I stopped reading for like a decade until my sister made me read mistborn together with her. This year I've already read like 7 books and 13 light novels
Are you me? I used to read metric tons of books until the times changed and I stopped, but I got hooked again with Mistborn, just reading on my pc, phone or listening to a graphic novel depending where I'm. I lost my ereader that I used for manga, and been really really bothered by it. So glad someone reccomended me Mistborn, I have started the third book today, and I started last week.
Last year I’ve read maybe 4 books through the whole year. This year I’ve read 15 so far and it’s barely April and I’ve noticed my mental health, overall happiness and other benefits rise since l! Btw your channel is a key motivator you got me to reread ASOIAF and I’m nearing the end of my first journey to the Dark Tower :) You’re making a difference Book Guy thank you for being a good guy!
The amount of people I've heard used the I Don't Have Time excuse, and yet on casual observation they spend hours in any given day scrolling through social media. They have more time than they realise, they're just hypnotised by their little devices
Not saying you're wrong, but you also might misunderstand with at least some of these people why they are doing it. I'm a working nurse at an emergency station with shift system, 24 hour shifts and stuff like this, and while what you're saying extends to me partly as well (partly because I'm reading my 20th book this year right now, and as an epic fantasy fan, that means mostly thick tomes, still just half of what I actually planned to read this year), the reason why I'm doing the scrolling thing, more often than not, is pure exhaustion, where I'm literally not able to focus on anything that would need me to use my brain. I agree that time is not really the issue, and I'd even agree that social media is this huge parasite that sucks more energy out of you because of all the negativity going on, so it makes things worse, not better, but there's also the thing with a society that just doesn't value leisure, because that's not increasing the riches of the already rich.
I work a 12 hour shift, where we can actively doom scroll all day; the moment u pull out a book u immediately get pulled up for not being present at work… I actually think the “no time” excuse is genuinely the most correct one. We wouldn’t get pulled up for reading if it was culturally accepted; unlike doom scrolling that is basically a social activity. Funny enough… I also work in a hospital & cheesesusus have u ever tried reading on night shift with the low lights they put on for ppl. It’s impossible.
I don’t disagree with the premise (people likely having more time than they realize), but suggest approaching with more compassion and significantly less judgement. I know many people who read via apps on their phone for accessibility or attention reasons, or who listen to audiobooks while doing other things for a variety of legitimate purposes. I often fall into the latter camp, and you’d think I was scrolling Instagram or something alone when I’m also actively listening to the third book I’ve read in a week. You simply cannot know without being in that individual’s head, and you don’t have any right to their reasons unless they decide to share them.
After 15 years of not being interested in reading the Cruel Prince was life changing. It is not a piece of art but thanks to that book I've regained the love for reading. ❤ I read more books this summer than in the last 15 years. 😊
In the 1970s, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings became extremely popular. They were available cheaply in paperback. One family in our rural area had illiterate teenagers. These teens taught themselves to read just so they could read these books. How awesome is that?!
One very big reason adults don’t read and is not quite talked often is the eye strain. People are staring into laptops for 9 / 10 hours straight and the eyes get glazed. To then read books on paperbacks (which have small font) or digital devices causes more eye strain. So subconsciously people don’t reach for reading. Another thing is that many people are severely myopic but for reading you need magnifying glass or lens, so again wearing myopic glasses or lenses while reading will make it a non fun experience for you. People also ignore signs of hyperopia which starts after 30 even sometimes so again blissfully ignoring why they are not reading. I have had hyperopia all my life and my lenses are the same reading or distance so for me reading is a breeze… if you are a reader and above 30 years of age buy a reading plus one from the pharmacy and see if that is helping you read more.
I get noticeable eye strain only when I really read A LOT - several hours per day. When I read normally (20-40 minutes per day), I don't notice it at all. But I read almost exclusively paperback books and only use an ebook reader when I'm travelling. I found that a physical book not only makes the entire experience more fun and rewarding for me, it's definitely also better for my eyes than another screen.
@@BougieBlueI can understand the frustration… eyes can get tired so fast… audible is so much better and best part is you can listen to audible while you exercise
I loved reading since prior to first grade through my 30s. I still love reading. But I wait for the audiobook more often than not because right before bed is the time I have to actually "read" and by then its torture. My eyesight was never good to begin with! Since I'm now severely far and short sighted, forget it! I'm in front of a screen from 8 to 12 hours a day. TBH, I even use a program that reads text out loud if I want to check out some fanfiction!!!
I'd be curious about the population this is true for! While I do get eye strain, I also spend way to much time on my phone to say I'm avoiding eye strain.
I really want to hug you for your partial essay on literacy. How succinctly you explain its underlying mechanisms while simultaneously calling everyone to be respectful and helpful towards those lacking the opportunities to read or learn to read. Love it and 100% agree. Now to reflect on what I can do :)
@@KitCronk Love the shirts and the enamel pins are actually bigger than I thought. Very nice quality! And a great present for one of my fellow book lovers.
I used to read non-fiction books only as genre worth reading , but now I read more of fiction books and I have noticed that even if I am not getting a direct message or learning things from fiction books, the message lasts longer and sometimes it changes how I think about something and encourages me to read more about specific subject and sometimes even if I learn nothing I prefer a fiction story after a long week of working than a non-fiction book just to be productive!
