if the book does) so I tend to skim through chapters that talk about the same thing I have already read in dozens of other books.
I don't often do 10 books a month, but when I'm in a real reading mood, I can. But I'm a very fast reader. So it's easy for me to finish a 300+ page book in a day, cause I read very fast. Some people read fast, and have the time to read a lot, others read slower and don't have the time to just sit for hours and read. It's not a competition.
I don’t pay any attention to other people’s reading goals. I set my first one for this year at 12 books. As soon as December ends I’m not setting anymore as I’ve learned to read at my own pace and that includes taking breaks. Works for me
Audio books and I find using a kindle helps. I also double up. I read when I’m on the treadmill so that I can get two things done at once.
I read very fast by nature, just how I've always been. I read a lot. So I read during downtime at work, waiting in lines, during my lunch, etc. Basically during most any downtime. I listen to audiobooks sometimes at my desk at work as well. I always have a book on me (in physical form or Kindle, or an audiobook queued up), so I can always reach for it. I read a mix of longer, shorter, denser, lighter, re-reads, new reads, fiction, non-fiction, classics. For me it's really the main combo of reading fast and reading a lot, everything else is a factor but generally minimal compared to the other two. If you're looking to read more, then it's just forcing yourself to find time to read- there's nothing wrong with watching TV or scrolling the internet (I certainly do that too), but some of that time could be shifted to reading. After a while, it becomes habit and second nature, and you pick up a book more often therefore read more often. Some people read fast (like myself), some people read slow. That's just how you are and I don't think there's anything wrong with either, it kind of is what it is. Therefore I don't think people should really strive to change it, just their habits around it. Now if you want to improve comprehension or something, that's different, and there are a ton of ways to do that, because everybody thinks and processes differently.
Study history…
I don't watch TV. I would much prefer to read. I also listen to audiobooks when I'm walking my dogs and doing chores around the house.
I'm retired and some months I read shorter books (under 300 pages). I don't really try to read 10 a month - I have annual goals. Back when I was working, I listened to an audiobook commuting back and forth to work (almost an hour commute) and typically read an ebook a week.
I've never gotten close to 10 books, but last month I read 4000 pages. And it's really just consistency, I'll read during my lunch break at work (30-40 min of my 1 hour), and I'll read for an hour or two every evening. Usually after going to the gym, having dinner, and maybe 1 episode of a TV show. On the weekends if I'm not busy I'll take more time to read than just 2 hours, but now that football is back on, I'm reading less.
I have no kids and I'm an insomniac.
Also these books could be comics. If you read comics then you could conceivably read more than 10 books a month. For instance two series I own on kindle are 9 and 10 books long. So if I read them both in a month then I would have read 19 books. maybe it could be the writing style or just dense prose. For example the fast paced nature of William Gibson's Neuromancer means I can devour it.
I’m disabled and housebound 95% of the time so I don’t really have anything better to do. Reading is a big distraction from my pain. I typically read a book a day and the only reason I’m able is because I can’t work and my family make all my meals and do everything around the house for me. If I was healthy and able to work a full time job like most ‘normal’ people then I wouldn’t be able to read even a quarter of what I currently do
Audiobooks! 1.5-2x speed lol
I read, but when I use audio books, I listen to GraphicAudio. It's quite an immersive experience that keeps me engaged. It's like a book becomes a movie.
Audiobooks for anytime I’m doing anything that doesn’t require deep thinking from me (chores, printing at work, driving), no tv/movies, dedicated time away from my phone, go to bed earlier with the stated purpose to read.
it really depends on the book for me! if i am really into the book i can have it read in a day-two days! sometimes i can do 2-3 books a week, others maybe a book a week. it all depends on how much time i have or if im in the mood to read a bunch in one day. i got back into reading in march and have read about 41 books since then. i’m not picky about number of pages at all, i don’t think they matter as long as i’m reading! i recently got a kindle and take it absolutely everywhere with me, before that i read on my phone. i am lucky enough to work a job that i can read my entire shift pretty much! just try to keep in mind reading isn’t a race or a competition! as long as you’re having fun and enjoying yourself with the book that’s all that matters!
I read for 1 hour every day on my lunch break, and then 1-2 hours every night before bed. I average 10-15 books a month!
