I find myself wondering how I would finish 100+ books in my catalogue. My Kindle Paperwhite has 130 books loaded. I also have a few paperbacks because who can resist the smell of a book? Having too many books to read is every bookworm’s dilemma (or dream perhaps?) and I’d like to share a few tips for you to finish your treasure trove of books.
- Find pockets of time when you can read
It’s nice to spend an entire afternoon reliving Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince for the 5th time, but the real-world seldom grants us that luxury. So find pockets of time throughout the day when you can read. Here are a few:
- when you wake up and before you go to bed
- while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store
- during your long commute in the train
- those long trips in the bathroom
It’s better to read a few pages a day than nothing at all. You’ll surprise yourself that you can finish a book with these brief moments.
- Use different mediums
Embrace different media available for reading. While cuddling a paperback has its own unique feel, there may be instances where it will be inconvenient to bring an 800-page book. Some options that you can use:
- Physical copy of the book, hardbound or paperback
- E-readers like the Kindle, Nook, or Kobo e-readers.
- Your phone. There are apps for the top sellers like Amazon or Kobo. You can also find a lot of e-book readers in iOS and Android.
- Audio. Convenient when you’re on the go and doing other things.
- Read more than one book at a time
This may be counter intuitive, but in my experience, I’m almost reading every day whenever I have multiple books to read. Usually, we read depending on our mood. When you’re reading only one book, pushing yourself to read a difficult chapter will not help you finish the book faster. Unlike when you have different options, you can choose what to read depending on your mood.
I read 2 to 3 books at a time and my setup is like this:
- When I’m reading a non-fiction book, I read a fiction book along with it.
- When I’m reading a paperback, I also have a book or two in my Kindle.
- Track your reading
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. It also feels good whenever you set a book to finished. I use Goodreads to track my reading. It also has a reading challenge where you can set how many books you want to read for the year(I pledged to read 40 this year, fingers-crossed). Connect with me on Goodreads.
- Stop reading when you don’t like the book
I was once the type of reader who will finish a book because I have already started it even though the story is bland. But that changed and now I don’t feel any remorse when I stopped reading a book. It might be difficult at first, but it would help you save time and let you enjoy other books. Don’t be afraid to stop reading a book if you don’t like it.
I hope these tips will help you read faster and enjoy more of the alternate worlds between the pages of a book. Let me know if you have any other tips.