A friend recommended to me the Feist Magician books, and I read Magician Apprentice as fast as I used to read Goosebumps books in middle school.... So yeah, definitely agree with finding the right book and reading whatever you WANT to read. I haven't read 1 whole book in years until now
I think other helpful tips are: - reread your favorite books. The positive and nostalgic connotation might give you more joy! (Mind that over time our taste changes and we become older, so sometimes things might be less enjoyable or feel "childish". Embrace the things your younger you loved about them!) - read the book to the film you liked: you already know what the world looks like and what happens. So there is no problem when you don't understand something while reading. All the important things about the story you usually already know. You don't have to mind that part. - read fanfiction to stories you like: you already know and like the characters. Have fun watching them go through other adventures. (Fanfictions are not rarely written in a simpler language). - read more comics/graphic novels/mangas/webtoons: less descriptive text, more dialogs - which is usually a more familiar vocabulary. Also, they work with a lot of visual storytelling like movies. - "bookfriends": if you find someone you can share your book experience with, it can be even more fun to read and share you current progress of your book. (Be careful, it there are many people involved (like a book club) and if there is a fixed shedule because you might put yourself under unnecessary pressure!)
I don’t read because I work in document review and by the time I have done that to a few hundred documents over eight hours, my brain cannot process language anymore.
I'm currently learning Chinese and I find what you said about literacy to apply to that as well. I'm currently at a level where I'm reading graded reader content made specifically for language learners and the fact that I am able to read it at all is so encouraging to me! It really helps me see that if I keep at it, someday I will hopefully be reading full native content novels in my target language! Loved this video and the lack of judgement for aspiring readers who are struggling!
I randomly came across your channel late last year and watched your intro to the Malazan series. I just started Midnight Tides and I have to thank you for inspiring me to pick it up….this is the best thing I’ve ever read. Cheers sir!
For me it started when I got laptop at age 14. As well an iPhone. They simply became the new source for distraction. Eventually I started to read again, not as much as I wish. Then I discovered I more of a mood reader and that’s even worse for me. As it leads often to reading slumps.
@@pinetworkminer8377For example, one day I might feel like diving into a fantasy world filled with adventure and magic, while another day I might want to read a thriller. I love fantasy but I don’t always feel like I want to read that genre. I want to read something else. Now something else can be anything. The problem is that it takes awhile to find the right book for what I’m feeling right now.
Awesome video! And very enlightening. I've never really thought of why someone might or might not read beyond my assumption that people either like to or they don't. The part about trauma is very relatable - that's what actually drove me to start reading more, which eventually led me to creating a Booktube channel. I'd never have even realized it without this. Kudos to you!
I'm going to share my trouble with reading just as message to other people who may be struggling. I'm from the US (one of the green states on that map), and I have struggled with dyslexia my entire life. Reading has ALWAYS felt like a chore to me. But I have just recently jumped back into reading books at the ripe old age of 32, and only having read 2 or 3 books in all my life prior. The key for me with reading was finding out the rest of the storyline being more rewarding the not reading because its can be hard for me. I happened to get sucked into The Licanius Trilogy and now I'm hungry for more. Those first 100 pages were tough but once I got into the groove it became easier.
Great video! I enjoyed it a lot, thank you! You have a new subscriber. You were talking about a "bad book experience". A few notes on that: 1. A bad book could never spoil reading for me as a whole. 2. When money was scarce and I had to decide between a new book or lunch and I chose the new book, I always read it from cover to cover, even if I enjoyed it less than I had expected at the beginning and sometimes I discovered that it was actually quite good. 3. My eyes are turning bad and audio books have become easier. I always listen to a chapter or so before sleeping, it's like someone is reading you a bedtime story. But it is not the same. Books of paper give a deeper reading experience. You can go at your own pace, re-read passages, create your own idea of for example a person's voice etc. 4. Watching the film or series before finishing the book has killed two series for me: Percy Jackson and The Song of Fire and Ice (nowadays known as Game of Thrones). Never watch a film of a book before finishing the book! Never!
Thanks for making such a wonderful channel! I was a reader as a kid, then switched to audio for years because my concentration just wouldn't support visual reading anymore. Anxiety just wouldn't let my brain be quiet enough to read, or I was so exhausted I fell asleep within a page. Big ups to Robin Hobb for curing me by writing the most perfect books ever. I hope my life is still okay when I finish RoE 😂
As someone with ADHD, I struggle to read as much as I would like. Basically, I’ll pick up a book and, regardless of how much I enjoy it, I’ll put it down and won’t pick it back up again for WAY too long. Like there’s been entire months where a half finished book just sits on my bedside table without me touching it. It’s incredibly frustrating as I want to read so much but I can’t bring myself to just get my head down and see a novel through to the end without a HEAVY amount of willpower and perseverance. Often a book that would take a normal person a week or so would take me a couple months, most of which would be me not reading at all. And even then I’m a slow reader despite my inconsistency. On the plus side however, I have been writing a book of my own and I’ve actually been pretty consistent with that as of late so eh idk 🤷♂️
Thank you for making this. Before watching this video I'd scarcely even looked at a book for 2-3 months. My days were so busy and reading was beginning to fall by the wayside. For the past week I've been carving out small sections of time in my day to sit and read, and it's been such a relief. I really appreciate your advice and words of encouragement.
I read so much in my 20s and especially in my college years including college written essays and studies cause I thrived in the academic environment but after that over the years depression has just made it where I don’t want to read :/. I’ve even picked up old favorites and just don’t want to bother. Trying to get back in the game! Thanks for the vid. ❤
You have fantastic energy! I watched your whole video I have a hard time sticking to long videos. Thanks man now I feel up to it to begin reading again. Looking forward to enjoy more of your content videos.
