So you want to read, but for some reason reading just isn’t interesting to you? Maybe you used to love reading and now you find you never read anymore and can’t find the motivation. Or maybe you’ve never loved reading, but you want to start now. Whatever the case may be for you, the wanting to want to read is a great start…and here’s everything else you need to know about how to get interested in reading so you can become a bookworm in no time!
1. Think About Why You Want to Read
First of all, when wondering how to get interested in reading books, a good place to start is thinking about why you want to read.
Why are you interested in reading? Do you want to discover a new hobby? Do you want to improve your focus and memory? Do you want to reduce stress? Do you want to learn new things?
Whatever your reason for wanting to read, keeping that at the forefront of your mind can help you be more interested in reading. But this isn’t the only thing that will help, so read on to learn other tips for how to become interested in reading!
2. Find Books You’ll Be Excited to Read
The next helpful idea for how to get into a book reading habit and be excited to read is to actually choose books you’ll be interested in and look forward to picking up.
Choosing books that match your interest (whether that be a specific genre, style, or a particular subject matter) is the perfect way to entice yourself into being more interested in reading.
This could look like choosing a popular recent page turner, or choosing a nonfiction book on a subject or person you’re interested in. It could also look like reading a fantasy book, a romance book, sci-fi, or any other genre you think sounds cool and exciting.
The main point here is that you should look around and find a book you actually want to read. When you’re trying to get interested in reading, there’s no reason to read books because you think you “should” read them or people tell you that you “have” to read them. Simply choose books that make you happy!
That being said, there are lots of ways to find good books to read, and it’s possible that getting recommendations from friends could be a good option (especially if your friends know you well and know what you might like!). Otherwise, if you’re wondering how to find books that interest you, check out these tips for how to find books you’ll enjoy!
3. Don’t Force Yourself to Finish Books You Don’t Like
Another of the biggest things to know when looking for how to develop interest in reading is that you shouldn’t force yourself to finish books you don’t like.
There is a time and place for reading things even if they don’t particularly interest you (you can find my guide to deciding when or if to stop reading a book here!). But the time for forcing yourself to continue reading something you like is not when you’re just starting out and trying to interest yourself in reading.
Instead, make reading a pleasant and exciting activity for yourself by only allowing positive associations and memories. And this means that if you aren’t enjoying a book, you’re free to stop reading a set it down!
You might find you’ll pick it back up later if you’re in the mood to try reading it again, or maybe you’ll find that genre or subject matter isn’t your cup of tea. Either way it’s a win because you know a little bit more about yourself and what you like, and you’re free to move on to some other book that you’ll actually enjoy!
4. Listen to Audiobooks
When considering how to be interested in reading or how to get someone interested in reading, another possible idea would be to listen to audiobooks.
Sometimes the act of sitting still and actually reading from the pages of a book can be difficult for some people, so a good way to ease into the reading world is to use audiobooks.
Audiobooks are also great if you’re trying to make time to read but struggling with finding the time. You can listen to audiobooks while doing so many different things, which means reading can be much more accessible to you if you can listen to a story while you do other things you need to do like chores or commuting to work.
If you decide to frequently use audiobooks to start reading habitually, then Audible could be worth looking into as you have access to tons of books at a discounted rate! Your local library could also be a good resource for finding free audiobooks to listen to, so getting a library card could be helpful as you take these simple steps to increase your interest in reading.
5. Keep a Book Nearby
If you’re wondering how do you get yourself to want to read more, keeping a book nearby can be an excellent idea as well!
Keeping a book nearby helps you get interested in reading because the proximity of the book you’re reading will help you think about it more (you’ll think about it each time you see it!).
Keeping a book close also helps because you’re eliminating extra steps you’d have to take to actually start reading. If you have a book on hand or close by, then all you have to do is pick it up and read. But if you don’t have one nearby, then you have to get up out of your chair, go find the book, bring it back, get comfortable again, and start reading.
As you can see, having a book on hand streamlines the process of getting to the point of actually reading, so if you’re like me (a pretty lazy creature 😉) then keeping a book on hand will definitely improve your likelihood of reading at any given time.
How does this work in practice? If you have somewhere specific you like to sit and relax after work, like a comfy couch or chair, maybe consider keeping your current read somewhere near there. Or, if you spend a lot of time outside of the home, consider carrying a book with you (book sleeves help keep you from damaging books while carrying them with you!)
Alternatively, if you like to have choices in what you read but don’t want to carry several books around with you, a Kindle could be a good investment as it’s lightweight and allows you to read pretty much anything you want at any time.
Whatever method you choose to keep a book on hand, this is a great idea so you can fill the in between moments or your downtime with reading! You’re so much more likely to feel like you want to read if you don’t have to go hunting for a book whenever you’re feeling like you might want to pick one up.
6. Give Yourself Rewards for Reading Milestones
If you’re really struggling and trying to figure out “Why am I not interested in reading?”, then another step on the road to how to love reading could be giving yourself rewards for meeting reading milestones.
Did you ever participate in a reading challenge or reading reward program as a kid? Pizza Hut’s program was one of my favorites as a kid, because they gave me free pizza for reading! Talk about the best of both worlds for a kid who loved both books and pizza with her whole heart.
Well, just because there aren’t as many reading rewards programs for adults doesn’t mean you can’t apply this same principle to yourself. All you have to do is choose a good (but still manageable) reading goal for yourself and then reward yourself when you meet it!
The reward you choose can be anything you like, and anything that motivates you. Maybe it’s treating yourself to fun food, like in the Pizza Hut example above. Maybe it’s buying a bookmark or other book-themed item you think is fun. Maybe it’s buying an item you’ve been wanting and thinking about buying for a while but have been putting off. Maybe it’s treating yourself to a spa day.
Whatever is something that you like and that will motivate you to read is the perfect thing to use as a reading reward for yourself!
7. Join a Book Club
And lastly, when wondering how to get into reading books and how to get interested in reading again (or for the first time), joining a book club can be an excellent motivator.
There are so many benefits to participating in a book club, but in the case of trying to get yourself interested in reading, book clubs can be helpful because you’re surrounding yourself with a community of people who love books.
Sometimes, being around people who love something can help us love or appreciate that same thing more. So if you surround yourself with people who love books, you might find yourself gravitating towards reading and books more often and being more excited about them.
It can also be more fun to read when you know you get to discuss the book with someone else and share what you learned or what you loved about it.
This is especially true if you’re more extroverted or just really love people. If you’re an extrovert and wondering “Why do I have no interest in reading?”, it could be because you’re considering reading to be a solitary activity. But it doesn’t have to be! It can be as social as you like when you join a book club and get to share in the love of reading with someone else.
So when you’re looking for ways to get interested in reading, don’t neglect the option of joining a local or online book club so you can join in with a community who will encourage you to continue reading and continue fostering your own love of books!