For me, reading helps me read more? Lol it sounds counterintuitive but the more I read, the better “endurance” I have for reading. Lots of people tell me, “Oh I wish I read more but I lose attention after five pages.” You have to develop the discipline to be able to sit and read for longer chunks of time, and then it gets easier. Basically, just do it 😂
Slanted Spines completely agree and actually makes sense to me 😂 just actually sticking to it when you’re getting distracted, or when you’re first starting a new book is how I manage to make reading more of it and reading faster easier. Also agree on her reco of not reading genres you don’t like, cause it makes it unbearable either way.
I try to explain this to everyone that says they „can‘t read“. I also lose attention while reading but then I just keep on going. You literally just have to read to read xD
I used to read a lot in middle school/high school but lost the habit in college because i thought i had no time. Two months ago i saw how much time i was spending on my phone and it was like 7 hours per day!! I was so shocked because i didn’t even realize how much time i was wasting on twitter and instagram just scrolling so i decided to download a bunch of books on my phone and now i’ve read around 30 books this year!!
OMG! You just took words out of my mouth. Same thing happend to me when I joined college, I was wasting so much on Instagram and Twitter. But the COVID lockdown made me start reading again and I'm quite proud of myself that I read 10 books during lockdown
@@neeharikasingh4229 OMG! Samee. I used to read a lot but I don't know why I lost the habit but becsuse of quarantine I wanted to read again. Now I read about 4 to 5 books a moth! :D
Oh my biggest tip that helped me finish some books and took me almost 30 years to get there: you can totally skip parts, there is no book police standing over your shoulder. I have read books where the story was keeping me interested but ohgod I don't freaking care about the description of that park you are walking in, I have been in parks in my life, I can imagine, I don't need 2 full paragraphs of it. You - can - skip - the - boring - parts!
i’ve always heard of people doing this but i just can’t. i need to at least skim read and i’m doing it right now for the first time with this specific part of the book i’m currently reading (1984). i don’t know i’m just so scared to miss something crucial or important to the plot... i also usually enjoy the writing of the authors i read so yeah
Exactly! I've started reading only the first and last sentence of paragraphs/sections I can't be bothered to read and I've gotten through so many books I would not have suffered through otherwise.
linlou but you have no idea what’s going on in between 👁👄👁 you probably miss out on so many things? i mean i get doing it with a boring part of a book (like a descriptive part) but with the whole book??? how???
I have my BA in English and when I tell you I felt so less of a scholar during my time at university because I just didn’t enjoy classics. However, a wonderful professor of mine had a class analyzing modern dystopian literature and it made me realize so much meaningful interpretations can come from any texts! I even did my senior thesis on manga and social context. Love this comment!
I feel like I would totally lose focus with an audiobook! I often restart songs I’m listening to because my mind wandered so I would probably just forget to listen ahaha
That can definitely happen I think finding good narrators helps a lot. I love audiobooks but if I’m doing something else while listening they have to be like mindless tasks or autopilot. Definitely try it and try out several different books. Go with library I never pay for audiobooks. That way no big thing if your just not into it. Certain genres I have a harder time getting into. I like ya and middle grade but hefty high fantasy books are hard to follow. Also rereads are really good to break the ice with if you happen to tune out you still know the story already!
That happens to me both while listening to an audiobook and while reading, but try reading while listening to the audiobook at the same time, I started doing that and I don’t zone out anymore and finish books faster, not really a helpful tip if you have multitasking in mind tho 😂😂
Me too! I’ve tried audiobooks and I couldn’t focus for long. My eyes would catch something, and I’d get distracted. If I tried closing my eyes to concentrate, I’d get drowsy lol. I love podcasts though
The simplest thing I ever did to fix my reading habit was stop thinking of time and look at it as pages. I promised myself (and committed to) reading 30 pages every day. You can pick any number that is at least ten pages, and do that every day. I picked 30 and would not stop until I had done at least 30 pages (I had picked good books of interest, too). The great psychological trick of this is that, if you've picked books that interest you, 30 pages will soon turn to 50, then 100. A week in, I found myself sitting through 200 pages of Gone Girl because I was just so gripped and needed to finish it. If you focus on reading for time, you could spend an hour barely focused and wading through five pages. But if you simply must do 30 pages, you will do them whether it is half an hour or two hours. I no longer count pages now because I know I usually do not stop before 50 or so.
I do this too! Started out as 50 pages and now it is anything between 100-250 pages. If you put your bookmark on the page of your goal it really helps and it is very satisfying to get there. Try it!
this video is a little old but here are my tips: -If you think reading for an hour or longer is intimidating, set a timer for 15,20,25 min and you'd be surprised how quick it goes, just keep replaying it in those 20 min intervals and soon an hour feels like nothing. -Pretending that you are a booktuber helps! If you say to yourself "gotta finish this book so I can tell all my subscribers" you might feel more motivated, -Watch booktube (specifically Noelle, and other reading vlog videos) Set a limit so you don't waste 3 hours on youtube, but seeing people gush about books is so fun and you suddenly feel the urge to conquer all books on your shelf. -Start multiple books. If you are not interested in the book you're reading but you don't want to DNF, just set it down and return to it later. In the mean time, find another book that does make you excited! (be wary because I am currently reading 8 books at once, but I'm reading every night so, it's a good problem) -think about how much books help your brain! if you feel like mush in quarantine, it's almost euphoric how good it feels to allow your brain to be smart for however long you read. -making your friends read or hold you accountable. If you and your friends or fam set challenges for each other, it can be a fun competition or game and will get you excited to beat them! Or tell them "if I don't read x # of pages, take away my chocolate"
Pretend the internet doesn't exist! Throw a sheet over the WWW for an hour or two - all that time you're not scrolling instagram can turn into an impressive page count after awhile. Then you can jump back ON instagram and turn those books you've read into content. Win! :)
1. I read book while listening to the audiobook too, it makes me have more focus. If the voice actor is really good, s/he can read it more dramatic than my (head) voice. 2. I also use GoodReads to see my progress. It’s so satisfying to put a book on READ shelf. And I also can make yearly book challenge/goal too. 3. I annotate on “hard” book, using mini post-it and flash card made of papers. It get me more understanding, especially on non-fiction.