I just discovered your channel and absolutely love it! It's so heartwarming and positive that now I want to pick up a book just because I feel like the book guy would love that for me.
My work in life is promoting reading, so I checked your video out of curiosity. And it's a great tool!! Thank you for being so kind! I personally am reading a lot, though I'm learning French and I'm mostly reading in that language, which can be very tiresome. That's why I allow myself to read in English too :)
I was the had a bad experience as a young adult so didn't read for a decade person. So happy to be back to reading now. Those shirts are INCREDIBLE! Thank you for thinking of those of us with sensory issues and making it size inclusive! And cheaper shipping? You guys are the best!
Like many people, I dropped off with reading for fun after university, because at that point I was just so relieved to not have to do it daily anymore. This year, one of my friends convinced me to read ACOTAR so that we could enjoy it together. I had such a good time reading it! Since then, I’ve been getting into Sanderson, re-reading ASOIAF, and have many other books lined up to try 😊 thank you for your videos, as they have been helping me decide what to read next!!
First of all, thank you for this video. Second, the reason I quit reading was mainly due to being in college. Before college I read lots of books. I loved reading! Then, in my college classes we had a lot of assigned reading. I no longer had time to read books I wanted to read. I could barely keep up with the reading I HAD to do for my classes. Once I got out of college, I no longer had the desire to read anymore. It had become a chore, not the enjoyable activity it had once been. So I've spent many years trying to get back into reading again. It hasn't been easy! Thank you for all the advice. I especially like your recommendation to read whatever kind of books you want, even YA fiction. I've considered that in the past as an easy way to get myself back into reading, but told myself "You're an adult! You can't read those books!". But you're not the only person on RUclips that I've seen suggesting adults to read YA, so it's more encouraging to get another person backing the idea up.
I have been hosting a book club in Second Life for almost 4 years and I thank you deeply for this video. Our goal in SL is/was to be as inclusive to readers from all backgrounds as the virtual world itself is to folks expressing themselves without being judged. You laid out clearly what has been sloshing around in my head/comes out rambling at times when a soapbox is provided. So important to remember: shaming people does NOT create new readers. We have to be mindful and have deep empathy about people’s place/origin/anxieties. Ok, now off to a weekend of rereading “Infinite Jest” 😎🤘🙏
I would tell them to discover the type of book they like. After school i didnt like to read because i was forced to it. Then i found i loved detective and crime storys like sherlock holmes. From that it was easy to back to read
I appreciate the compassionate approach. It's very grating to see people shame and look down on others for not reading: this mindset isn't productive and doesn't encourage growth. The normalization of getting instant gratification from social media and technology altogether has made reading books less appealing, and a lot of people aren't even aware how enslaved they are to their devices. I'm someone who struggles to read when I am surrounded by technology. Whenever there were limitations on it, I would naturally gravitate towards reading books to pass the time. I completely understand the feeling of wanting to read but simultaneously getting exhausted quickly because of the lack of dopamine it provides. Like all problems, the first step is awareness, but awareness with compassion. Instead of shaming people for not reading books or not being able to read much, we should use empathy to understand *why* someone might not find reading appealing to begin with.
Hey Cronk. Really love your videos and your takes on reading. I think Dragonriders of Pern by Anne Mccaffrey could be an interesting series to do further down the line. Keep on reading!
Thanks for the vid. My ability to concentrate needs to improve. I can't remember what I read. Thanks for tips. Start with kids books. Start with a regular but short time of day. Practice 5 out of 7 days. Book at bedtime maybe. 🇬🇧
When I want to read but my brain just won't focus, I read the book while listening to the audiobook, when both are available. For some reason, having someone read aloud while I read along visually just heightens my focus to new levels.
The advice on this video is also helpful to us who like to read books in English (because not everything gets translated) but do not speak English as native language. When I started reading in English, one of the books that I read was Django Wexler's _The Thousand Names,_ and every time I encountered a word I did not know, I wrote it on a paper. It was a long list. This year I read its sequel, _The Shadow Throne,_ and that gave me only a less than ten words long list. I'll also add that I stopped reading for a long time, for many years, and it made me depressed and miserable and damaged my university studies. When I found out I am an ADD, I started to practice speed-reading. That is a method that actually helps ADDs to read, and it bothers me massively how so many people say stuff like 'speed-reading is bullshit' and 'I hate speed-reading' (both things I have heard from RUclipsrs) without them even knowing what it actually is. There are good resources in RUclips for people who want to learn speed-reading, and I encourage that now and always.
When reading in a language that's foreign to you, it's much easier to start small with easy books (like he said in the video in regards to literacy). English is not my native language, and I learned a lot of English by reading the Harry Potter books as a teenager / young adult. I read them multiple times because back then I loved them so much, so that really helps. And then from there I started going to more advanced books. Similarly, I learned some Swedish for fun in the past, and my level of Swedish was never good enough for serious books, but I did manage to read a few children's and young adult books. There were definitely lots of words I didn't understand, but the more you read, the more you learn from the context. At some point I didn't bother to look up words anymore, because I could more or less guess what they meant from the context.
The literacy rate may be a little misleading because those states have a large population of people that don't speak English. I live in Florida and most of the people around me don't speak any English my own grandparents never learned and they moved to the US in the 50's.
