5 Steps to Becoming a Better Reader
I won’t lie.
I’m not the best reader.
I feel like I’m establishing myself as an unreliable narrator with this post, but I value honesty over all else. I have a whole website dedicated to reading and writing and sometimes when I finish a book, I cannot remember what has happened.
Has this happened to you? You put a book down, and all you can feel is the faint echo of how it made you feel. The main character’s name, the love interest, the names of cities–they all just fade to mist. I didn’t realize I read books like this until I started reviewing them. It felt I was trying to make an ocean with little, tiny drops of information.
I knew I had to fix it.
And for the most part, I have. It takes time, effort, and consistency.
Here are five steps I took to become a better reader.
- Annotate.
I know. Sometimes writing in a book feels like sacrilege. They are so precious and so beautiful and smell so wonderful. Why would we ruin that with a pen, or a highlighter?
Engaging with a text has been proven, time and time again, to increase memorization. I know that when I annotate books it makes it easier for me to recall details when I’m writing a review. It doesn’t have to be doodling in the margins; it can be as simple as a few highlighted or underlined phrases. As long as you are physically interacting with it, that is all that matters.
2. Don’t rush it.
I started a bookstagram (book Instagram) account at the start of October. I thought I read a decent amount. But when I saw how much these individuals were reading, and I’m talking thousands of pages a week, I was shaken. Can I truly call myself a reader?
The answer is yes. What speed you read at does not define who you are as a reader.
Taking it slow will help you digest the information you read. Instead of skipping over that confusing word, look it up. Take the time and make a true effort to comprehend what you are reading, rather than reading faster for the sake of saying you read something. Don’t hesitate to reread a chapter if you didn’t understand it. I know it’s satisfying to check another book off of your TBR, or add another book to your shelf on Goodreads, but being able to talk about what you read with a passion is even better.
3. Read in whatever form you can.
I used to only read physical copies of books. Being able to hold them, smell them, write in them, was my favorite thing. But as I get older, and I’m working more, I realize that I won’t always have that convenience.
I got a Kindle for my birthday. I adore it. I loved the progress bar in the bottom right corner. I love how it fits in my bag and comes with me everywhere. It also comes to bed with me. That stretch of time I used to spend in bed on my phone, scrolling through reels or TikTok, is now spent reading books. That small switch has let me read a significant amount more.
I crochet sometimes. When I crochet, rather than watching TV, I choose to listen to audiobooks. Sometimes I space out because crocheting is a lot of counting, but I just rewind it. It still helps me read more.
Make reading easily accessible and it will become a habit. If you can’t carry a physical copy, get the ebook on your phone. If you do a lot of mindless work with your hands, like my dad does, listen to audiobooks. It’ll increase the amount you read.
4. Read what you want.
I know that I don’t like mysteries. I read them sometimes, in hopes of liking one, but I know that if I pick one up, my reading pace will slow down significantly.
Understanding what you like and what you don’t like will help you find books that keep you interested. If you find a niche that you adore, such as romantasy, then stick to it. You have no reason to read contemporary, friends to lovers romance if you know you like a gritty, romantic fantasy. Plus, if you start reading a book and decide it’s not for you, don’t be afraid to put it down. I have a big problem with this. I love finishing every book I start, but sometimes that isn’t feasible.
The issue with this is that you have to read in certain genres to discover that you don’t like them. I recommend listening to your gut and putting a book down if it isn’t holding your attention. Don’t force yourself to read a book about robots when you wish you were reading about fae. It’s not worth it.
5. Write.
You don’t have to be a writer to write. And I’m not talking about full length novels, short stories, novellas, or poems, or anything like that.
Write in a journal.
I’m the type of person who journals everyday. There’s a lot banging around inside of this brain and it helps to get it all out. Journaling empties my mind and frees it to focus on other things, such as reading and writing.
In addition to journaling about life before reading, I write about the books as I’m reading them, too. I keep a note in my notes app where I write a little bit about each reading session so I have something to refer to when I’m writing reviews. This increases my comprehension and lets me stay in tune with whether or not I’m enjoying the book. If the notes are primarily negative, I’ll put it down. If they’re positive, I have something I can always look back on to remember how the first read of the book made me feel.
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In order to become a better reader, you have to make it a priority. Just like everything else in life, it takes good, conscious effort to become good at it. Annotating, taking your time, making it accessible, making it fun, and journaling are all things that can help you improve. For me personally, I don’t do all five of these for every book I read. That would be too exhausting. I typically do one or two and then focus on those.
Keep in mind that reading is for fun. It isn’t meant to be a chore.
If it feels bad, don’t do it. If it helps you feel good, if it feels liberating, then do it. It’s simple.
Do you have anything you do that makes reading easier for you? Leave a comment!
Happy reading!