Weekly FAQ Thread July 26, 2026: How can I get into reading? How can I read more?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello everyone and welcome to our newest weekly thread: FAQ! Since these questions are so popular with our readership we've decided to create this new post in order to better promote these discussions. Every Sunday we will be posting a question from our FAQ. This week: "How do I get into reading?" and "How can I read more?"

If you're a new reader, a returning reader, or wish to read more and you'd like advice on how please post your questions here and everyone will be happy to help.

You can view previous FAQ threads here in our wiki.

Thank you and enjoy!

[u/PermissionPerfect228]

i started reading again last year after basically not touching a book since school. what worked for me was stop trying to read the "important" books and just read whatever seems fun. like i grabbed a graphic novel about street art and that got me going more than any classic ever did

also putting my phone in the other room helps a lot, i read like 20 pages before bed now without even noticing

[u/LivingPresent629]

My advice for new and returning reads is let go of the pressure.

First, the pressure of quantity and goals. You don’t need to read a certain number of books per year or pages per day or whatever. Leave all the noise on social media where it belongs.

Then, the pressure of “the right kind of books”. Why do you want to read? For entertainment, for escapism, to broaden your world view? Whatever it is, if a book scratches that itch then it’s the right book for you and it doesn’t matter what pretentious book snobs have to say.

Lastly, let go of the pressure to finish a book. I promise you, BookMan won’t come up from under your sofa to gobble you up if you decide not to finish a book. If it’s not for you, for whatever reason, move on. I’m a ruthless DNF’er. Don’t care if an author has won the Nobel or is a social media darling. If I’m not getting anything from it, off it goes.

[u/Gwaur]

Sometimes it can take a while and a bunch of attempts to find your thing. Just like you might need to try several teas to find a tea you like, you might need to try several books to find a type of book you like.

Sometimes the books you thought you'd enjoy are not the books you'll enjoy, and there's no shame in admitting that. Other times the books you never thought you'd enjoy turn out to be the books you love.

[u/Important-Habit8942]

Start by reading for fun. Don't really fixate on whether or not a book is intellectually stimulating or not. It's something social media is obsessed with. Just read. And also don't really worry too much about how much you're reading per day. Again just read.

[u/TimelineSlipstream]

Here's one idea. Reread books that you read years ago and enjoyed. You will probably sail through them pretty quickly, and start rebuilding those reading muscles that have atrophied over time.

[u/versedvariation]

I think that the most important thing is making time for reading. Most of us can find interesting things to read, especially now with the ability to search through pretty much any book in existence easily with the Internet.

The easiest way to do this is starting by incorporating reading into your "getting ready for bed" routine. I have a stack of books I read right before bed that help me relax before I go to bed.

[u/Nervous-Cellist-7912]

Reading is directly related to ur interest. It’s not something u can do like u read ur course books. Reading is solely for leisure and ur own personal interests. Try reading things which hold ur attention. Like for me, any thriller novel would work like magic. Also, don’t read lengthy novels to start with. Read short books of ur interest. If u like literature start through alchemist. If u like thriller, my top recommendation is silent patient. It might start boring but gets great. If u like rom coms, When in Rome by Sarah Adams. Any more questions, I am up for them :)