It's funny how he uses propaganda as an example of something that harms the illiterate in the same sentence he literally spits out nonsense propaganda about americans. The two most illiterate places are literally stronghold blue states.
I love books and reading. I always have, but I strangely lost the drive to read as much once I started working at a bookstore. I bought, and was given, so many books that I want to read one day, but I just haven't gotten back to that same level of reading since. I think one of the reasons was just being surrounded by so many new reading options every day and the other was just stress from life and work. I'm working to be better since I know I feel better when I do read.
I really appreciate you bringing up trauma as a factor. I was raised by a teacher and my reading abilities were pretty advanced when I was a kid. But due to growing up in a high stress environment; my anxiety contributed to a lot of attention issues around reading. It wasn't that I was a bad reader, but I wasn't able to focus because of the millions on thoughts and fears in my head. Because the anxiety and stress prevented me from sticking with a book, I rarely finished them outside of school assignments. This was also when Harry Potter was really popular and everyone was reading them for fun. I struggled immensely to read for fun and because I struggled; I thought I was less smart and capable than everyone else. The shame further limited my ability to enjoy reading. Fortunately now I've realized that it wasn't a failing of me and I wasn't a bad reader. As I've gotten older, I gradated from university with a philosophy degree and I feel my reading comprehension is the best it has ever been. Really happy I found your channel; thanks again :)
I am not a big reader, unfortunately, but I can manage between one and two books per month. It's neither much nor nothing, so I am okay with that while still trying to read more. I had one really bad reading year when my daughter was born and only read three books back then. Now my main reason not to read more is not being able to choose a new book, especially when I just finished something amazing. Then, every book seems dull compared to this and I loose my motivation quickly. Hence, my subscription to your channel in order to get some recommendations 😁 I love that you included audiobooks. It is always a debate whether audiobooks count as "reading" or not.... For me, they do count but I use Whispersync for Voice quite a lot so that is no suprise. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Did you ever cover it in a video? If yes, maybe I missed it😓 And last but not least: the Pride and Prejudice quote on the shirt is great😍I love Jane Austen. By the way, thank you for the video on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: part fantasy, part regency? Yes, please!
Great video. I’ve always been reading since I learned to read. But there were a few years that I wasn’t reading. Since bout this year I’ve been reading something consistently.
I was an avid book reader as a kid and teen. then life happened and 30+ years later I just don't read as much, if at until any more. I've tried to get back into it, but can only find a few minutes a day. I bought a Kindle earlier this year, I find that has helped get me back into reading, as it's easy to pick up and transport about.
Very on point. I think I've been dishonest with myself about what i like to read. I blame a combination of book blogging and my college's English department years ago. I need to really think about what I enjoy, not what I should read or can read.
I read voraciously until I was working full time and doing other things and would only just read sporadically. It really didn't help that I just wasn't liking anything I was reading at all. I feel like it's only been the last few years that I've read things in books that I was feeling the vibes for. In 2023, I decided I would read one book per month at least. Cut to 2024 and I read 18 books last month (natural speedreader since childhood and I have ADHD and oh boy do books deliver on the dopamine). I will also credit booktok/booktube for getting me back into reading. It's how I keep up on new releases but it's also put me in touch with a lot of like minded people who have recommended me things outside of that sphere which adds to my tbr. I am very fortunate that my library in inner western Sydney is just amazing plus Sydney City lets all NSW residents have access to their library as well which is pretty dope. I will also credit audiobooks for keeping my sanity during work as well. There are books that I have loved more as audiobooks than the printed version.
About 17 years ago, I discovered that reading is far better than watching the garbage on TV. The librarian at the school where I taught recommended "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, and I loved it. I've been reading about 20-30 books a year ever since.
I read a book every few days for around 6 months when I was 18. Then partying and fun took over...then as I calmed down that was replaced by video games and TV. It was not until a couple years ago (I'm 38 now) that I decided to read the wheel of time on a fleeting desire and ended up blowing through it in a few months. Since then I have slowly replaced my other time wasters with reading. I canceled my subscriptions one by one replacing them with reading. Now I save so much money! When it all comes down to it we just use something to fill our down time. A book is as good or better than the other options IMHO. Although I do not agree with everything you say I do love your channel and your positive outlook on things. Keep enjoying life my friend. Your appreciated.
I can relate with your story on reading. Wheel of time was a random book that I picked from the library that sucked me into reading so many years ago. I have since fallen and want to get back to reading again. I did go through some life events that derailed me. I'm looking forward to making reading a daily part of my life again.
I didn’t read much after I graduated. Partly from burnout, but also I discovered I’m a mood reader through and through. Before I would try to force myself to be something I’m not. I would make myself finish a book even if I wasn’t feeling it at the time. Now if I get bored part way through, I just pick up something else. The first book isn’t going anywhere, I can always pick it up again later. I read so much more and enjoy it more if I have multiple books on the go.
The grief and trauma one definitely hits home for me. I lost my mum in intensive care just before Christmas and while reading can be a great escape at times I have found I have to be a bit careful what I read at the moment depending on how I am feeling that day. I definitely need to give audiobooks more of a try, might make it a bit easier to fit reading in between work and my kids 😂
The pretty cover of Priory of the Orange Tree pulled me back into reading. I previously didn't think I had enought time to read with evey day work and chores. I decided to make it a priority in my free time and even if i cant read a lot I still try to get in at least one chapter a day. Audiobooks have been an awesome addition to my reading journey. Multitasking!