i LOVE reading while listening to an audio book, id change the tempo to match my reading but the book became alive and distractions left me. I love it. Great recommendations
Great tips!! I agree, you don’t have to read classics or self help books to make you smarter or because people tell you to. No matter what you’re into, whether that’s fantasy, mysteries, romance, sci-fi, etc. any genre at all, fiction or nonfiction, you’re gonna get something out of it and you’re gonna be better and/or smarter because you read it. It’s amazing what stories can do to us!! Books are magical and an amazing experience
Love the "hey, today is a reading night for me" Seriously, I LOVE that also, the "don't read books that aren't interesting to you" Thank you! literally just this morning I stopped reading a book because I wasn't enjoying it. And I've been feeling a bit guilty for that because I've heard good things about it. It's okay to not read it.It can be a great book, but it just wasn't my style and thats okay :)
One tip I've heard somewhere and now can't live without is reading multiple books at once (for me, also on different medias--audiobooks, e-books, real books). This way, when I don't feel like picking up a book physically, I'll have no excuse not to read. Or if I'm not in the mood to read literary fiction, I'll just read a YA and it's helped me so much. Also! I used to feel guilty when I added books to my goodreads and they weren't novels (plays, poetry, graphic novels, etc), but getting over that has helped me read so much more. These don't take as long to get through but are still wonderful content and it's made reaching my goal so much less stressful.
@@NoelleGallagher my shower has a little cubby that doesn't get wet where you're supposed to put like shampoo or whatever but I just wiped it out and thats where I set my phone. or I get a blue tooth speaker and turn it up really loud and place it right outside the shower 😂
Noelle Gallagher I always listen to audiobooks in the shower.... hook your phone to a waterproof speaker (UE speakers are great) you can turn it up higher and hear the book hahaha
I really appreciated the last tip! I read books that I think I should way too often even if they bore the heck out of me. I want to get on your level with reading 😭
Stephanie Sheridan yes!! There’s SO many books I’ve done this with and for what?! I’ll read every trash mystery in this world before I read another Charles Dickens ! !
something that really helps me, and this may sound dumb, but i say to myself, "ok i want to get to page 100" and i'll read until then. that way, it's not like, okay i have to read for an hour straight. hope that made sense haha !
Audiobooks! Yes yes yes, I've finished 16 books and 10 of them have been audiobooks! I listen to them all the time while at work or at home and on walks and stuff! I just always try to make sure I like the Narrators voice, that's always a big part of it for me.
Love your channel, just discovered it, also regarding audiobooks, I used to think the same, but then there are people who can´t read or are blind who still read books because they use audiobooks (for example, someone said that once to me) and that made me realise that´s so true. No matter if you have audiobooks or physical books, you are still reading :):)
Thank you for spreading the gospel of Hoopla and Libby! I started using Hoopla in January and Libby when my university shut down in person classes. They have changed how I read and I highly recommend them to everyone and anyone.
I love all the tips you gave here and yeah i agree too. When i was little, i hated reading and i did not want to touch any books. Until the end of my sophomore year in high school, i still didnt want to read and always complaining that I cannot concentrate. But it’s just like sports, art or music, you need to practice and practice if you want to read more. No one can ever sit down with a book and read for like 3 hours. You gotta start somewhere. With that said, i hope you guys have a wonderful day and hope you read some a wonderful book today (or do something that is productive and make me feel good) ^^
Making time for reading: My problem is I am still in the mindset of my childhood. (Even though I am probably old enough to be your mother.) My parents were not readers. I don't blame them. They had hard lives growing up & not much opportunity for education. They worked brutal jobs to take care of their kids. So for them, reading was something you do in your spare time. It's a hobby. Nothing more. Because of this, every time I want to read, I feel guilty that I'm wasting time. It doesn't matter if I spent 10 hours working, cleaned my house, bought groceries, paid bills, did my laundry and literally have nothing else "important/useful" to do. I still feel guilty. I get a few pages in and then I close it. My remedy for this was to read on the train as I was out and about. Obviously, that is no longer an option. (Not asking you to solve this or even for advice. Just... writing it out for my own thought, I guess.)
Yesica1993 that makes total sense and something I didn’t even think about! Since I’m working on my masters degree in literature I see all reading as somewhat productive because it’s helping me in one way or another towards my degree but I know it’s not that way for everyone! Reading on the train is a great remedy and I hear is actually super soothing. I think if you feel guilty while reading then audiobooks are huge because you *can* be productive while listening. Cleaning, commuting, working out, organizing, working, homework - a lot of it can be done with a book in your ear 💛
We have almost the same way of spelling my name. But mine has double S. I never found/met someone with having the “Y” in Jessica instead of the “J”. It’s actually a big deal to me lmao. Also I’m dealing with the same problem as you🥺 but I learned to overcome it with reading by thinking that reading can help my speaking,writing skills, and expand my imagination. So now I know it actually helps me way more than I thought
Reading has sooo many benefits so technically it is productive to read! Plus, we live in a capitalistic culture that wants to ingrain this mindset of constantly being "productive" even at the detriment of our enjoyment and ughhhh it sucks but IF YOU ENJOY DOING SOMETHING, YOU AREN'T WASTING TIME AT ALL!
I freaking love your point in reading what you love. Last year was my first year I DNF books. I use to believe I had to finish it regardless if it sucked my soul or not. Letting books go has been so freeing and allowed time for books I truly love. It has also let me sample a book a might not normally pick up. I am so glad I let things go and embraced what I felt and thought.
I relate so much to this. I was reading Nutshell by Ian McEwan and it was sucking life out of me. It felt rather slow and even though I loved Hamlet, on which it is based, I couldn't get through that one. So I decided to DNF it because it was more of a chore reading that than enjoyment.
My tip: Keep a journal or something, it can be brief, of books you have read. I cannot tell you how many times I bought a book thinking I had not read it because it had a different cover than the one I had read previously. Keeping a list helped minimize this. I buy more secondhand than new though so that is part of the problem.
That last tip is so damn true! Once I started to accept I can DNF books or don't need to read popular my reading took off. One if my tips to read more is to vary the length if book you're reading. So if I read a novel I'll usually pick up a graphic novel or novella after then go back to a novel.
Of course you can read an audiobook while taking a shower or soaking in the bath. I do it all the time! Love and enjoy your videos. Trying to get back into reading.
I have started and stopped more books in 2020 than any other year. If I have bought them, they get donated to the library. Do not waste your time reading books just because they are popular if you don't like them. Great advice!
I'm reading 130-140 books every year and I very rarely DNF (guess I'm just lucky) My tips are: - read several books at once - don't stick to one genre/author - if you have a hard time concentrating on a book, put some white noise or background instrumental music on - buddy read or join a bookclub - pick up books from a library - you're less likely to procrastinate with the time pressure! And don't care about how much you read - the point is to have fun and not to achieve a certain goal!
