Being busy means we put ourselves on the backburner. We might skip out on things we like doing or should be doing. One thing I placed on the backburner during this last year was reading! I just couldn’t find or make the time to read. Terrible, I know. This is why I started making more time to read this year and I want to share with you how to read more books.
I love reading and I know I’ve shared some great book reviews here on the blog. I have always loved reading and learning new words as a kid and my life changed (seriously) in 6th grade when my Aunt gave me a garbage bag full of Dean Koontz books.
I spent that summer transported into beautiful worlds, scary scenes and reading about things I could never imagine on my own.
I learned that kindness could ripple through the ages, transcending space and time.
I read about dogs as smart as humans. (The secret wish of every dog owner!)
And I fell in love with a character named Odd Thomas. I made my BFF fall in love with him too!
I was hooked.
Ps. Dean Koontz if you’re reading this…I love you!
Make Time to Read Even When You’re Busy
Keep books everywhere.
I have books on the Kindle App on my phone. Books on my Audible App. A book in my purse just in case I find myself with “waiting time” and can sneak in a few pages.
I take books to appointments, on long road trips and anytime I am traveling.
Keep a book in your car, at work, on your nightstand….you get the picture.
Amazon.com – Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
Plan your reading time.
This one can be tricky, especially when you have young children. You can plan to read before they wake up, even if it’s just 10 minutes. Or keep a book on your nightstand so you can read the last 10-20 minutes before bed. I love this Amber Book Light, it clips onto the book and provides a light similar to candlelight.
Use your breaks at work to read or listen to an audio book. I like to walk on my breaks and listen to my books. Gets me moving and motivates me to get outside.
Think about all the time you use mindlessly playing on your phone. Replace some of that time with reading a book.
Read a book you want to read with your older kids.
We’re reading A Wrinkle in Time. I noticed a movie was coming out and I read the book reviews. They were awesome and I figured my kids would like the story too! The last book we read together was Wonder. When the movie came out we planned a night out to the movies and went all out with popcorn and candy and soda. So much fun!
Your kids might groan initially when you suggest this. My 10 year old daughter didn’t seem to excited to start reading another book together but she was happy to read outloud to us and asked if we could continue on reading the next night.
We don’t read together every night. The kids do have 20-30 minutes of reading time each night before bed no matter what – unless its the weekend. But I pick the less busier nights out of the week to read together, this past week it was only 1 night. And that’s okay because that’s what worked for us.
Jump on the Audible train
Let me start out by saying I love reading physical books. I like holding the book in my hand. I like being able to skip forward or look back on different parts of the story. So, I never thought an audio book would work for me. I was sure my attention span would freak out and not pay attention to the story.
I was wrong. I signed up for Audible at the beginning of March and I’ve already read/listened to 4 books! I’m amazed at how the narrator can bring the story to life and keep me involved in the story.
I read:
- Emma in the Night
- Think and Grow Rich
- Ricochet Joe
- The Life of the Fireflies
I read/listened to all of the books while I was working, sitting in a hot bath (thank you ALEXA) or driving home from work. I seriously cannot say enough good things about Audible, or even just audio books in general. I’m hooked!
Also–something I found out this week, being a prime member you can check out some Audible books for FREE! How cool is that?! Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
Bonus tips
Keep a list of the books you read or wanna read.
You can buy cheap books at Dollar General or Dollar Tree.
E-readers like the Kindle are pretty cool and you can find the books a bit cheaper.
Don’t read out of obligation. If you don’t like the story, give the book away or return it (on Audible) and start a new book!
Are you thinking you need to try Audible? Try it risk free: Use my link and Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
Audible Free Trial benefits:
• Get two free audiobooks to start — after 30 days, get 1 book each month for $14.95/month
• Get 30% off the price of additional audiobook purchases
• Cancel anytime. Your books are yours to keep, even if you cancel.
I sincerely hope these tips help you make time to read more books this year. I love reading and I love sharing my enthusiasm for reading with my kids and friends –that includes you!
Do you have any tips that can help us read more books this year? I’d love to read your tips in the comments.
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- Handy tips for focusing on positivity throughout your week.
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Hello Crystal, I agree with you that in this busy world, we have no time to read books. Thanks for sharing your blog, it will help people to take time from their busy schedule for reading books.
I made the same turn to audiobooks, with much the same reservations, but Atlanta traffic leaves me with a lot of time to listen. I follow voiceover actors as a hobby, and I”m routinely annoyed when celebrities get cast as voice actors in a world full of professional voice people who hone their craft daily. I love Will Wheaton. I love his online presence and I get that everybody has to make a buck. I get the rationale of having Wesley Crusher narrating Ready Player One is a love letter to an era. But Will is no voice actor and I would love to have hear any number of Audible”s (or many of Blackstone Audio also sold on Audible) professional voice actors lend their talented voices to Ready Player One. The nostalgia-laced narrative is so enjoyable as it is I”d prefer to see it handled by a capable voice person capable of nuance and tone instead of Wil, who sounds like some random dude reading out of a book into a microphone. To each her or his own. Just my personal take on it.