Wondering how to enjoy reading books? Perhaps you’ve enjoyed reading in the past and want to learn how to enjoy reading again, or perhaps you’ve never enjoyed reading but want to learn how to start enjoying it now.
Whatever your case may be, it is entirely possible to get you to a place where you enjoy reading and look forward to the time you get to spend reading. It’s also possible you’ll get to a point where reading is your favorite part of the day and you can’t get enough of books! You’ve been forewarned.
So if you’re wanting to learn how to enjoy reading more, read on to discover the best tips for how to like reading books!
1. Adjust Your Mindset About Reading
First of all, when wanting to enjoy reading you might need a mindset adjustment.
Many of us have grown up with people telling us we have to read for school, work, etc…and reading can become a drudgery when you feel forced to do it instead of wanting to do it.
I know this was the case for me when I first finished my master’s degree. I used to love reading, but after going straight through K-12, an undergraduate degree in literature, and a master’s degree in literature without taking a break, I was burnt out and reading had begun to feel like a chore.
This is a sad place to be in, so first of all let’s get this clear: reading is not something you “have” to do. It is not a chore!
No one will be hounding you to read, or taking away privileges if you don’t read, or quizzing you or giving you midterms or finals on what you read. Reading is purely for you and you get to decide if you do it or don’t do it.
So in wanting to get to a place where you are enjoying reading, first take a deep breath and remember reading can be fun and exciting! And then follow the rest of these steps to help you make that mindset a reality.
2. Choose the Right Books
So we’ve mentioned reading isn’t a chore, but how do we get to a place where we don’t feel like it’s a chore? One of the biggest ways to do this is to choose the right books.
By the “right” books, I don’t mean choosing books that someone else tells you are good just because they’ve told you they’re good. And I don’t mean you necessarily need to be reading classics and old literature (unless that’s what you enjoy).
All I mean is that you need to pick books that interest you. Books that make you excited. Books that you think you could love. Because that’s the whole point of picking the right book: reading what you love!
This could mean choosing to read fiction instead of nonfiction (or vice versa), it could mean choosing to read books about a specific topic you’re interested in, or it could even mean reading books that have been made into movies or tv shows you’ve enjoyed.
Whatever catches your eye and gives you a spark of excitement is exactly the right type of book we’re looking for. If you need help with ideas of how to find books you might enjoy reading, here’s a handy guide to how to find good books. But ultimately, trust your gut and go with a book you think you’ll enjoy!
3. Try Something New
If you loved reading before and are trying to figure out how to enjoy reading again, another idea to help you learn how to like reading again would be to try something new. This could be a new genre, new authors, or anything else that you haven’t tried before.
Sometimes when we’re not enjoying reading it’s because we’re burnt out on whatever we were doing before, so trying something new can help you get some variety into your reading and maybe discover new that you’ll love.
Or if you’ve tried to read some in the past but nothing’s clicked, then branching out to new genres or authors could be helpful because maybe you just haven’t found what you love yet.
Either way, trying something new could be a great way to help you learn how to love reading books again or for the first time!
4. Read in a Format That Works for You
Something else to consider is that there are a variety of ways to read books, and you should feel free to read in whatever format works best for you and your lifestyle. This could mean reading traditional print books, or it could look like listening to audiobooks or reading ebooks on your phone or an e-reader.
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to the ways they like to read, and as long as you’re reading something that generally outweighs any of the minor differences between formats.
I personally love reading all three ways. I often like to read print books in the comfort of my own home or when I am reading for leisure, I love listening to audiobooks while I do chores or exercise, and I adore the convenience of ebooks on my phone or Kindle for when I’m out in public somewhere or traveling on vacation.
The goal here is to enjoy your reading, so experiment with which reading format works best for you. You may also find that you gravitate toward one format most of the time, but also enjoy the others in different scenarios. Or maybe you’ll find your a die-hard print book fan.
Whatever the case, you should feel free to like what you like and read using whichever format is most convenient or brings you the most enjoyment.
5. Keep a List of What You Want to Read Next
Another excellent idea to help you enjoy reading books is to keep a list of what you want to read next. If you haven’t yet started a TBR (To Be Read) pile, now is the time to do so!
When you find a book you think you might enjoy reading, add it to your TBR list. And then whenever you need something new to read, you will have a list of books that excited past you to choose from.
By curating a personal list of books you are interested in, you are not only getting yourself hyped up in the moment to enjoy reading books later, but you’re also helping future you avoid lengthy decision processes on what to read next. That’s a win-win!
6. Read More Than One Book at a Time
If you’re still feeling like reading can be a slog at times, my next recommendation would be to read more than one book at a time.