It's so nice to hear this. I literally have struggled for so long with not being able to quit books that I'm not enjoying. I force myself to finish it but it takes me months.. and then I don't read other stuff. Plus I always try to read classics that I just don't enjoy. Time to re-evaluate my reading so that I can actually enjoy it !
I definitely suffered from not reading because I'm currently reading something I didn't enjoy. It was so hard for me to learn that it's okay to quit, but once I did I started cycling through books much faster. I still try to push through about halfway before I give up, but there have been books where I've read fewer than 50 pages and put it down. I just couldn't take it.
The last tip is the best, I never thought how much time I waste thinking that, and it kept me from actually reading. I always thought I should read more classics because they would make me "smarter". That made me stop reading modern fantasy books, which I loved as a kid.
Lol I have struggled to take advantage of all the free time to film and read until recently 😝 there’s a goodreads group called 7 on Sunday and theres weekly prompts that have been fun. I hope they continue it they havnt posted new prompts from June yet. I know a lot of people don’t like Goodreads but I LOVE it! I like the lists you can curate and groups are fun and awesome meeting place. Giveaways!!
I swear by "if you don't like it...don't read it!" I got into an almost-argument with a co-worker who said she's never not finished a book because she feels like she has to finish them even if she hates them. GIRL there are so many good books in the world. If you don't like one, you don't like it!
to follow booktubers definitely motivates me to read cause I find out about new books that I get excited to read. but also, creating a habit to read every single day even if its just for 15 minutes, after a while you just kind of get used to separating some time of the day to read and it turns into routine.
Yeah this is old but one of the things that helped me a lot was putting on like an ambience on the TV (fireplace/coffee shop/library). & you just snuggle up with a blanket and read. Amazing.
I'm a homeschool momma of 3. Last year I started using goodreads more, and prioritizing reading again which I hadn't done much of in previous years.I read 26 books. This year I decided I would challenge myself to 52 books. I am currently reading number 50! So for me, goodreads and updating my progress is a huge motivator. It helps that my youngest just turned 3 and is more independent. I make the choice now to read instead of watching shows. Maybe I'll watch one show, and then read. Or hello, take a bath and read! What a combo
Tip from me: become a book reviewer/ bookblogger... since I am one, I will easily read 100 a year, because of deadlines. Allthough not all books are good, I still enjoy reading. If I come across a less good book, I appreciate the books I really love even more. :) Still, reading isn't a contest... *thinkering emoji*
Another way to read a lot is to read two books at a time if you can. You can designate the morning for one book and evening for the other. It’s helped me read a lot and it’s super helpful if I’m reading a fiction book at night and a nonfiction book in the morning to help me start the day
I find if i have a difficult or huge book i want to get through then listening to the audio books alongside reading the actual book really helps. it keeps you more engaged and the reading experience is better. This is how I read Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend and it was a perfect combination.
I had a google sheet for books I stopped reading after a few pages and it was constantly making me stressed. After watching this video, I went ahead and deleted that. I feel sooooooo much better now, thank you!!
I have to literally force myself to put my phone down (coz I'm just lazily scrolling through NOTHING), and go read. I made a personal goal to spend less time on my phone and that has helped ALOT. Seriously! And watching a booktube video will often inspire me to read too. :)
My goal is to read 100 books this year and I already have 40. I think a major advise at least for me is to read multiple books at a time. For example I’m struggling with “stiller” by Max Frisch for a few months now because it’s just a man claiming not to be stiller while he kind of is? And although it’s interesting I like to have a quick read of 100-250 pages besides this because finishing a book gives me kind of a kick. Maybe read different genres so you can grab a book whenever you’re in this exact mood. Though I recommend not to read more than 5 books or so at a time cause otherwise you won’t finish one of them.
This might sound weird, BUTwhat really helps me focus on my reading time is setting a timer for the window of time I have to read. So if I have a 30-minute block of time that I know I can use for reading I set my phone timer. I don't know why but when I set my timer I enjoy the time I read and feel waaaaaaaay less distracted. :)
I found what works best for me to keep my reading momentum going is to follow a book that is either darker in subject matter or just a dense book, with a "palette cleanse" book that is more light hearted and fun. For me, that means I follow dense high fantasies with a romance or a middle grade book. This has worked wanders to get me out of reading slumps! Btw love your channel!
I think switching on tv and leaving the sound on is like just listening to audiobooks I don't see the benefits I get from them, I hear people reading between 3 books at once, I don't understand is how they can read and describe and digest it, my dad allay taught me to read one at a time that would let me digest it, I have a minor learning disability I allways loved reading till I gave iy up because I was reading a bit of each and I put myself of it, and now I am 39yr old im being an avid reader again I forgot how much I actually loved it.
I love audiobooks for all the big classics I don’t have as much time to commit to. Swann’s Way, Moby Dick, Middlemarch, War and Peace... all done while running errands and some of my faves! Highly recommend. Xx
tldr: if you can’t concentrate while reading, try reading while listening To the audiobook at the same time For me personally the difficult parts were getting the energy to make myself actually pick up a book to read cause concentration took a lot of energy, cause a lot of times I might start reading and start zoning out and just reading the words without imagining or understanding what I just read 😂 and that happened both while reading myself, and while listening to an audiobook on its own, but doing both at the same time actually worked great for my concentration, like either finding the ready audiobook online to listen to while following along with my physical book, or using the speechify app to take pics of the pages (it turns it into digital text from the pics and you can play it for it to read it to you), or even just finding the digital copy of the book online and making the phone’s “speak screen” feature to make it read, istg this way is sO good, like I can’t read fast on my own but if I’m listening while reading, i set the speed really high, like if you were only listening to it at that speed without reading the text you probably wouldn’t get a word, but doing both it’s understandable. Last weekend I was on fire and read 4 whole books in 2 days like that 😂😂
I love the Libby app! I totally felt the same way about audiobooks until I really gave them a try. I think the narrator plays a big part in whether I like an audiobook or not. I still want to correct people when they say they “read an audiobook” instead of saying listening. Lol So maybe I’m still a little pretentious about it. 😂
Tbh, recently I've been reading a lot of shorter books, novellas, short stories and the like because durig quarantine I developed a short attention span when it comes to reading, otherwise it's too exhausting for me. (Plus I am cheating a bit by watching theater performances than actually reading the plays bc it is more fun this way, so that helped as well with getting some literature done.)
