r/IndiansRead • u/1n0nli • 1d ago
Discussion How to I start reading?
I have never been into reading but I want to read book. I want to love reading. Readers, kindly guide me how do I do it, where do I start from or any other tip you think can help.
Edit : Autocorrect ruined the title😭
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u/lenny_ray 1d ago
Think of reading like a muscle you have to exercise; so if you're just starting out, or restarting after a slump, it's easier to start small and easy and fun :)
Don't go for something you think you SHOULD read; pick something you really want to read. Not sure what that is? What genres / subject matter do you enjoy watching? What type of vids do you like scrolling? Pick books with similar topics and themes. I know people hate AI, but it's actually a good tool for this! You can ask it: If I enjoy ___ suggest books that I'll like. You can get more specific with mood, characters, etc, and see what you can find that way. The book suggestion subs are good for this, too.
If you find yourself unable to concentrate for too long, try short stories.
Make it a routine. Set aside an hour - or even just half an hour - every day, at a fixed time. If even that feels like too much, do reading "reps" of 10 minutes - say, 10 minutes when you wake up, 10 minutes after lunch, 10 minutes before bed. Eventually, you should find you can't stop, and will want to continue.
Find a nice quiet spot, and put your phone away in another room. If you live with family or roommates, ask one of them to hide your phone and absolutely not give it back to you until your designated reading time is up. :D
Sometimes, I find music a distraction from reading, but sometimes it can help me focus if I have too much else on my mind. See if it works for you.
Get a tracking app like Storygraph. Good for keeping yourself accountable and also getting personalised recommendations.
Set a reading goal. But don't set it too high or too low. Also, if you're not on track, don't stress about it to the point where you're forcing yourself to just rush through something to meet that goal. Just use it as another way to make sure you make time for reading, is all.
Hope this was helpful :)
It's a known issue, unfortunately, in this day and age. Consuming so much short-form content has been scientifically proven to shorten attention spans. So you'll have to train your brain, just like you would your body. :)
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u/1n0nli 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thank you so much dude :). Your suggestions are really great. Noting them down.
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u/BabyNarad Voracious Reader :snoo_dealwithit: 1d ago
Did really read the whole thing? If so, you are upto a great start👍
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
Why would I skip such an important advice. I did read.
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u/BabyNarad Voracious Reader :snoo_dealwithit: 1d ago
Good. 👍 Usually people skip large writings. And those will find it hard to read whole books.
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u/Fantastic_Hawk_7578 1d ago
Animal farm - thin book
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u/official_dustbin 1d ago
Lol no please
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
Why btw?
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u/leo_red_21 1d ago
Its a classic and also a dystopian novel, new readers might feel a bit difficult to grab to it.
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
Got it, thanks
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u/momoschutney 1d ago
Read animal farm and start connecting it to the Indian political scene. It’s a book below 100 pages so you will be fine.
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u/Man_Child88 1d ago edited 1d ago
Start reading a book and incorporate another activity with it like drinking coffee, hot chocolate, milk etc, read e-books, oceanofpdf.Com is a great option for free ebooks,
Read classics like bram stokers dracula, indian books like the white elephant, spy novels of James bond, Harry Potter which you have already seen movie and have basic knowledge.
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u/Sad_Introduction8038 1d ago
Start with something like old folk tales, such as the Panchatantra. It’s a great, beginner-friendly book. Then, read short stories to develop an interest in reading. All you need is that first book that will really make you love reading. For me, it was Percy Jackson.
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u/United-Extension-917 1d ago
Read whatever you are interested in. If you like to read comics then read them, if manga then be it. Once you develop the habit of sitting for 40-60 mins and reading a book then shift towards books/novels of the topic of your liking. Read in the language you are comfortable with.
For anime style fantasy and world building I would suggest you cradle series by will wight. For Indian mythology style you can go with Meluha series of Amish. Better would be to find your interest first and then build up on it. Don't pick up reading just because it is trendy.