I need this video. I need this video really badly. The bit about "low energy day". The bit about post-trauma low-energy life, I've barely begun the recovery out of that. When I was a kid, my parents rang the school and public libraries and told them to deny me any fiction books. I'd learned to read a book in the shower without getting it wet. When I was a teenager, I learned to stop off in town from school, pick up one of a particular series of let's-call-it young adult books (1980s Doctor Who novelisations), pick it up, read it whole in the store in under half an hour, then head home on the next bus. I was reading "Dune" and the Asimov "Foundation" trilogy. Then, working in a place for 25 years that mocked "over-thinkers". And in IT, so I have all the "too much screen, not enough book" problems. Then Bad Things happened in life repeatedly over a period of years, before the workplace committed peak bad, breaking me into dysfunctionality. Here I am and 30-40 years later, reading *properly* is a challenge. ... although, it's still sometimes easier for me to open a video transcript and skim it, than it is to sit through a 21m video. Which in this case was good, but a *tiny* mistake. Then, this TV show came out, from Amazon, about Elves and these ridiculous things called "Harfoots". And that show was so offensively bad, I resolved to hit a non-Amazon store, buy the original books and read them (because I didn't read them as a kid, it was Herbert and Asimov). I was *kind* of ready for it, because I saw what AppleTV did to my beloved "Foundation". They didn't just "misunderstand" it, they didn't just "ruin" it. The show pushes and praises values completely *inverted* to the books and their author. And now, after reading "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings"... well, I'm ashamed that took me a YEAR. And now it's a struggle (because I want to take notes as I go rather than just read), but I'm finally reading through "The Silmarillion". I'm not sure where that comes on the 4-level reading literacy scale...? Three? I hesitate to say Four, there has to be stuff out there *much* harder than The Silmarillion. There's a downside to skimming transcripts of a video: didn't find out for a few minutes of skimming, 19m into the video, that this Book Guy is in my country. Accents don't come across in text, I guess. @cronkthebookguy - thank you. I needed the message in this video of yours. It's kind of a chuff, a shot in the arm, to also discover you're on the continent. Thank you for the therapy of getting this out; thank you for having the good kind of message in this video.
Wow! Your parents called the school and libraries to stop you reading fiction? That's awful. Good on young you for learning to read in secret. Thank you for sharing. Yes I think the silmarillion is definitely level 4 reading complexity! You're doing great! Keep going and take your time. You have so many more adventures to go on. I wish you the best in your healing and recovery journey.
I re-started my reading habit about 6 months ago by reading the "Silo" novels (Wool / Shift / Dust). I watched the TV adaptation, and I was so intrigued by this world that I wanted to read the books after that to learn more about this world. Well, the books were somewhat mediocre compared to the TV show, but I'm very glad that I read them because they got me back into a reading mindset/habit, and I've read over 20 books since then within the past 6 months (including a full re-read of LotR)! Before that, I barely read for about a decade. I was pretty disillusioned by what I had to read for uni, so it took a lot of the fun out of it (Point 4 would be the culprit there). I did (re)read a bunch of graphic novels during that time, as well as the Expanse novels. Now I read whatever I want, even though it also took me a few months to make up my mind on what that will be (to the point that I now have 2 to-read lists on goodreads/storygraph, one for short-term and one for sometime-in-the-future) :D
For those who have little time to read. 30 minutes can do wonders. That's about 10-15 pages per day. By the end of the year, you'll have read 15-25 books. If you haven't read a book since forever, start with 2 pages or 10 minutes a day and try to increase your reading time from there.
I really enjoy that kind of videos, so interesting. Reading is my main hobby and it is something I prioritize even though it can be complicated sometimes because… life. Lack of energy is something I experience often because I’m working at the hospitals and after night shifts it can be very hard to stay focused on reading. Audiobooks help me sooo much when I want to read but don’t have the energy. I also really like to listen to books while doing chores or driving. And I also listen to my audiobook before falling asleep. Would totally recommend trying audiobooks ! Reading whatever you want and love is also so important. I recently realized that I sometimes read a huge book way faster than shorter books just because I enjoy it more. Realizing that made me way less afraid of 800-1000 pages books (Stormlight archives 👀).
What got me back in the saddle was wanting to know more about certain lore. First it was Hellraiser. Then Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Now I’m about to embark on the bible after hearing about it all of these years. Bible lore 🙌
Wonderful video and so encouraging! You are definitely a big inspiration in helping me get out of my current reading slump. Love how nonjudgmental you are! Keep up the great work!