I have always been a slow reader and it has bothered me in the past. But I find that I can read faster on an e-reader! I used to exclusively read on an e-reader and I think that it helped me improve my muscle for reading in general so I can read a physical book better too!
Second person to say put it down if you hate it and it's good to hear. I wanted so badly to enjoy the hunting party by Lucy Foley and I kept pushing and had no fun. Now I don't feel so bad about giving it up
I read books online in the morning it makes me feel productive because I would read more books. More than it is with a physical book sometimes it'd take days, two weeks or a month or two
good tips. I have managed to get back into regular reading after a too long an absence! I do the morning reading. I think it is also about doing a dopamine detox, less electronic stimulus to get your brain into a calmer state which is great for reading. Also a big audiobook fan whist, cooking, gardening etc. Peace :-)
A tip to read more that has helped me is to follow booktubers with similar tastes to mine, that motivates me to never stop finding interesting books that I want to read and keeps me reading
I will often read two books with different vibes such as a fantasy and a contemporary at the same time, this way if im not in the mood to read something thats super high action I can read the other book to get a break. Also dont feel bad about reading super easy teen books that are basic, they are "basic" for a reason. Also rereading books gets me through a slump
watching this on august 1st and you said you don't know how people read 100 books a year but girl you've already completed 81 according to goodreads! you'll definitely get to 100 this year! 💖
Also i found setting my goal at 100 pages a day. Its now 2021 (8 days in) and im on my 2nd book a quarter way through! 100 pages also helps me finish AT LEAST a book a week (700 page books lol)
I am sooo late to this but after picking up a book I haven’t read for months after watching a book recommendation video, really got me going. Also I set my timer for 30 minutes but I kept restarting it because I didn’t feel like I should stop reading. I finished the book today and now, I’m halfway through another book.
OMG TIP NUMBER 5 I JUST SAID TO MY BOYFRIEND! I told him I’ve figured out why I’ve been taken forever to read Books. It’s because i stopped reading fiction because i thought I was too old for it & he didn’t read them, he read books he could really learn from! I was like I use to read through books like it was nothing! I’m going back to fiction! My first books back will be such a fun age & the girl with the dragon tattoo, thanks to you! So excited to get them tomorrow!
I love reading and used to read a lot except when I am I become so engrossed in the book and the entire universe that I find I'll be reading for hours and not make huge dents because I read way slower than I think I am from the beginning of the read. That's where I have the issue on how to finish/read books faster and more. The only tip i can give myself is a time limit but I still definitely will not I feel ever to be able to read as fast as you do, I wish !
I read in 2 more languages besides my own, it can sometimes be hard to stay focused because it takes more effort to read in a foreign language. For some reason, mainly the dense writing style typical of this author, I struggled reading through The Portrait of a Lady( English is not my native language, but I did study literature), then in my exasperation I decided to listen to it in late evenings, with my eyes closed, so I managed to finish it and could go back to the paper back version to reread favorite chapters.
Tip Nr. 5 is something I am struggling with. I used to be that grad student and have a lot of books left from uni that I should have read back in the day but somehow managed to pass the class with the help of wikipedia ^^ When I got my degree, I kinda felt guilty that I am a proper literature scholar now without having read all those books I was supposed to. So I bought even more to kind of make up for it. Now I have a shelf full of classics that look at me disapprovingly. So I do try to read one once in a while. I can't bring myself to get rid of them or completely abandon the idea of one day having read them all. I don't work in literature now, so reading classics makes me feel like my degree was at least somewhat useful >.
I can totally relate to what you say about living with boyfriend! My boyfriend is also more of a film/series person, so he often wants to spend a good hour or two watching something on Netflix together with me. It feels like I decline his suggestions half of the times because I need to read, though :P It was a bit awkward in the very beginning to be sitting on the sofa together while doing separate activities, but now we've been living together for some time and got into a kind of comfortable routine, respecting each other's need :)
For me, reading helps me read more? Lol it sounds counterintuitive but the more I read, the better “endurance” I have for reading. Lots of people tell me, “Oh I wish I read more but I lose attention after five pages.” You have to develop the discipline to be able to sit and read for longer chunks of time, and then it gets easier. Basically, just do it 😂
Slanted Spines completely agree and actually makes sense to me 😂 just actually sticking to it when you’re getting distracted, or when you’re first starting a new book is how I manage to make reading more of it and reading faster easier. Also agree on her reco of not reading genres you don’t like, cause it makes it unbearable either way.
Same for me!
THIS!!!
I try to explain this to everyone that says they „can‘t read“. I also lose attention while reading but then I just keep on going. You literally just have to read to read xD
yeah like runner highs, it is a thing, when i go on a run i don't want to until i run my first 1 mile and then i don't want to stop.
I used to read a lot in middle school/high school but lost the habit in college because i thought i had no time. Two months ago i saw how much time i was spending on my phone and it was like 7 hours per day!! I was so shocked because i didn’t even realize how much time i was wasting on twitter and instagram just scrolling so i decided to download a bunch of books on my phone and now i’ve read around 30 books this year!!
OMG! You just took words out of my mouth. Same thing happend to me when I joined college, I was wasting so much on Instagram and Twitter. But the COVID lockdown made me start reading again and I'm quite proud of myself that I read 10 books during lockdown
Good girl ☺️
Yes! Reading on my phone makes it so much easier! You may not always have a book with you, but you'll always have your phone!
@@neeharikasingh4229 OMG! Samee. I used to read a lot but I don't know why I lost the habit but becsuse of quarantine I wanted to read again. Now I read about 4 to 5 books a moth! :D
Oh my biggest tip that helped me finish some books and took me almost 30 years to get there: you can totally skip parts, there is no book police standing over your shoulder. I have read books where the story was keeping me interested but ohgod I don't freaking care about the description of that park you are walking in, I have been in parks in my life, I can imagine, I don't need 2 full paragraphs of it. You - can - skip - the - boring - parts!
i totally agree
i’ve always heard of people doing this but i just can’t. i need to at least skim read and i’m doing it right now for the first time with this specific part of the book i’m currently reading (1984). i don’t know i’m just so scared to miss something crucial or important to the plot... i also usually enjoy the writing of the authors i read so yeah
Holy Tess I feel you, I am like that :)
Exactly! I've started reading only the first and last sentence of paragraphs/sections I can't be bothered to read and I've gotten through so many books I would not have suffered through otherwise.
linlou but you have no idea what’s going on in between 👁👄👁 you probably miss out on so many things? i mean i get doing it with a boring part of a book (like a descriptive part) but with the whole book??? how???
