What are your reading habits like?

I read like some people doomscroll - in bed when I’m supposed to be sleeping, when I’m eating my meals, on public transportation, while walking, on the toilet, waiting in line… Basically any time I’m not using my brain for anything else. If the book is interesting I’ll find more excuses to pull out my Kindle, but at the very minimum I’ll read in bed at the end of the day. It’s not a goal or anything that I’ve pushed onto myself, it’s just become habit to read myself to sleep, and I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. It was a real pain before I got a backlit Kindle - I’d fall asleep and leave the lamp on all night and lose my place if I was reading a physical book. I don’t like to have more than 1 book going at once. 1 fiction and 1 non fiction is okay, but nothing more than that. If the book is a series, I’ll pick up book 1 and continue all the way through the series back to back, and then go back to read spinoffs and prequels in whatever order makes the most sense. I also read all the books I can find from the same author in a similar fashion. If the series wasn’t finished and a new book gets released after I’ve already read the rest of a series, I’ll go back and read all of the books before it first. Being in-between books is a feeling I am very uncomfortable with, so I’m always in the middle of something. I will often keep reading books that I don’t enjoy that much just as a stop-gap until I find the next series to get hooked on. It’s a little psychotic now that I think about it.

What do you like to read?

Mostly sci-fi and fantasy novels, but I’ll consume almost anything with interesting world building, mechanics/magic systems, or compelling characters. For non-fiction, I like things that teaches me how things work, usually astronomy or quantum mechanics. I’ve read some great books written from the perspective of physicists as they went through their journey of discovery.

What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?

I’m 33, married, have a 4 year old, and work full time. I don’t think it’s affected my reading very much, I’ve been stealing reading time ever since I was a kid. Reading on the bus to school, reading walking around, reading during meals (drove my mother nuts), reading if I finished my work in class… I’ve always had my nose in a book. I have less time overall for reading now, but the way I do it is still the same.

Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?

I honestly cannot think of any changes I’ve made, but maybe I should consider some. Writing this post makes me realize I’m treating books like a drug addiction.

What else?

1. Don’t be like me and read in bed if you can avoid it, it’s not great for sleep hygiene. It’s too late for me, save yourself.
2. Don’t read if you don’t genuinely want to. Don’t push yourself to read a certain number of pages a day, or a certain number of books in a year. Don’t read just “to read”, it’s not sustainable. I think you should just aim to try a book that sounds interesting to you every now and then, and if it doesn’t compell you to read further then just put it down and walk away. You don’t NEED to finish a book, let yourself be happy. As an avid reader, nothing frustrates me more than people treating reading like a chore or some desired goal. It’s just words on a page, don’t put it on a pedestal.
3. I’d be interested to hear how you experience reading. Do you “see” the book like a movie? Is it better than a movie, in that you can smell/feel/taste things? Or do you experience it like someone is reading out loud to you? I was speaking with a friend once, and she asked how people like me could read for hours in end. She asked “don’t you get sick of the sound of your own voice?” and that was such an eye-opening question for me. She heard the words being spoken whenever she read, she didn’t really visualize anything at all. I had no idea it could be like that. For me, I don’t hear the words. I don’t see the words on the page. It’s like I’m in the matrix and the experience gets fed directly into my brain and I can see and feel and hear everything and there’s even this 6th sense sometimes that I can’t describe. When I have to suddenly stop reading a good book, it feels like pulling my head out of a giant bowl of very firm jello. I think this is the main difference between readers and non-readers. It’s not that one is more “enlightened” or have “good habits” or is an “intellectual”. It’s just more enjoyable for some (and more work/effort for others) on a very fundamental level. Not reading is not a shortcoming.

Sorry for the massive reply!

(edit: formatting)

Ive never been able to physically read books, I end up getting bored, reading the same page over and over etc I just can’t concentrate on it long enough and as such always thought I didn’t really like books.

Then I discovered audiobooks around 10 years ago.

Now I get through probably 100 plus books each year and fucking love it. I always listen to books at work whilst doing stuff like setting up machines, I’ll listen to them whilst doing chores, or working on my bike or any other kind of task like that.

If I’m not enjoying a book after around half an hour or so I’ll just drop it and move on unless it is something I really want to get into but as ive got older I apply this mindset to a lot more things and find in general it makes things a lot more enjoyable than trying to force stuff I’m not enjoying.

I mainly read fantasy and horror and never read to learn or anything like that, it is purely for enjoyment!

For me getting an alarm clock made a difference. Because that nullified my brains weak excuse that I needed my phone by my bed “for an alarm”. No I didn’t. People have woken up perfectly reliably for years before smartphones. So I got an alarm clock. And that made it easier to turn going to bed into calm reading time instead of doom scrolling (by leaving my phone charging in other room). And that’s made a big difference, not only to quality of reading but also general mood.

I read a shitload of manga so I try to balance it with a book every once and a while

I read on the toilet, on the bus, while doing dishes. I read while falling asleep at night and whenever I have five minutes alone during the day. I read three or more books at a time, so when I’m not in the mood for one there’s two more options to engage with.

But that’s me.

You’ll read a lot more if you give yourself permission to read things you enjoy. Maybe start with some Terry Pratchett.

Almost 40, comfortably established with no kids, so life is overall pretty easy.