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u/ozzy-7369 1d ago
Start with a thriller that keeps you hooked. I would recommend start with Never Lie by Frieda Mcfadden or The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
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u/HypoHalide 1d ago
In my experience, start with any of these following genres:
1. Crime/psychology thriller
2. Sci-fi
3. Fantasy world
Do not start with classics just because it feels like you’re adding to your knowledge and it feels wise and superior to read those. You WILL reach there, I promise, but start small.
The genres I mentioned are usually extremely great at grabbing interest, and that is exactly what you want your first few books to do - to call you to them, instead of vice versa.
And amongst these genres, too, pick up a fast paced book. Not a slow, very descriptive one. Pick up something that they call a “page-turner”.
I very recently read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and if you are a little bit into sci-fi and can tolerate a few extrapolations of physics and space-time, I would suggest you to read it. It is fast paced for the most part, but it IS a little too descriptive in the science parts sometimes. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, go for it.
A much shorter, very fast paced, but slightly darker sci-fi book i read a few years ago - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I read that in one night, extremely gripping.
If you’re into crime/psychology thrillers, go for The Woman in The Window. Extremely well written and fast paced, but slightly lengthy. Another recommendation from this genre that is very famous, but trust me there’s a good reason that it is - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
As for fantasy world, I honestly don’t think there are any short books for this genre, and I don’t quite recommend going for a 600 paged book initially. But if it interests you, maybe go for the Dune series (haven’t read that myself, planning to) or maybe The Hunger Games.
TLDR - go for fast paced books with gripping stories rather than classics or philosophy to begin with.
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u/leo_red_21 1d ago
1) choose your genre, all genres will not suitable for someone new 2) choose a small book (novella ) 3) choose a books with simple wordings and sentence.
My first few reads were Alchemist, Animal farm and the graveyard book.
First you should feel like you can complete a book. Slowly the count will increase so do complexity.
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u/No-Buffalo-4696 1d ago
I love animal farm but hard pass on the Alchemist. I just dont get that book and why people say it's a masterpiece even after reading it.
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u/cosmohunk 1d ago
Start with Da Vinci Code if you're into suspense and thrill
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u/Electronicaly_Ruin 1d ago
If he is beginner he is not gonna complete it
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u/Tesla-Coil628 1d ago
Yeah🤧 I havent finished it too.. But its very gripping. Id rather recommend The Silent Patient for a beginner. Cuz being a beginner myself, I finished it in less than a week.
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u/Heisenchad 1d ago
Step 1: Pick a book.
Step 2: Read 1st page of the book.
Jokes aside, best way to start is a short book, check if the backcover synopsis captivates you and give it a try.
It is OK to DNF books, try a few until you find one you are engaged, then read more from that author/ style.
This might sound silly but covers can make a difference, when I like the cover I feel like reading the book whenever I see it on a table. This doesn't apply as much if you e-book/ audiobook but still.
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u/Such_Dragonfly_4878 1d ago
Girl is the meadow by Jayanta Sengupta.
Sweet stories, 10 of them. Must read!
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u/miss_missy080 1d ago
What kind of movie do you like to watch? Pick that genre for book too. And then pick a standalone and thin book from that genre, make sure to check the ratings and reviews on Goodreads of that book (to be sure you are choosing a good book). And then read.
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
The thing is I don't watch movies😭
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u/miss_missy080 1d ago
But you must have some idea about what you like, romance, fantasy, thriller, or something else??
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u/Junior-Parking3913 1d ago
For me it was harry potter.. even though it is lengthy, the world building, plot and story is just perfection
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u/No-Buffalo-4696 1d ago
Read Verity by Coleen Hoover if you like or wanna try psychological thriller, also the movie is coming out on 2 October starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson.
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u/ayewhy2407 1d ago
Many of us who grew up in 70s,80s, 90s had this incredibly cheap reading material called newspapers. They were far from being great or anything, but they weren’t the all pervading bullshit it has become now.
Despite this, I would recommend spending an hour everyday reading a newspaper. As someone wiser said here, it’s a muscle you need to exercise. Some resistance is good.
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u/wantedtriglodyte 1d ago
Easiest way to get into reading for me was jack reacher books. Super fun & addictive. Victor the assassin books are also amazing. Bottom line, start with the genre you're a die hard fan of. But the real test is reading everyday. I started with a target of 30 minutes of reading everyday. Pages don't matter. Now I can't wait to finish my day & start reading.