"Don't read classics, because you think they will make you look smarter", thank you!! Lord knows, I struggled feeling that way for a long time.
War and Peace was terrible.
I have my BA in English and when I tell you I felt so less of a scholar during my time at university because I just didn’t enjoy classics. However, a wonderful professor of mine had a class analyzing modern dystopian literature and it made me realize so much meaningful interpretations can come from any texts! I even did my senior thesis on manga and social context. Love this comment!
I feel like I would totally lose focus with an audiobook! I often restart songs I’m listening to because my mind wandered so I would probably just forget to listen ahaha
Me too, but actually not on books, it is on studying 😭😭😭 and it bugging me.🤪
That can definitely happen I think finding good narrators helps a lot. I love audiobooks but if I’m doing something else while listening they have to be like mindless tasks or autopilot. Definitely try it and try out several different books. Go with library I never pay for audiobooks. That way no big thing if your just not into it. Certain genres I have a harder time getting into. I like ya and middle grade but hefty high fantasy books are hard to follow. Also rereads are really good to break the ice with if you happen to tune out you still know the story already!
That happens to me both while listening to an audiobook and while reading, but try reading while listening to the audiobook at the same time, I started doing that and I don’t zone out anymore and finish books faster, not really a helpful tip if you have multitasking in mind tho 😂😂
Me too! I’ve tried audiobooks and I couldn’t focus for long. My eyes would catch something, and I’d get distracted. If I tried closing my eyes to concentrate, I’d get drowsy lol. I love podcasts though
I read book and listen audiobook at the same time
it warms my heart that you said "people aim to read 100 books a year, i don't know how you do it" and then you read 127 books in the year!!
The simplest thing I ever did to fix my reading habit was stop thinking of time and look at it as pages. I promised myself (and committed to) reading 30 pages every day. You can pick any number that is at least ten pages, and do that every day. I picked 30 and would not stop until I had done at least 30 pages (I had picked good books of interest, too).
The great psychological trick of this is that, if you've picked books that interest you, 30 pages will soon turn to 50, then 100. A week in, I found myself sitting through 200 pages of Gone Girl because I was just so gripped and needed to finish it.
If you focus on reading for time, you could spend an hour barely focused and wading through five pages. But if you simply must do 30 pages, you will do them whether it is half an hour or two hours. I no longer count pages now because I know I usually do not stop before 50 or so.
I do this too! Started out as 50 pages and now it is anything between 100-250 pages. If you put your bookmark on the page of your goal it really helps and it is very satisfying to get there. Try it!
this video is a little old but here are my tips:
-If you think reading for an hour or longer is intimidating, set a timer for 15,20,25 min and you'd be surprised how quick it goes, just keep replaying it in those 20 min intervals and soon an hour feels like nothing.
-Pretending that you are a booktuber helps! If you say to yourself "gotta finish this book so I can tell all my subscribers" you might feel more motivated,
-Watch booktube (specifically Noelle, and other reading vlog videos) Set a limit so you don't waste 3 hours on youtube, but seeing people gush about books is so fun and you suddenly feel the urge to conquer all books on your shelf.
-Start multiple books. If you are not interested in the book you're reading but you don't want to DNF, just set it down and return to it later. In the mean time, find another book that does make you excited! (be wary because I am currently reading 8 books at once, but I'm reading every night so, it's a good problem)
-think about how much books help your brain! if you feel like mush in quarantine, it's almost euphoric how good it feels to allow your brain to be smart for however long you read.
-making your friends read or hold you accountable. If you and your friends or fam set challenges for each other, it can be a fun competition or game and will get you excited to beat them! Or tell them "if I don't read x # of pages, take away my chocolate"
INCREDIBLE TIPS - TRULY! 💞 I love the idea of doing reading sprints and starting multiple books!!
NOT THE CHOCOLATE
@@luoiv7682 BETTER READ YOUR BOOKS THEN HUH 😌
@@haleyelizabeth5501 it's fine i have a stash in my room they can never get
these are really good !! thank you
I'm glad you clarified that he was a pug. Went from really weird to adorable.
Pretend the internet doesn't exist! Throw a sheet over the WWW for an hour or two - all that time you're not scrolling instagram can turn into an impressive page count after awhile. Then you can jump back ON instagram and turn those books you've read into content. Win! :)
I do this by pretending I'm in the cinema or on a plane for two hours
1. I read book while listening to the audiobook too, it makes me have more focus. If the voice actor is really good, s/he can read it more dramatic than my (head) voice.
2. I also use GoodReads to see my progress. It’s so satisfying to put a book on READ shelf. And I also can make yearly book challenge/goal too.
3. I annotate on “hard” book, using mini post-it and flash card made of papers. It get me more understanding, especially on non-fiction.
i LOVE reading while listening to an audio book, id change the tempo to match my reading but the book became alive and distractions left me. I love it. Great recommendations
I love goodreads
Great tips!! I agree, you don’t have to read classics or self help books to make you smarter or because people tell you to. No matter what you’re into, whether that’s fantasy, mysteries, romance, sci-fi, etc. any genre at all, fiction or nonfiction, you’re gonna get something out of it and you’re gonna be better and/or smarter because you read it. It’s amazing what stories can do to us!! Books are magical and an amazing experience
Love the "hey, today is a reading night for me" Seriously, I LOVE that
also, the "don't read books that aren't interesting to you" Thank you! literally just this morning I stopped reading a book because I wasn't enjoying it. And I've been feeling a bit guilty for that because I've heard good things about it. It's okay to not read it.It can be a great book, but it just wasn't my style and thats okay :)
One tip I've heard somewhere and now can't live without is reading multiple books at once (for me, also on different medias--audiobooks, e-books, real books). This way, when I don't feel like picking up a book physically, I'll have no excuse not to read. Or if I'm not in the mood to read literary fiction, I'll just read a YA and it's helped me so much.
Also! I used to feel guilty when I added books to my goodreads and they weren't novels (plays, poetry, graphic novels, etc), but getting over that has helped me read so much more. These don't take as long to get through but are still wonderful content and it's made reaching my goal so much less stressful.
