hello, i don't read books i've only read a handful of books in my life, such as the harry potter and twilight series

I want to create a reading habit but don't really know where or how to start.

I was hoping for some tips in reading regularly, one day i want to be able to read things that help me further who i am (i.e. non-fiction books)

Any tips or any suggestions for good fiction and non-fictions would be greatly appreciated!

I feel like my reading habit comes and goes like a tide, there are periods when I don't manage to read anything in a long time, only to immerse myself later in series upon series. What's helped me the most to keep reading has been the habit of setting myself smaller goals - especially when I'm only starting the book, and it feels like it might never kick off the curb. A chapter a day, an x number of pages, and so on. Usually the book sucks me in before long, and then the rules turn into "i'll just read one more chapter and then I'll sleep", hah.

Another thing that helps me to focus on reading is either background music or static noise. It's not for everyone, but for me it works, as long as there's no lyrics to get distracted by. (instrumental playlists on 8tracks were a blessing, now the site refuses to cooperate with me because I'm not from the US. ) You can generate your own static noises online (i recommend mynoise, a handy site where you can mix and match sounds like thunderstorms and fire crackling, café noises, whatever it is that does it for you. )

If you don't feel particularly inspired by your bookshelf, go to a library, if that's an option for you! Seek out your favourite section and pick an interesting spine, or dare yourself to pick something from a genre you might not have thought of reading before.

mmm i agree with you in the rare occasions that i get sucked into reading, it's hard for me not to binge-read

it's just that getting started is really hard for me

ohhh thanks for the link to mynoise! definitely going to have to try it out :o

For me I find a good reading habit can start if you desire motivation or inspiration. One or the other or both can really help, specially if you find a book that you know may be of great help to you. Reading before sleep or substiting a chapter for say an hour or half hour of electronics time can really help build a nice habit if ever you need one.

I apologizes if this is not helpful. Good luck to you! ^__^

thanks for the tips ! :D

Hi , i'm an avid reader, but I didn't use to be. Though now that I think about it... the only reason I read is cause of uni DX. Besides journals/study books I really like horror/thrillers. What genre do you like? And do you prefer real books or iBooks? If you can find a book/s that really interests you, start off small. Maybe have a shower and get comfy, give yourself 30mins in bed to relax and set your self a challenge of reading X amount of pages on day 1 and build up from there. Not sure how helpful that is to be honest. Enjoy your books.

i'm normally a fan of fantasy books anything with magic, or anything supernatural and funky like time-travel, super powers, and the lot haha

but it's really hard for me to get hooked onto books (i don;t even try anymore)

i think i'm a bigger fan of real books, i like the feeling of flipping a page, makes me feel like i'm achieving something haha

Hmmm, do you have a large collection of fantasy books or have mates that do? Maybe give yourself say a variety of 10 and read the first pages of each one and if you find that you're facing a mental barrier, try the next one. I'm kind of making reading sound like a chore though, which isn't my intention. Ohhhh I dunno if they do this where you live, but we have reading and discussions groups. I do this a lot with classmates.

hahaha none of my friends really read those that do are into crime and thrillers which scare me LOL maybe i should give the library a shot haha

Yeah that's a good idea 8D! I dunno if you like coffee or tea, but maybe you could grab a book and read in a comfy corner of a cafe or something.

A good habit is probably to read before you sleep or read as you wake up, but tbh... to someone who really loves to read, the time will not matter much. E.g. I often read inside the train/tram as well. For non-fiction books most likely you'd just end up reading whatever career path you are pursuing or what you take up during college... so in short, read whatever interests you and google some about some decent books regarding the topic(s). The same applies to fiction, really. I do recommend the Sherlock Holmes series if I might. It's a classic for a very neat reason. Entertaining to read and well-written :)

one thing i have trouble with is finding a place to read my bedroom only has a bed in it, so i can't really read a book before sleep (no lamp or bedside table)

and i only ever drive or catch buses, which shake too much for me to read (we moved houses and there's no train station nearby) haha

edit: also, how do you get the forum title "is salty"? hahahaha

welp that sucks. my favorite place to read is definitely at home inside my bed... it doesn't even have to be during nighttime, during the day will do as well (afternoon). hmmmm... how about your local library? Mine has a couple of decent comfy places to sit, it is quiet (well... you have to be xD) and you have a lot of books that you can just rent and not have to buy. The problem for me was that at the place I used to live at before, the library did not offer enough books (awesome books for childrens/teens but not for adults)... so eventually I moved on and just bought the majority of books myself. It might also be a good idea to find some kind of coffee or tea café, but that would require you to spent some moneys on beverages as well. And it is not as quiet as inside a library or at home e.g. . But if you don't mind that, there are probably some decent ones around where you live as well (I hope...).

hmmm i haven't been to our local library (or any library) in a long time the one near my house is really big i guess i have to get over my laziness and try it out hahaha

mmm i do have this one book i've started a loooong time ago, and never gotten around to finishing "the power of habit" maybe i'll try taking that to a cafe one day

The best thing I can think of for you to do is to do what others have suggested: Go to your local library.

From a public librarian perspective - please come talk to whoever is at the information or reference desk at your library! We're trained in how to help you find something to read. It's really helpful to have books that you've liked in mind, as well as why you liked them, since that'll help with finding other books.

Also, don't be afraid to put a book down if it doesn't hold your interest. My rule of thumb (I mostly read Young Adult fiction) is that if it doesn't grab me in 50 pages, I put it down unless there's a compelling reason for me to finish it. For regular fiction, I'll give it 100 pages.

Libraries also have comfortable chairs for reading in.

hmm that's a good idea i've never thought of asking a librarian for suggestions speaking of which, i don't think i ever interact with librarians LOL

I work at a public library as a teen librarian on a part-time basis, but part of my job is manning the information desk and answering questions from whoever. Believe it or not, helping people find books to read is one of the things that we're trained to do! It's one of those services that doesn't get as much attention as it should, but that's one thing that I do.

If you don't really want to go talk to a librarian, or feel too nervous about talking to one, there's usually sections on library websites that have booklists for various genres, staff recommendations, or lists like "If you liked X..." with titles similar to those. That could give you a start on things to read as well.

hehehehe i'll give it a shot and ask the librarian when i go to the library

it's obvious now that i think about it, but before you mentioned it it never crossed my mind to ask librarians for suggestions LOL

What could help you for the start is picking short stories or books with short chapters. This way you could gain motivation to begin a story as the knowledge of not having that much to read would give you a kick. That works for me, I find it much easier to read a hundred pages divided into eight chapters than the same amount of pages divided in two. Hope it helps and good luck :-)

once i get into a book, i love it and read all the time that's why i tend to opt for a series

it's after i finish a series that i fall into a slump where i don't read for months to years :(

but i'll give short stories a try maybe that'll be my cure hahaha