Do you have any videos talking about how to improve the reading level? Or which books are good for some levels and etc? I can read a YA book in one sitting, but they tend to bore me or make me feel "bad" for only being able to read that. Maybe there is something thats still in level two, but it's non fiction or other genre? Also, I may read 5 of them in a week because I crave reading and then not read anything in four months because they don't excite me, but it's the only thing I can read, so I don't even develop a schedule or routine. I go to a club meeting where we read theory, so I know that I really really love it! But it's different in a group because we read aloud, so I know I can ask anything i don't get or we can discuss it later! If I tried to read the same book on my own, even if I know i would love it, i feel like I can't do it. I don't know how to get past the feeling of being an idiot for not being able to read what i would love to read lol
That's a really good question. I don't have a video on improving reading levels specifically, but I'm adding it to my list of video 'ideas'. 😀 I hope you don't mind me saying, but it sounds like you have some ADHD tendencies. The whole doing nothing for a while, then doing everything all at once, is very ADHD. It can make reading tricky, for sure. Reading in a group sounds like an excellent accommodation. You could also trying listening to a book while doing something else, like housework, walking, or playing games. When my wife got diagnosed with ADHD, she switched most of her reading to audiobooks cause it helped her concentration. But that was her specific solution and everyone's different. Try to find what works for you specifically and don't compare yourself to others. Can I just stress though, you are definitely not an idiot. You are clearly intelligent, well-spoken, and capable. Please read at your own rate, even if that means binge reading then doing nothing for a while, and remember that progress is still progress even if it's slower than you'd like. ❤
@cronkthebookguy thank u for the response and the kind words! 🥰 I'm going to stick around even if I'm not reading at the moment because all your videos have such a good vibe lol! And here's to hoping the video idea comes true! It's difficult sometimes to figure out if I'm ready for a book yet based solely on genre because the writing styles are so different! And it's even trickier when many of the books recommended on online spaces are not avaliable on my third-world-spanish-talking country to ask my friendly librarian about it lol
You could try using note cards. Use one for each reoccurring character, and one per chapter to write a chapter summary so you can refresh your memory before starting a new chapter. Maybe draw a simple sketch of each character's profile/bust for quick reference. Some books have character names that are difficult to pronounce, especially fantasy books, or they have too many characters with similar sounding names, or similar looking characters. I find that to be more of a flaw in the writing than reading.
Hey! It's cool to come back to this comment because i found my life hack, that it's actually told in cronks videos lol I wasn't reading things that I enjoyed! I kept digging and trying to find something that spoke to me, and I read a fictional book with historical and political aspects to it and absolutely devoured it(nuestra parte de noche)! I learned that I love my country female gothic writers because they have so much politics and history behind it and fell in love with that aspects!! So I'm currently reading cometierra. Also that it helps to have another book that's lighter and that doesn't sucks me in as much as the main one so I finished the first two books of dune! I'm also progressing in reading theory because I found what kind I was craving right now and it was digital utopias, antinaturalism and brujx anthropology! Thank u so much for the kind words, the actually made me want to keep searching around
Time/Energy/Trauma (basically: Life) is the things I encountered on my reading journey and it was very interesting to see which mistakes I might have made unconsciously on my way of rebuilding that reading habit I once had. I used to be what you would call a bookworm until my late Twenties, reading more than 200 books per year (including rereads, of course), and that went away completely in the years to follow. And I experienced first hand how tempting it can be to overreach trying go back to it, because, reading 40 books? Piece of cake, right. Only that it isn't. I have partaken in the Goodreads Challenge 8 years in a row now, and only beat it 2 out of 8 times. And even slowly increading the pace might be more difficult than it seems. Last year I succeeded in reading 30 books though I had to "cheat" at the end doing a reread of Jennifer Roberson's splendid Sworddancer saga to meet the goal. This year I planned to read 40 books and I'm only halfway through (meaning that I would have to burn through 20 books if I still want to meet that goal. Now I'm not taking those numbers too seriously, but yes it stings, and given how many interesting books get published every year and how many interesting books have already been published, thinking about it too much can be disheartening as well. So sometimes I feel like I waste more time with procrastinating over what to read next instead of actually just reading something. Here's the thing, though: even if I stopped reading completely for the rest of the year, that would mean that I had read 20 books that made me laugh, cry, think, feel entertained, that enriched my life in ways not many things can (in my case: music would be the other thing that does). And even if I had only read one out of those 20 books, it would have been completely worth it. And that's what should matter not the bragging rights you would think reading tons of books would give you. So for everyone struggling: Try to change perspective and think more about the cool experience reading gave you instead of giving in to FOMO. Even if it was only one book, that time spent should be cherished.
I'm not reading at the moment because I'm watching a video on RUclips regarding why adults don't read. A lot of adults I know either are too busy to read, or they're simply not interested. I primarily listen to audiobooks because reading a book gives me headaches, but, apparently for some that's not really reading. Do what you enjoy, read if you want. It is entirely up to you.
The thing on literacy in different languages was really surprising for me bc even tho i understand quite well and i am able to write cohesive enough most of the thing i want to say in English (my 2nd language, like you said in the example), reading is extremely difficult for me and demands A LOT of effort if gets a little bit more complex than a casual/modern english. I borrowed from a friend GOOD OMENS and im struggling so much to read that i could only read about 10 or 15 pages in one hour and kinda gave up because it will take me forever to read this 😂
Thanks so much for years I haven't read cause i'm busy with college! But this year I have already read a lot more than I have in the past my goal this year is 30 books! Also I am working at a bookstore this summer part time and it is amazing and wanting me to read more!!! Thanks for your channel it is amazing!
In high school we were assigned The Old Man and The Sea. It was dreadful. We were assigned The Red Pony next. After 3 chapters I took the book up to the teacher and informed him I would not be reading the book. I told him I like to read and I want to keep it that way.
I was reading tons of different genres from 5 to 25, went through a depressing stuff and honestly? Since i got better i just can't anymore. I still read articles or listen to non-fiction stuff but i much more prefer to listen to an audiobook, taking my bike for a ride or meet with my friends, doing something less passive. I am simply burned out when it comes to books.
i have problems not knowing where to start, there's so many options and I'm on a very tight budget, so going to a thrift store or anywhere and only finding a few books in a series is very frustrating and discouraging . My library doesn't have a great selection of books either and tailored to mostly learning books instead of other books.