"listen to audio books everywhere!! well not in the shower" I um... totally yeah... I listen to audiobooks in the shower 😂😂
Alyssa TEACH ME YOUR WAYS! I’ve tried but can never hear them!! 😅
@@NoelleGallagher my shower has a little cubby that doesn't get wet where you're supposed to put like shampoo or whatever but I just wiped it out and thats where I set my phone. or I get a blue tooth speaker and turn it up really loud and place it right outside the shower 😂
Alyssa I’m trying that Bluetooth method ASAP!!!
girl, same! The only time I'm listening to an audio book is while I'm in the shower lol
Noelle Gallagher I always listen to audiobooks in the shower.... hook your phone to a waterproof speaker (UE speakers are great) you can turn it up higher and hear the book hahaha
I really appreciated the last tip! I read books that I think I should way too often even if they bore the heck out of me. I want to get on your level with reading 😭
Stephanie Sheridan yes!! There’s SO many books I’ve done this with and for what?! I’ll read every trash mystery in this world before I read another Charles Dickens ! !
"There's no should or shouldn't in reading." I appreciate you for saying that. Thank you!
Top #1 : Less youtube and phone
something that really helps me, and this may sound dumb, but i say to myself, "ok i want to get to page 100" and i'll read until then. that way, it's not like, okay i have to read for an hour straight. hope that made sense haha !
I LOVE your accent. I would listen to an audiobook if you narrated it
She sounds like my favorite librarian
We have all grown and adore audiobooks now!
Yes, they are amazing!
where do u listing to ur audiobooks? for free
Audiobooks! Yes yes yes, I've finished 16 books and 10 of them have been audiobooks! I listen to them all the time while at work or at home and on walks and stuff! I just always try to make sure I like the Narrators voice, that's always a big part of it for me.
Love your channel, just discovered it, also regarding audiobooks, I used to think the same, but then there are people who can´t read or are blind who still read books because they use audiobooks (for example, someone said that once to me) and that made me realise that´s so true. No matter if you have audiobooks or physical books, you are still reading :):)
Thank you for spreading the gospel of Hoopla and Libby! I started using Hoopla in January and Libby when my university shut down in person classes. They have changed how I read and I highly recommend them to everyone and anyone.
I actually listen to audiobooks while I shower. I have Bluetooth speaker I put on the ledge. I get some “reading”done .
>hears tip #5<
>slowly puts down Ulysses
Hahahahhahahha
I love all the tips you gave here and yeah i agree too. When i was little, i hated reading and i did not want to touch any books. Until the end of my sophomore year in high school, i still didnt want to read and always complaining that I cannot concentrate. But it’s just like sports, art or music, you need to practice and practice if you want to read more. No one can ever sit down with a book and read for like 3 hours. You gotta start somewhere. With that said, i hope you guys have a wonderful day and hope you read some a wonderful book today (or do something that is productive and make me feel good) ^^
Making time for reading: My problem is I am still in the mindset of my childhood. (Even though I am probably old enough to be your mother.) My parents were not readers. I don't blame them. They had hard lives growing up & not much opportunity for education. They worked brutal jobs to take care of their kids. So for them, reading was something you do in your spare time. It's a hobby. Nothing more.
Because of this, every time I want to read, I feel guilty that I'm wasting time. It doesn't matter if I spent 10 hours working, cleaned my house, bought groceries, paid bills, did my laundry and literally have nothing else "important/useful" to do. I still feel guilty. I get a few pages in and then I close it.
My remedy for this was to read on the train as I was out and about. Obviously, that is no longer an option.
(Not asking you to solve this or even for advice. Just... writing it out for my own thought, I guess.)
Yesica1993 that makes total sense and something I didn’t even think about! Since I’m working on my masters degree in literature I see all reading as somewhat productive because it’s helping me in one way or another towards my degree but I know it’s not that way for everyone! Reading on the train is a great remedy and I hear is actually super soothing. I think if you feel guilty while reading then audiobooks are huge because you *can* be productive while listening. Cleaning, commuting, working out, organizing, working, homework - a lot of it can be done with a book in your ear 💛
@@NoelleGallagher
Good point, thanks.
We have almost the same way of spelling my name. But mine has double S. I never found/met someone with having the “Y” in Jessica instead of the “J”. It’s actually a big deal to me lmao. Also I’m dealing with the same problem as you🥺 but I learned to overcome it with reading by thinking that reading can help my speaking,writing skills, and expand my imagination. So now I know it actually helps me way more than I thought
Reading has sooo many benefits so technically it is productive to read! Plus, we live in a capitalistic culture that wants to ingrain this mindset of constantly being "productive" even at the detriment of our enjoyment and ughhhh it sucks but IF YOU ENJOY DOING SOMETHING, YOU AREN'T WASTING TIME AT ALL!
I freaking love your point in reading what you love. Last year was my first year I DNF books. I use to believe I had to finish it regardless if it sucked my soul or not. Letting books go has been so freeing and allowed time for books I truly love. It has also let me sample a book a might not normally pick up. I am so glad I let things go and embraced what I felt and thought.
I relate so much to this. I was reading Nutshell by Ian McEwan and it was sucking life out of me. It felt rather slow and even though I loved Hamlet, on which it is based, I couldn't get through that one. So I decided to DNF it because it was more of a chore reading that than enjoyment.
My goodreads goal is always 100 books a year, I exceeded that target last by reading 116 books 😁
Cool! But how did you do that? B/c I’m struggling with 20 books a year 😅🙈
@@RudisKetabs same lmao I barely managed to read 25 last year
My tip: Keep a journal or something, it can be brief, of books you have read. I cannot tell you how many times I bought a book thinking I had not read it because it had a different cover than the one I had read previously. Keeping a list helped minimize this. I buy more secondhand than new though so that is part of the problem.
That last tip is so damn true! Once I started to accept I can DNF books or don't need to read popular my reading took off.
One if my tips to read more is to vary the length if book you're reading. So if I read a novel I'll usually pick up a graphic novel or novella after then go back to a novel.
Of course you can read an audiobook while taking a shower or soaking in the bath. I do it all the time! Love and enjoy your videos. Trying to get back into reading.
I have started and stopped more books in 2020 than any other year. If I have bought them, they get donated to the library. Do not waste your time reading books just because they are popular if you don't like them. Great advice!
I'm reading 130-140 books every year and I very rarely DNF (guess I'm just lucky)
My tips are:
- read several books at once
- don't stick to one genre/author
- if you have a hard time concentrating on a book, put some white noise or background instrumental music on
- buddy read or join a bookclub
- pick up books from a library - you're less likely to procrastinate with the time pressure!
And don't care about how much you read - the point is to have fun and not to achieve a certain goal!