Reading multiple books at the same time can be a helpful way to keep your reading diverse and exciting, because if you’re not in the mood for a specific book you can read one of your other books instead…or choose to start something new that interests you now!
There are pros and cons to reading more than one book at once, but if your goal right now is simply to make reading enjoyable then this is a wonderful way to help with that because it allows you to read what you’re in the mood for instead of feeling like you have to stick it out with books you’re not interested in at the moment.
7. Make Reading Social
Another option for how to enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction books alike is to make your reading social.
There are lots of ways to do this, and it could be as simple as finding a friend to talk with who also likes books. You could share with each other about what you’re reading, and maybe even give each other book recommendations.
You could also find a community of book lovers to join, like a book lovers group on social media or join a book club. There are so many benefits to book clubs, so I highly recommend this option!
But regardless of what method you choose, if you have someone to share about and discuss books with you are far more likely to enjoy your reading and continue with it.
8. Track What You Read
Additionally, tracking what you read can be a helpful option in adding to your enjoyment and motivation to read.
There are lots of different ways to track your reading, but whichever method you choose it can be useful to help you determine what you liked and didn’t like. If you track what you’ve read and keep notes about your thoughts on it, you can look back and see patterns that can help you choose the right books to read next.
But tracking your reading is also helpful because it can be motivating to see how many books you’ve read and how far you’ve come since you first started tracking your reading. If you find enjoyment in setting reading goals or seeing progress, then using a reading tracker can be instrumental in continuing your motivation to read.
9. Find a Better Reading Spot
If you’re still struggling with how to enjoy reading a book, don’t forget to think about your environment! Perhaps finding a better reading spot, or at least a change of scenery, could help you to enjoy reading more.
Maybe you need to find a comfier place to read in your own home, or maybe you need to get out of the house and go to a coffee shop, park, or other public place. There are so many great places to read, so you have lots of options when choosing where to read next.
If you aren’t sure what environments help you focus or help you enjoy reading more, then try experimenting with different locations until you find one that works for you!
10. Reward Yourself for Reading
And lastly, one other option you can consider is rewarding yourself for reading. After all, this worked as a kid (any Pizza Hut book report readers here?) so why wouldn’t it work as an adult?
I talk about this a little in my recommended methods for getting out of a reading slump, but when you’re trying to discover or rediscover how to enjoy novels and other books, giving yourself a reward can be a good motivator and help you to associate reading with good and fun things.
This might look like harkening back to the Pizza Hut days and telling yourself you’ll go out for pizza when you finish reading your book, or it might look like allowing yourself to purchase an item you’ve been wanting once you reach a certain reading goal. Or it could be any number of other things that are a reward to you!
But with the goal of making reading more fun, remember to reward yourself and honor the deals you make with yourself about how and when you’ll get rewards for your reading. This doesn’t have to be your sole motivator to read, but as an added bonus it can definitely add to the joy of reading!
Enjoying Reading Books FAQ
Still have questions about what to do to enjoy reading again? Here are a few more frequently asked questions!
1. How can I enjoy reading books again?
If you’re asking yourself “How can I like reading again?”, there are lots of options you can try. I recommend following the tips laid out above, but you can also check out this article about how to get out of a reading slump for more helpful tricks and information!
2. Why do I not enjoy reading books?
There can be lots of reasons you don’t enjoy reading books.
Sometimes this is because as a child you were forced to read books even when you didn’t want to, in school or at home. Maybe as an adult you read a lot of books in a short time span and now you’re feeling burnt out. Or maybe it’s one of a myriad of other options.
While this is ultimately a question only you can answer, if you’re asking yourself “Why do I struggle to read books?” then you are at least on the right path toward being able to enjoy reading. If you can identify why you aren’t enjoying reading, then you have more information and can work toward removing whatever obstacles are in the way of a life filled with books.
Keep in mind, however, that it’s okay to go through phases as well where you enjoy something more at one time than at another. It’s possible you just need a break from books for a little and need to fill your life with other hobbies at the moment. That’s okay, and books will still be there when you come back.
3. Do you enjoy reading?
Yes, I enjoy reading! I would consider myself a lifelong bookworm and I love to read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.
However, like I mentioned in the answer to the question above, there are seasons in life for all of us and in some seasons I’ve had more time for reading and in others I’ve had less. Some seasons I’ve loved reading and want to read all the time, and other seasons there are other things I prefer doing in my spare time.
So on the whole I love and enjoy reading, but I also know first-hand that it’s okay to take a break and come back to reading when I’m in a mindset of reading being something I want to do for myself and being something enjoyable instead of a chore. I love reading and don’t ever want to get myself into a place where it’s not something I enjoy anymore!