I haven't read much since Harry Potter lmao. I think lack of translate to other languages has something to do with it. I've read 6/7 HP in my first language and it was awesome.
I 100% read less because of feeling like I have to read books I don't like. If I buy it, I feel I have to finish it. It it's a gift (people gift me way too many books) then I feel I HAVE to read it. To keep myself reading I usually alternate between something I don't love, and some comfort series. I should just get rid of the books but I can't 🙃
I appreciate the note that you don't have to read every day, all of the advice on how to get through books is "read ten pages a day!" or "a chapter a week!" and it just doesn't work for me. I tend to go through cycles about a month long where I'll read a lot of webcomics, watch a lot of anime, listen to a lot of audiobooks, or just live off of video essays. In phases like the one I'm in now, I'm mostly watching One Piece and reading Berserk, and I have to give myself permission to pause on my Silmarillion reread until I'm ready to get back to it. If I was trying to do everything at once I'd have an unpleasant time and not really get anything done.
2:49 That map of literacy rates does not make clear that the data appears to be for _English_ literacy. States with large immigrant populations tend to have lower English literacy rates because the immigrants are only skilled in reading their native tongue.
I read A Song of Ice and Fire to get back into reading as there was a show on at the time. I wanted to know what happened. That was before the show caught up with the books. Now I read more often. Mostly fiction but I will read some non fiction stuff too.
I've never been a fantasy reader - I've found it hard to see myself in the stories written by cis-hetero-men (which is often the case in classis fantasy haha) but thanks to your channel, I just ordered a second hand version of Liveship Traders Trilogy, I have a feeling I will love Robin Hobb and her storytelling! Love the deep dives and the presentations of the different series you high light - it gives such a great overview but also so well rounded and educational!! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL - NEW SUBSCRIBER!! Please do a video on The Green Bone triology by Fonda Lee, it was the first fantasy I ever read and its is beautiful and addictive - I haven't read fantasy since but looking forward to the Liveship Traders Trilogy!!!
Wonderful! Yes classic fantasy can be very cis-hetero male, as well as white. I'm thrilled you've got Liveship Traders, cause that series is very much NOT the norm. I'd also recommend Discworld for the same reasons. And hell yeah! Green Bones was awesome! I just read it a month ago and I'm eager to talk about it asap.
I used to love to read books as a kid and I used to read big biology books from higher grades cause I was curious and I stopped reading for years and been having getting back I think the problem is I'm always trying to get back into reading by just jumping into the advanced stuff like a few hours ago I was looking at a college level electronics book and I don't know anything about electronics I think I should start with lighter stuff also I like how you explain the levels im at 6:30 and I love how you throw in jokes I liked and subbed at the family guy joke
Not everything you read needs to be at your highest literacy level, of course. I read a lot of technical medical literature, papers, guidance etc in my work, but at home am more likely to pick up a YA (or old favourite) after a busy and hectic day and a more complex world fantasy saga or classic when things are less stressful elsewhere. There is no reason to avoid a simpler read especially if the alternative is not reading. Likewise I don't care how good a reader you are or how many complex works you read each month, you still need to read the STOP sign too!
That was a great video and very interesting. Absolutely agree with the going through hard times and not reading. Haven't touched a book for 6 month, but they'll be waiting. Whenever I am better and back to feeling like myself again, they'll still be there to be read. 😊
I never really developed any sort of reading habit at all. I always thought books were boring for as long as i can remember... Not sure where that comes from but I've been wanting to start reading, just that i kept procrastinating. Problem is, I just started studying philosophy at a university, so now i pretty much have to start with some of the toughest literature out there... i now doubt that this will benefit my relationship to reading :(
Up till about 35 I read nothing but romance then I got into fantasy. Around 50 I got into mysteries. I still read all three genres so I really believe you should try different genres to keep you interested in reading.
Disappointed to not find my particular reason for not being able to read for the last... mmh... 8 years? HAVING KIDS WHO DEMAND CONSTANT ATTENTION LOL On a more serious note, thank you. I have it nailed down on what's stopping me from reading again, but your passion is infectious and I'm really going to follow some advice. I'll put some book I already love in the bathroom and I won't take my phone with me. I'll just have to listen to your videos when I'm cooking instead...
I heard a statistic one time that I wish I could remember…some crazy high percentage of Americans never read a book again after their high school assigned readings. I think high schools should offer more choice to foster a life long love of reading
Been well over a decade since I’ve read anything of substance and in the last year and a half I’ve read more than I have in any other period of my life.
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I stopped reading for like a decade until my sister made me read mistborn together with her. This year I've already read like 7 books and 13 light novels
Mistborn had a similar effect on me too! Got me back into reading.
For me it was red rising trilogy and then re read Harry Potter. The last year I’ve read 13 books too!
Are you me? I used to read metric tons of books until the times changed and I stopped, but I got hooked again with Mistborn, just reading on my pc, phone or listening to a graphic novel depending where I'm. I lost my ereader that I used for manga, and been really really bothered by it. So glad someone reccomended me Mistborn, I have started the third book today, and I started last week.
Which light novels did you read ,I am kind of intrested in reading light novels too.
@@SaurabhSharma-v3f so far mainly the Monogatari Series
Last year I’ve read maybe 4 books through the whole year. This year I’ve read 15 so far and it’s barely April and I’ve noticed my mental health, overall happiness and other benefits rise since l!
Btw your channel is a key motivator you got me to reread ASOIAF and I’m nearing the end of my first journey to the Dark Tower :)
You’re making a difference Book Guy thank you for being a good guy!