It's so nice to hear this. I literally have struggled for so long with not being able to quit books that I'm not enjoying. I force myself to finish it but it takes me months.. and then I don't read other stuff. Plus I always try to read classics that I just don't enjoy. Time to re-evaluate my reading so that I can actually enjoy it !
Totally agree with audiobooks, i also had an attitude towards them and right now i have been loving them
I definitely suffered from not reading because I'm currently reading something I didn't enjoy. It was so hard for me to learn that it's okay to quit, but once I did I started cycling through books much faster. I still try to push through about halfway before I give up, but there have been books where I've read fewer than 50 pages and put it down. I just couldn't take it.
I need to tell myself that. I push through to the end but it’s ok to put it down and not suffer lol
turning notifications off on my phone helped so much! i basically just kept messages and productive notifs on! helps so much to not get distracted
The last tip is the best, I never thought how much time I waste thinking that, and it kept me from actually reading. I always thought I should read more classics because they would make me "smarter". That made me stop reading modern fantasy books, which I loved as a kid.
Lol I have struggled to take advantage of all the free time to film and read until recently 😝 there’s a goodreads group called 7 on Sunday and theres weekly prompts that have been fun. I hope they continue it they havnt posted new prompts from June yet.
I know a lot of people don’t like Goodreads but I LOVE it! I like the lists you can curate and groups are fun and awesome meeting place. Giveaways!!
I swear by "if you don't like it...don't read it!" I got into an almost-argument with a co-worker who said she's never not finished a book because she feels like she has to finish them even if she hates them. GIRL there are so many good books in the world. If you don't like one, you don't like it!
to follow booktubers definitely motivates me to read cause I find out about new books that I get excited to read. but also, creating a habit to read every single day even if its just for 15 minutes, after a while you just kind of get used to separating some time of the day to read and it turns into routine.
I totally agree with you regarding audiobooks, they make an excellent productivity use of extra time..Love your videos!!
Yeah this is old but one of the things that helped me a lot was putting on like an ambience on the TV (fireplace/coffee shop/library). & you just snuggle up with a blanket and read. Amazing.
I'm a homeschool momma of 3. Last year I started using goodreads more, and prioritizing reading again which I hadn't done much of in previous years.I read 26 books. This year I decided I would challenge myself to 52 books. I am currently reading number 50! So for me, goodreads and updating my progress is a huge motivator. It helps that my youngest just turned 3 and is more independent. I make the choice now to read instead of watching shows. Maybe I'll watch one show, and then read. Or hello, take a bath and read! What a combo
Tip from me: become a book reviewer/ bookblogger... since I am one, I will easily read 100 a year, because of deadlines. Allthough not all books are good, I still enjoy reading. If I come across a less good book, I appreciate the books I really love even more. :) Still, reading isn't a contest... *thinkering emoji*
Hoopla and Libby are MY FAVORITE!!! I don’t have access to actual books so check out ebooks and audiobooks all the time !!!
Another way to read a lot is to read two books at a time if you can. You can designate the morning for one book and evening for the other. It’s helped me read a lot and it’s super helpful if I’m reading a fiction book at night and a nonfiction book in the morning to help me start the day
Also - read a lot because you actually like it 😊 I've also been reading SO much while social distancing!
Your bun is cute personally I like messy hair it looks good on you
Can you do a tutorial for your bun? Because it looks so cute!
I find if i have a difficult or huge book i want to get through then listening to the audio books alongside reading the actual book really helps. it keeps you more engaged and the reading experience is better. This is how I read Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend and it was a perfect combination.
She sounds just like Elastigirl from the Incredibles... I love it.
I had a google sheet for books I stopped reading after a few pages and it was constantly making me stressed. After watching this video, I went ahead and deleted that. I feel sooooooo much better now, thank you!!
“WHEN YOU SWEEP YOUR GROUND”, wtf, I’ve rethought my entire life
I have to literally force myself to put my phone down (coz I'm just lazily scrolling through NOTHING), and go read. I made a personal goal to spend less time on my phone and that has helped ALOT. Seriously! And watching a booktube video will often inspire me to read too. :)
My goal is to read 100 books this year and I already have 40. I think a major advise at least for me is to read multiple books at a time. For example I’m struggling with “stiller” by Max Frisch for a few months now because it’s just a man claiming not to be stiller while he kind of is? And although it’s interesting I like to have a quick read of 100-250 pages besides this because finishing a book gives me kind of a kick. Maybe read different genres so you can grab a book whenever you’re in this exact mood. Though I recommend not to read more than 5 books or so at a time cause otherwise you won’t finish one of them.
This might sound weird, BUTwhat really helps me focus on my reading time is setting a timer for the window of time I have to read. So if I have a 30-minute block of time that I know I can use for reading I set my phone timer. I don't know why but when I set my timer I enjoy the time I read and feel waaaaaaaay less distracted. :)
I found what works best for me to keep my reading momentum going is to follow a book that is either darker in subject matter or just a dense book, with a "palette cleanse" book that is more light hearted and fun. For me, that means I follow dense high fantasies with a romance or a middle grade book. This has worked wanders to get me out of reading slumps! Btw love your channel!
Yessss! Excellent suggestion!
You remind me so much of Sam Ravndahl, looks and personality !! I'm a new sub and I absolutely love your content :)
I agree!!!!
I think switching on tv and leaving the sound on is like just listening to audiobooks I don't see the benefits I get from them, I hear people reading between 3 books at once, I don't understand is how they can read and describe and digest it, my dad allay taught me to read one at a time that would let me digest it, I have a minor learning disability I allways loved reading till I gave iy up because I was reading a bit of each and I put myself of it, and now I am 39yr old im being an avid reader again I forgot how much I actually loved it.
Thanks so much for suggesting the goodreads app! So psyched to start tracking my reading list!
I love audiobooks for all the big classics I don’t have as much time to commit to. Swann’s Way, Moby Dick, Middlemarch, War and Peace... all done while running errands and some of my faves! Highly recommend. Xx
Tbh, when you said that Parker was going to snore throughout the video, I just raised the volume to make sure I catch the snores.
tldr: if you can’t concentrate while reading, try reading while listening To the audiobook at the same time
For me personally the difficult parts were getting the energy to make myself actually pick up a book to read cause concentration took a lot of energy, cause a lot of times I might start reading and start zoning out and just reading the words without imagining or understanding what I just read 😂 and that happened both while reading myself, and while listening to an audiobook on its own, but doing both at the same time actually worked great for my concentration,
like either finding the ready audiobook online to listen to while following along with my physical book, or using the speechify app to take pics of the pages (it turns it into digital text from the pics and you can play it for it to read it to you), or even just finding the digital copy of the book online and making the phone’s “speak screen” feature to make it read,
istg this way is sO good, like I can’t read fast on my own but if I’m listening while reading, i set the speed really high, like if you were only listening to it at that speed without reading the text you probably wouldn’t get a word, but doing both it’s understandable. Last weekend I was on fire and read 4 whole books in 2 days like that 😂😂
I love the Libby app! I totally felt the same way about audiobooks until I really gave them a try. I think the narrator plays a big part in whether I like an audiobook or not. I still want to correct people when they say they “read an audiobook” instead of saying listening. Lol So maybe I’m still a little pretentious about it. 😂
I wish we had an app like this in my country..! It sounds like a great thing to be able to use
@@laurahervasserra1591 same here... Public libraries aren't a thing here...
