From the headline, I'm sure you’re thinking, “Well, that’s easier said than done.”
And you’re right. I’m about as busy as anyone else in college, and I spend a lot of my free time feeding my crippling phone addiction. So, picking up a book that isn’t required reading for class can feel almost impossible. But I’ve finally developed a strategy for reading for enjoyment, and I'm here to tell you that you don’t have to leave your love of reading behind.
I was an avid reader in high school, sometimes tearing through books in one sitting. But when I entered college, that hunger for literature faded. I would maybe pick up the new “The Hunger Games” books or something else I was invested in, but other than that, I have read few books for fun the last few years.
In the middle of my junior year, I dropped out and took a gap semester. I worked at Barnes & Noble during the holidays. Being surrounded by books for hours each day reignited my love for reading. I bought myself a collection of books, trying to continue my reading into my next semester of college, but yet again I failed.
Super encouraging story, right? I’m sure a lot of readers in college have a similar story themselves. But here’s a few tips to get back into the habit of reading.
Your first step is to pick a book or series that is actually worth reading for you. Think about books you loved reading in the past and try to find similar ones. I made the mistake of trying the “Romantasy” genre with books like “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” Not that the genre is necessarily bad — I know a lot of readers who enjoy them — but it’s just not for me. I then thought that I should probably read something I would enjoy instead of forcing myself to read a book I didn’t.
So, I thought about what books I love reading: mainly sci-fi fantasy books with strong first-person narrative and quirky pop-culture references: books like “Ready Player One” and “How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying,” which I read in the past.
So, my current obsession is the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” series by Matt Dinniman. These books combine absurd storytelling with important themes of anti-capitalism and authoritarianism all in the context of a roleplaying game style. All these aspects combine to keep me glued to the page. Plus, the books are quite lengthy, which keeps me invested.
Find something you will enjoy; get specific with it. Unless you really have a passion for the topic you’re reading about, you may burn out quickly. Once you’ve built up a habit of reading, maybe you can go on to tackle some of the classics.
Step two, find time to read. This is the hard part, and I’m sure most of us struggle with it. My first tip is that you don’t need to read for hours like you may have done as a kid. Even if you only read for 30 minutes a day, that could still be 10,000 to 15,000 words. But if you find yourself with a free afternoon or weekend, a nice book binge is a great way to spend time.
The next tip is to read during the transitional points during your day. I’ve found I do most of my reading while waiting at the bus stop, eating lunch or sitting and waiting for my next class. All these little moments in the day add up to quite a bit of downtime. And if I don’t have any work to do or stories to write, I find myself drawn to my book rather than my phone just because I’m invested in the story and have built up the habit over the past few weeks.
Using these methods, I’ve already read four books this semester, just over 800,000 words. And it’s only the second week of September. So, grab a book you want to read, stick it in your backpack and take it out whenever there’s a lull in your day. Building on these habits will help you develop a love for reading again, even amid the constant busyness of college.