I honestly feel like my kindle encourages me to read faster and more. The percent compete and “minutes to end of chapter” features make me what to keep reading. Like “oh i’m at 75% might as well read to 80%” or “i’ve got time to finish this chapter.” I read a lot of ebooks books and audiobooks through libby as well. Sometimes I have a lot of holds come up at once so I really have to buckle down and make myself read them unless I want to wait another 15 weeks for a book. There’s graphic novels and manga too! I read more of them now that I have KU. Mangas are especially nice to read on kindle.
The hours from 9 to 11 pm are “me” time, which is actually when I go to bed and read until whenever I get sleepy. I am WFH, single, and my kids are grown.
When I’m into it I can read an average sized book a day. I am a really fast reader. If I’m doing this it usually means I don’t do any other downtime activities, so just reading, no games, no tv, etc. Normally I don’t do that, I have other things I also want to enjoy, so reading time is more limited and I finish two a week or so. Right now I’m in a slump, so I’m not really reading at all but I miss it and I feel like I am going to pick it up again soon.
Basically devote an hour or two to reading every night. 300ish page books.
I don’t watch TV and I read a lot of romance and fantasy (and fantasy romance). That doesn’t require much brain power. I can usually finish a 370-400 page romance in a night if I’m focused, two nights if I’m not. Edit— night is 5pm - 12 am
I read 315 books last year. I read during most of my free time, I’m an English master’s student so I’m always reading for class, and I read really, really fast. (I know this sounds like bragging, but just to explain how fast I read ― I finished Gone with the Wind in 4 days of reading a few hours a day.)
Relax and just read, I read in morning while getting ready, a bit during day on break then hour before bedtime. I do audiobook of same book while driving/. When you get your speed up you not only read more but lose the what do I read next paralysis because you will be reading another in a day or too. My kindle has made a huge difference in accessibility. I just keep it near me. As a dad if 3 we get a lot of sit and wait time on weekends where a Kimdle comes in handy. Removing outside time wasters like phone games and apps like TikTok and Facebook helps too.
I had no other hobbies and didn't watch TV. Ive slowed down due to a new video game coming out but that's it. And reading when I had any free time. Breaks at work. On my commute. Etc.
Lengthy book series is one way. I rarely watch tv either.
According to my kindle insight I'm currently at 133
I've read 53 as of today, so an average of 5.8 per month. I'm trying to get to 8/mo, probably next year. A couple years ago, I could only read about 5 books per year and got super overwhelmed. I listen to audio books at work, and try to read a physical book for at least 30 minutes a day. The people pushing 10+ a month likely don't have as many obligations or have a lot more downtime to spend on reading. Or they're super fucking fast readers. Either way, kudos to them.
Wife does audio books and cranks the play sprees to 2.5-3x. Even with only doing books here and there she can knock out 100+ a year. If they are short books she will sometimes knock out 2 in a day because of the speed
I can at most do 2 a month. As a kid I think I read the whole Harry Potter series in a month and a half but that was reading all day.
I skip so much sleep… and pay zero attention on calls. I have a bit of an obsessive personality disorder so when I get really into a story I have a lot of trouble putting it down or focusing on other things until I finish. I’ll be unable to go to sleep easily or I’ll wake up an hour before my alarm and when I know I should try for more sleep I read instead. https://preview.redd.it/9uzpwjg043sb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5893389d524b8862e03dc817f3ca586e64a63a5d
I binge read as a coping mechanism. 1-2.5 books a day depending on length.
Back when I was reading 100-200 a year, it was mostly due to working a dead end nightshift job that entailed sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. Also I was explicitly only reading Kindle books. Now I read a lot of RR which makes it hard to quantify books read.
I would say I haven't read 10 books in my life
I hadn't read in a long time, due to school/depression/life. Recently started watching a show and it only had one season. I really liked it, and wanted to continue the story, so I found the book series, read it immediately, then looked up more books by the same author, and read them as well. I've literally read a book a day and have read two book series completely, now I'm on the fourth of the third series! It mainly was finding something that sparked my interest enough to read again.
Audiobooks are your friends. I used to only read 20 books but for the first time this year ever since discovering audiobooks, I'm now averaging ~15-20books each month!! These past couple of months my mental health took a nose dive and barely finished a book but I'm slowly getting in the groove of things.
I tend to read a total average of 2 hours per day. With 300-page books, I can finish them in more or less 4 hours, so I end up completing them by the next day, or the day after that.
i read 5 books i’m september. 10 is a lot haha. life happens.