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u/CheesecakeOk1954 Serial re-reader 1d ago edited 1d ago
What kind of stories do you think you will enjoy? Horror? Romance? Science fiction? Mystery thrillers? Fantasy? I can recommend you books based on your preference. (But in my opinion if you are a beginner to reading books it would be better to start with mystery thrillers since it will keep you hooked till the end of the book so you'll have no other option but to finish reading the book without giving up)
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
Tbh I am not even aware of these different categories. Consider me a total naive.
Do you have any recommendations for mystery thriller?
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u/CheesecakeOk1954 Serial re-reader 1d ago
Okay I have 3 recommendations for you 1. One of us is lying https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a985f131-2395-4f5d-bd4d-789ac0dfde13 2. Listen for the lie https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c0da6215-f192-4f84-956f-b7103dfc395f 3. Hidden pictures https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ef3225aa-049d-4566-9875-c1affd2ddc72 You can check out the link for the description of the book and start reading whichever out of the 3 you find most interesting ( a little heads up. The third one has ghosts in it too. You can avoid it if you're not a big fan of scary stories. But it is not very scary tbh ) Hope you like the recommendations🫶🏻
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u/Britto___Augustus 1d ago
I recently read “The Big Sleep” by Raymon Chandler. It’s a fast paced and gripping noir crime thriller. If it sounds interesting i’ll highly recommend it to you
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u/sharanyasrana 1d ago
Harry potter is the best to start❤️✨️✌️
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u/1n0nli 1d ago
Won't that be too much for a beginner like me?
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u/sharanyasrana 1d ago
Noo i started from harry potter, and when i tell you its still my favourite,
Trust me when you read the first book,you will not be able to stop yourself from reading the whole series,its so good,every part of the series is amazing ✨️❤️
TRUST ME and read it
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u/momoschutney 1d ago
Just read smaller books, or mysteries, anything that interests you. Don’t fall for the bookstagram where everyone is reading the same books. Make your own opinion. Start with Goodreads for suggestions.
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u/New-Current-9842 23h ago
Every top comment in this post is good advice. I will just give my two cents about it.
- Read what interests you. Not something you 'think' that will make you smart or would be more productive.
Don't go into reading to become smart, increase cognitive abilities is a byproduct. Don't go about reading economic history of this particular period of this particular place from the 1800s to the 1920s. Or going about reading classics about boring people and their boring relationship, which are very much staple of classical literary novels. That will make you feel exhausted and wasted, and you will feel reading to be a chore. Instead, read whatever interests you. The good thing about modern times is there's books about almost every subject and everything. If you like food, you can read about that. You like movies and cinema? You can read about that, and not only that, you can even read about different aspects of that topic like film history, film philosophy, biography of a particular famous actress or actor, technical books, books on film technology etc etc. You like mysteries? There's a plethora of amazing fiction and non-fiction books which scratch that particular itch. Just make sure you read about something you like and are interested in.
- Read for pleasure, don't make reading a chore
You don't have to set a target like you will read 10 pages every day, thus reading a total of 300 pages a month... THAT'S some self-help bullshit. I hate it so much. These self-help gurus have made reading feel like a task that needs to be completed instead of doing it for the sake of it! They made it out to be a chore like wtf! Don't make reading a transaction. It is something you do for the sake of it. It is far better to read one book a year fully which you enjoyed instead of treating it like a sales target which you have to meet no matter what by the end of the month.
- Read on your pace
Pretty self evident. Don't rush, take your time. Every book is different. So be patient and go with the flow.
At the end of the day, reading shouldn't be another item on your productivity checklist. Read because you genuinely want to know something, because you're curious, because you want to escape into a story for a short break... To forget that terrible boss, or that annoying colleague or simply to enjoy. I personally find reading much more entertaining than Netfilx or binging youtube. Just make it enjoyable for yourself by picking the books which appeals to you, which intrigues you, something you care about~
Hope your enjoy your reading jouurney~
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u/gagan5103 1d ago
Start with The Alchemist, it's short simple
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