This article was inspired by the recent “long” break I took from the book world. It was not an intentional break but one that naturally happened when I decided to go full-time into my freelancing business.
I noticed my reading tended more towards self-help books, business books, and books on finances. I also read a lot of articles and online publications. So, I barely had time for my dear fiction books.
In the span of three years, I read 20% fiction, 30% non-fiction, and 50% online articles and publications.
I also couldn’t do a lot of book reviews and book blogging on my blog. So, if like me you will also like to get back your reading flow, I will be sharing simple and interesting tips that will get you back into reading below:
1
Read a book you used to love
Everyone has a favorite book. That one book we can read over and over again without getting tired or bored. That one book we can finish in one sitting, even if it’s 400+ pages. For me, that book is any book by Colleen Hoover.
So, get that book and start reading. Before you know it, you will get back your reading groove.
2
Read a short book
Another way to get back your reading groove is by reading a short book. Reading a long book might cause you to get tired and leave reading again for a while, so get a book you can finish quickly and start reading. By the time you’re done, you will want to read a longer book and before you know it, you are looking forward to reading more books.
3
Try Audiobooks
Listening to audiobooks is an interesting way to read any book without actually sitting to read. For someone like me, I find it hard to concentrate when I’m listening to audiobooks but I also don’t want to rule it out because it is a great way to read when you don’t have the time to bury your head in a book. If you find yourself lacking time, put on your earpiece/earpod or connect to your speaker and listen to a book while you do the chores around the house or while you run errands.
4
Read Book Reviews
Visit your favorite book blogs or bookstagram pages and read book reviews. I have discovered that reading book reviews make me look forward to buying the book and devouring it straight away. So, try it out.
Check out the latest book reviews and also get yourself acquainted with the books fellow book lovers are currently reading.
5
Read Ebooks
Another way to get back your reading flow is by reading ebooks. Think about it like this, you are probably on your phone more times in a day than anywhere else, so download a book on your phone. You can do this through Scribd, Aldiko, Wattpad, Netgalley, Kindle Unlimited, or any other site you can get free/paid books.
As you go about your day or as you look through your phone, you will stumble on these books and will want to read them.
6
Visit a Bookstore: Go Book Shopping
For every book lover, one thing we love to do is visit a bookstore and shop for books. If you want to get your reading flow back, visit a bookstore.
Check out the latest books or some old books and buy a couple of them. Strolling in the midst of many books, touching and feeling them, seeing beautiful covers, and reading about the book and author will get you excited to read again.
7
Visit a Library
Another tip to try is to visit a library. Check out your local library, visit, sit, and read or start reading a book. The atmosphere, sitting among books, and the nostalgia of reading again will surely get you back in the flow.
8
Rearrange your bookshelf
Rearranging your bookshelf is also a great way to get back into the reading flow. Clean up the shelf and dust your books. Rearrange them by types, genre, author, or book cover colors.
By doing this, you will realize you have missed your books and you want to read them again.
You can also pick out books you will like to read and put them on a separate shelf where you can see and easily pick from them.
9
Join a book reading community
This is a great way to get back into reading and remain in the reading flow. With a reading community, you will have a company of fellow book lovers and several people who will motivate you to read. Book clubs also have questions, answers, and review sections where they talk about the book for the month and also raise questions concerning the book or the prevalent topics in the book.
You will also have accountability partners or reading buddies that you can read a book with and also discuss the book with.
10
Be Intentional
It’s important to take note of all these tips but they will be useless if you are not intentional about reading. Just having a book on your phone, rearranging your bookshelf, downloading an audiobook, or signing up on NetGalley will not automatically get you reading again but making a decision to start reading again, making time to read, and following through with the decision by setting a reminder to read, or simply picking up a book from your shelf and taking a break from your phone or other activities to read will go a long way in helping you read again and in getting back your reading flow.
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Reading can be the most addictive and exciting thing to do for a book lover and reader but there will also be times when readers get tired of reading or life and work takes away the love and enthusiasm for reading from them for a while. This happens to the best of us but the tips above can be a game-changer to getting back your reading flow if you make use of them.