My tip is always to be comfortable with having no idea what’s going on in shows everyone else is watching.
A few things, you’re so beautiful and your eyeliner is AMAZING. And this video was so helpful, I’ve been unmotivated for literally months
Noelle I’m always adoring everything about your hair, even the messiest buns🥰
Tbh, recently I've been reading a lot of shorter books, novellas, short stories and the like because durig quarantine I developed a short attention span when it comes to reading, otherwise it's too exhausting for me.
(Plus I am cheating a bit by watching theater performances than actually reading the plays bc it is more fun this way, so that helped as well with getting some literature done.)
great content but that winged liner is amazing!!!
It's so her brand to apologize and not apologize for parkers snoring. I just love it.
I love goodreads!! I’ve read so many more books since I started listening to audiobooks while walking my pup!
I have always been a slow reader and it has bothered me in the past. But I find that I can read faster on an e-reader! I used to exclusively read on an e-reader and I think that it helped me improve my muscle for reading in general so I can read a physical book better too!
I read more on my phone because I have it with me everywhere and it's more convenient and I can just read for a few minutes throughout my day
What helps me is reading shorter books, especially if I have a short attention span and just want to meet my Goodreads goal
It broke my heart when she mentioned she had a boyfriend. 💔😭
Second person to say put it down if you hate it and it's good to hear. I wanted so badly to enjoy the hunting party by Lucy Foley and I kept pushing and had no fun. Now I don't feel so bad about giving it up
AHHH Tiger King and Animal Crossing! What a quarantine time stamp!
I read books online in the morning it makes me feel productive because I would read more books. More than it is with a physical book sometimes it'd take days, two weeks or a month or two
Oh my god.....I'm just noticing Noelle has the painting from Goodfellas on her wall. Amazing!!!!!!!!
Ugh you’re making the quarantine bang desire so strong 😂
good tips. I have managed to get back into regular reading after a too long an absence! I do the morning reading. I think it is also about doing a dopamine detox, less electronic stimulus to get your brain into a calmer state which is great for reading. Also a big audiobook fan whist, cooking, gardening etc. Peace :-)
god I just realized I love your voice AND you’re accent, they’re so soothing
These are great tips! Especially the priority one - I put it in my daily routine so I know I'm reading!
A tip to read more that has helped me is to follow booktubers with similar tastes to mine, that motivates me to never stop finding interesting books that I want to read and keeps me reading
I will often read two books with different vibes such as a fantasy and a contemporary at the same time, this way if im not in the mood to read something thats super high action I can read the other book to get a break.
Also dont feel bad about reading super easy teen books that are basic, they are "basic" for a reason. Also rereading books gets me through a slump
watching this on august 1st and you said you don't know how people read 100 books a year but girl you've already completed 81 according to goodreads! you'll definitely get to 100 this year! 💖
those tips are so useful and i love the last tip so much!! thankyou ✨
Also i found setting my goal at 100 pages a day. Its now 2021 (8 days in) and im on my 2nd book a quarter way through! 100 pages also helps me finish AT LEAST a book a week (700 page books lol)
I am sooo late to this but after picking up a book I haven’t read for months after watching a book recommendation video, really got me going. Also I set my timer for 30 minutes but I kept restarting it because I didn’t feel like I should stop reading. I finished the book today and now, I’m halfway through another book.
I’m not crazy about audio books I don’t know if it’s jus me but listening to it it doesn’t stay with me as long as physical book reading does
OMG! I love how candid you are: " don't read books that bore you" hahaha I've been trapped with this false idea for a long time!
OMG TIP NUMBER 5 I JUST SAID TO MY BOYFRIEND! I told him I’ve figured out why I’ve been taken forever to read Books. It’s because i stopped reading fiction because i thought I was too old for it & he didn’t read them, he read books he could really learn from! I was like I use to read through books like it was nothing! I’m going back to fiction! My first books back will be such a fun age & the girl with the dragon tattoo, thanks to you! So excited to get them tomorrow!
I just found your channel and LOVE how diversely you read
I love reading and used to read a lot except when I am I become so engrossed in the book and the entire universe that I find I'll be reading for hours and not make huge dents because I read way slower than I think I am from the beginning of the read. That's where I have the issue on how to finish/read books faster and more. The only tip i can give myself is a time limit but I still definitely will not I feel ever to be able to read as fast as you do, I wish !
Just discovered good reads. Love it
I read in 2 more languages besides my own, it can sometimes be hard to stay focused because it takes more effort to read in a foreign language. For some reason, mainly the dense writing style typical of this author, I struggled reading through The Portrait of a Lady( English is not my native language, but I did study literature), then in my exasperation I decided to listen to it in late evenings, with my eyes closed, so I managed to finish it and could go back to the paper back version to reread favorite chapters.
Tip Nr. 5 is something I am struggling with. I used to be that grad student and have a lot of books left from uni that I should have read back in the day but somehow managed to pass the class with the help of wikipedia ^^ When I got my degree, I kinda felt guilty that I am a proper literature scholar now without having read all those books I was supposed to. So I bought even more to kind of make up for it. Now I have a shelf full of classics that look at me disapprovingly. So I do try to read one once in a while. I can't bring myself to get rid of them or completely abandon the idea of one day having read them all. I don't work in literature now, so reading classics makes me feel like my degree was at least somewhat useful >.
I can totally relate to what you say about living with boyfriend! My boyfriend is also more of a film/series person, so he often wants to spend a good hour or two watching something on Netflix together with me. It feels like I decline his suggestions half of the times because I need to read, though :P It was a bit awkward in the very beginning to be sitting on the sofa together while doing separate activities, but now we've been living together for some time and got into a kind of comfortable routine, respecting each other's need :)