Reading is one of my favorite things to do. As a kid I devoured books to no end. As an adult, the habit has waxed and waned. Life got busy! Being bookish is sort of like being someone who works out – it takes consistency and a little bit of will to keep up the habit.
If you’re wanting to learn how to be bookish, ramp up your reading habit, and just generally become even more of a reader – this blog post is for you!
Set a reading goal.
The number one way to be bookish is simply to read. I personally find that setting reading goals is incredibly helpful in making reading a habit. There are several different ways to set reading goals:
- Annually: Set a goal for how many books you’d like to read for the year. I’ve found that having an annual reading goal can be fun and get you to think about the big picture. That said, you’ll have to be pretty good at pacing yourself out over the entirety of the year. For example, if you want to read 12 books a year, that means an average of one book a month.
- Monthly: Set goals at the beginning of each month for the month at hand. Monthly goals allow you to flex how many books you’d like to read depending on how busy your month is looking. Some months are slower for me and I can run through ten or more books! Other months I have a lot going on at work or socially and can only squeeze out a book or two.
- Daily: Daily reading goals break down your larger hope to be a reader into more manageable increments! I have loved having a daily goal of just twenty minutes of reading a day. I can do anything for twenty minutes. For daily goals, I recommend picking an amount of time that is so approachable and easy, it’ll be nearly impossible for you not to hit it each day.
Whatever reading goal you choose, make your life easy by using an app or website to help you keep track of your reading habit. Goodreads and StoryGraph are two apps/websites that I use to track the books I read, my reading speed, and even to get new recommendations. If you’re an e-book reader, you can also use the Apple Books app to set a goal and track your reading habits.
Join (or start!) a book club.
Book clubs are an amazing way to connect with others and read a variety of books, genres, and authors. When we’re in charge of selecting all our own reads, we may tend to find it tiring to search for the next pick. That joy you get when someone at a book shop helps you pick your next book? Book clubs give you that same fun feeling. PLUS you get to discuss the book as a group when it’s all said and done.
You can check out my blog post all about how to start an online book club, but the TLDR on that one is to select your crew wisely and no books over 400 words long!
Sign up for a bookish box.
This blog post is NOT sponsored in any way, shape, or form. That said, I did gift my husband a subscription to Book of the Month for the holidays a few years back. He really did enjoy having a new release hand picked and sent to him each month. Having a new book sent his way on a monthly basis gave him a clear reading goal (monthly), as well as something that was fresh and being talked about on Twitter, Goodreads, and even amongst friends.
If you’re wanting to support a smaller business endeavor, check out @and_shereads on Instagram. Sol runs a book shop in Miami and curates her own boxes you can order that are themed. The next one is Dark Academia and I’m ABSOLUTELY going to be buying.
Add. To. Cart.
I’m also pretty sure Sol doesn’t require that you subscribe long term (unlike Book of the Month), which is a big benefit if you like the theme of some boxes but others. I haven’t yet ordered a box, so I’m unsure what exactly comes inside, but I’m hoping for a couple Dark Academia recommendations and maybe some other Dark Academia goodies in this upcoming box!
Visit all your local book shops.
I once heard that if you want to buy a book you go to Amazon, but if you want to find a book you go to a book store. I wholeheartedly agree.
The book discovery experience online is pretty terrible, unless you know exactly what you’re looking for. But book stores are magic. Between the merchandising and the people who work at the stores, it’s almost impossible to walk out uninspired and empty handed.
I’m a big fan of taking time to view each and every local book store in your area. When it comes to how to find a new book to read, each book store will have their own specialties, their own unique stock, as well as different associates who love reading different genres. My local Barnes & Noble actually lets associates merchandise end caps with their favorite reads – which is awesome because I can choose books recommended by people who love reading books similar to the books I enjoy reading! It’s almost like having a personalized recommendation.
Are you hoping to be more bookish? Drop your tips in the comments below!