I got into audiobooks on Libby and have gotten through about 400 in the last 4 years. I listen while I’m driving and sometimes while doing chores, but mostly I listen while hiking or paddling - on a weekend backpacking trip I can get through 3-5 books.

My books are almost all what I would call “human adjacent non-fiction” - science and information related to people and the planet, but I don’t find deep science like quantum physics relatable enough to be interesting.

I love to read and learn and wish more people wanted to talk about books, but book people and outdoor people don’t overlap that much.

1. My reading habits are like everyone of my hobbies, I obsessed for a week then move on to a new pursuit then come back to reading several months later.
2. I read text books about Aztec history.
3. I’m a year away from 40 and I’m coming to terms with being alone for the rest of my life (which is exactly the same leading up to this point).
4. I bought a book stand I can adjust and wheel around.
5. Stop caring what other people think and just read when you feel like it. You’re overthinking this.

I read in bursts really I can go weeks/months without then go through 6 or 7 books in a week. I’ve always been a very fast reader and if something interests me enough to give it a look I tend to read the entire series at once.

I think the biggest factor for me is if it grabs my interest or not quickly if something doesn’t I don’t try and force it just wait for the next thing that might.

I finish maybe 5 books a year. The library makes it so there’s a “deadline”, that helps.

I also don’t mind picking up a book, and returning it after a few chapters if I realise I don’t like it.

It shouldn’t feel like a chore.

I read books for personal enjoyment, basically never for learning or self-improvement or anything like that. I only ever read one book at a time and mostly in the evening before going to sleep.

I’m in my early thirties. My reading speed varies quite a lot based on the book and my mood, but I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve become “worse” at reading in recent years. Too many digital distractions I guess. That said, if I do manage to read for 2 hours before going to sleep, I sleep so much better than if I watch a movie or doomscroll on Lemmy or whatever.

I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy, sometimes historical novels. I think this year I’ve finished 4 books so far, and dropped one quarter-way through. There were definitely years where I’ve managed way more.

Mostly audiobooks, 2x speed, a lot of hours a day. I do use an ereader sometimes. I’ve started collecting (just regular hardcover, mostly) physical copies of some of my favorites, but I don’t really read them like that. When possible I read entire series from beginning to end consecutively. Audiobooks and visual reading are generally different books.

Mostly mystery, in a wide variety of settings, tones, levels of intensity, but some pure fantasy. Nonfiction is mostly psychology, but some science, other stuff as well. (180 new books this year), but I re-read as much as I read new. I don’t set goals or anything, just use the “goal” to see the number each year out of curiosity.

Mid-30s, IDK. I read a bunch as a kid, then stopped the habit through high school and college and took a while to get back into heavy reading.

I read every day, before bedtime, and in bed. I can’t fall asleep without reading something. This has been a lifelong habit. I still also study techie books for my career. I pretty much self trained foir that by reading books.

Mostly non-fiction. History, music criticism and artist bios, current science. Been reading anarchist literature recently.

I am old, 65. It has affected my reading habits, but not completely; I have fewer commitments, more time on my hands.

Is this positive? I have quit automatically picking up the tablet and reading when I wake at 2 am, and try to go back to sleep again.

I am very picky about what I enjoy. I suggest you try lots of genres, types of books, find something you enjoy. If that’s graphic novels, enjoy that: if it helps associate reading with fun instead of being a task, great.

To preface, you are not a worse person if you don’t like to read. There’s so many different ways to learn or grow nowadays, you don’t need to force yourself to do it through a medium you don’t enjoy.

That said, I’m a person who DOES enjoy reading, but struggles to do it anyway for some reason. If that’s you as well, I get you. And I’d say it’s worth it.

In general, figuring out WHY you want to read will impact how to best work it into your life. Is it for entertainment, mindfulness, to get a better attention span, to chill out, etc. I do it for calming down mixed with enjoyment, and that impacts how I work it into my day.

What helped me was working it into my routine. I read at night. I don’t have a set schedule, I teach night school some nights, and I’m working on a masters thesis.

My fixed point every day: some time when I feel ready (a fixed time would stress me out), I turn off my laptop, text my partner good night, and put my phone away. I get ready for bed. What follows is designated reading time. I read for as long as I enjoy it, am not too tired, and can still focus. If I’m not getting tired, I’ll dim the lights at some point. Sometimes, I read one page, sometimes 50. If you force it, it won’t be enjoyable.

I also always carry the book and try to read while I’m on the tram or train. Especially for somewhat longer journeys, which I take somewhat regularly, I get a lot of chill reading done like that. But that’s pretty specific to my situation as I’m a public transport commuter and have a partner that lives 4 train hours away.

On a screen only, in epub format. 10 books or so per year. Almost entirely non-fiction. In theory a chapter at a time. Often in the hour before eating, when I’m most awake and able to concentrate.

As to how I get hold of the book, first I check the Open Library on the Internet Archive. If it’s not there (often the case) then I pirate it in about 3 clicks from the usual places.

BUT: if the book is recent and the author is still active, then I will also pay for the book on Amazon or wherever it’s cheapest. While reading the epub I pirated earlier. That’s only fair. The last time I did this was literally yesterday.

As a kid I loved reading. Huge book eorm, in my teenage years I could find less and less time for it and eventually stopled reading regularly. Nowadays I am an avid webnovel reader.