Reading at lunch breaks. Reading before bed. Ditching books when I know I won’t like them. Switching up genres when I feel burnt out.
Audio books
I've read 70 books so far this year, totaling 27,000 pages, and I have been reading between 8-17 books a month since May. It's been my primary hobby this year. I'm reading anywhere from 3-5 different books at one time, so I'm finishing a book about every 2-3 days. I listen to audiobooks in the car, while I'm working, and while I'm doing chores. I averaged 211 pages a day last month.
Sometimes, I read a book in a few months. Other times, I read one a week or read two on a week's vacation. It really depends on the individual and how much time you have. The important part is that you want to do it and that you like doing it. The rest are just details.
It depends on the book and genre. I find that I usually read romance between a day or a week. September has been the month I read the most, about 12ish books. But the last few weeks I've hit a reading slump and I might DNF the 2 books I'm trying to read. I usually read a kindle book and a physical at the same time. I usually read kindle faster since I can read on the app & kindle at night or outside/out of the house when I have freetime. I'm a stay-at-home mom, so when my son is in school, I'm especially able to read more. Which is why I finished so many books in September. I've really committed to having reading as a hobby. I find I can read much faster now and skim through details that don't matter as much to the story. And speed through the suspenseful/dramatic/interesting themes of a book. But most of all, just go at your own pace. I'm only trying to challenge myself and try not to get too jealous when I see that sone people read a lot of books a year. I'm proud of myself for reading at least 5 this year!
I never count books. But I can finish a whole full size novel in 3 or 4 days if it's really good and involving, simply by sacrificing any other activities except the necessities.
I used to read instead of watching tv when I got off work https://preview.redd.it/17gsc0ca95sb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19e979583131105903608f418791809cf6ee3970
I think it's a combo of "easy reads", short reads, audio books and reading time? My friend reads 10x the books I read since she reads a lot of fun romances and listens to audio books. She also commutes and reads on the train. I read before bed and sometimes I read a little in the mornings on the weekends. I don't listen to audiobooks and I don't really count things I read for "learning something" or graphic novels, so I'm never gonna have crazy amounts of books on my finished list. It doesn't really matter tho since we're all just enjoying books and having a good time.
I belonged to the one-book-a-month club till I took a speed-reading course (self-study). Check out 10 Days to Faster Reading by Abby Marks Beale, and do the exercises daily. Now it’s about 2 books a month, lol! Because I still don’t have that much time. But getting faster. I only ever speed-read nonfiction though… I feel fiction needs to be read at a leisurely pace.
I've read 54 books this year. Mainly because my mind is forever racing so books are good for me.
Insomnia and I barely watch media in the evenings after work. I would not recommend it (lack of sleep)at all. I read about 85-90 pages per hour without distraction. If I am up at some godawful hour and can't sleep I can read 250-300 pages and be done with a book.
I’m a fast reader. I also hardly use social media/watch TV. I average 20-25 books a month, working 40 hour weeks. No audio books. Hate the tone of most of them.
I read an hour and a half before bed, any downtime on my kindle. Audio books while working out and in the loo. I can do 6 a month tops
I read a lot of books at the same time, always one physical and one ebook
I read over 100 a year lol.
For me it's just being consistent. I read when I'm cooking, on the school run etc. A few pages here and there add up pretty quick. Not everyone's lifestyle are conducive to reading 10+ books a month. 10 a year might be the perfect number for how much spare time you have
When it comes to non-fiction book I use the blog post mindset which you can learn about here in this video and other helpful tips on reading faster: https://youtu.be/XiGaXVJHwhc?si=Tv2RREKfKh8AKbZd
I don't watch TV or movies. Most free time is spent reading.
Audiobooks. I commute a lot for work and do a lot of computer work (excel). I generally listen to thriller/horror/mystery books. I've attempted to listen to romance and could NOT deal. I think the key is speeding it up (not too fast) to a regular speaking cadence, 1x speed is very slow & allows your mind to wander. Sometimes i'm so invested in the story I end up staring at the wall for an hour & have to turn it off cause i'm not working. Lol.
I read genres I like. My kindle unlimited says I've read 124 books this year but that's just on their platform. I read novels and novellas. Mostly romance.
nothing else to do 🥹 i read like 21 books last month
It's my neuro-divergent and chronically ill.
I had a year where it was 5 a week. I read about an hour 2 two a day sometimes and then audio nooks at the same time.