The amount of people I've heard used the I Don't Have Time excuse, and yet on casual observation they spend hours in any given day scrolling through social media. They have more time than they realise, they're just hypnotised by their little devices
Exactly this. I walk around in a world full of screen zombies. Everybody's staring at their phone or other device. Even toddlers. It's horrific.
Not saying you're wrong, but you also might misunderstand with at least some of these people why they are doing it. I'm a working nurse at an emergency station with shift system, 24 hour shifts and stuff like this, and while what you're saying extends to me partly as well (partly because I'm reading my 20th book this year right now, and as an epic fantasy fan, that means mostly thick tomes, still just half of what I actually planned to read this year), the reason why I'm doing the scrolling thing, more often than not, is pure exhaustion, where I'm literally not able to focus on anything that would need me to use my brain.
I agree that time is not really the issue, and I'd even agree that social media is this huge parasite that sucks more energy out of you because of all the negativity going on, so it makes things worse, not better, but there's also the thing with a society that just doesn't value leisure, because that's not increasing the riches of the already rich.
I work a 12 hour shift, where we can actively doom scroll all day; the moment u pull out a book u immediately get pulled up for not being present at work… I actually think the “no time” excuse is genuinely the most correct one.
We wouldn’t get pulled up for reading if it was culturally accepted; unlike doom scrolling that is basically a social activity.
Funny enough… I also work in a hospital & cheesesusus have u ever tried reading on night shift with the low lights they put on for ppl. It’s impossible.
I don’t disagree with the premise (people likely having more time than they realize), but suggest approaching with more compassion and significantly less judgement.
I know many people who read via apps on their phone for accessibility or attention reasons, or who listen to audiobooks while doing other things for a variety of legitimate purposes. I often fall into the latter camp, and you’d think I was scrolling Instagram or something alone when I’m also actively listening to the third book I’ve read in a week. You simply cannot know without being in that individual’s head, and you don’t have any right to their reasons unless they decide to share them.
After 15 years of not being interested in reading the Cruel Prince was life changing. It is not a piece of art but thanks to that book I've regained the love for reading. ❤ I read more books this summer than in the last 15 years. 😊
In the 1970s, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings became extremely popular. They were available cheaply in paperback. One family in our rural area had illiterate teenagers. These teens taught themselves to read just so they could read these books. How awesome is that?!
I love this so much!!!
One very big reason adults don’t read and is not quite talked often is the eye strain. People are staring into laptops for 9 / 10 hours straight and the eyes get glazed. To then read books on paperbacks (which have small font) or digital devices causes more eye strain. So subconsciously people don’t reach for reading. Another thing is that many people are severely myopic but for reading you need magnifying glass or lens, so again wearing myopic glasses or lenses while reading will make it a non fun experience for you. People also ignore signs of hyperopia which starts after 30 even sometimes so again blissfully ignoring why they are not reading. I have had hyperopia all my life and my lenses are the same reading or distance so for me reading is a breeze… if you are a reader and above 30 years of age buy a reading plus one from the pharmacy and see if that is helping you read more.
I get noticeable eye strain only when I really read A LOT - several hours per day. When I read normally (20-40 minutes per day), I don't notice it at all. But I read almost exclusively paperback books and only use an ebook reader when I'm travelling. I found that a physical book not only makes the entire experience more fun and rewarding for me, it's definitely also better for my eyes than another screen.
I can’t really read a book I do better with kindle with my eyes sight, or listen to audible. It frustrating.
@@BougieBlueI can understand the frustration… eyes can get tired so fast… audible is so much better and best part is you can listen to audible while you exercise
I loved reading since prior to first grade through my 30s. I still love reading. But I wait for the audiobook more often than not because right before bed is the time I have to actually "read" and by then its torture. My eyesight was never good to begin with! Since I'm now severely far and short sighted, forget it! I'm in front of a screen from 8 to 12 hours a day. TBH, I even use a program that reads text out loud if I want to check out some fanfiction!!!
I'd be curious about the population this is true for! While I do get eye strain, I also spend way to much time on my phone to say I'm avoiding eye strain.
I really want to hug you for your partial essay on literacy. How succinctly you explain its underlying mechanisms while simultaneously calling everyone to be respectful and helpful towards those lacking the opportunities to read or learn to read. Love it and 100% agree. Now to reflect on what I can do :)
Unrelated but I saw your order come through the store and was like OMG ITS WOUTER! FROM THE COMMENT SECTIONS!! (at least I assume it was you 😅)
@@KitCronk it was 😁
@@KitCronk Love the shirts and the enamel pins are actually bigger than I thought. Very nice quality! And a great present for one of my fellow book lovers.
I used to read non-fiction books only as genre worth reading , but now I read more of fiction books and I have noticed that even if I am not getting a direct message or learning things from fiction books, the message lasts longer and sometimes it changes how I think about something and encourages me to read more about specific subject and sometimes even if I learn nothing I prefer a fiction story after a long week of working than a non-fiction book just to be productive!
58yr old married man here. my wife and i both read widely and constantly. 9 full, burgeoning bookshelves tell our story. cheers. :)
Unc 😂
A friend recommended to me the Feist Magician books, and I read Magician Apprentice as fast as I used to read Goosebumps books in middle school.... So yeah, definitely agree with finding the right book and reading whatever you WANT to read. I haven't read 1 whole book in years until now
I think other helpful tips are:
- reread your favorite books. The positive and nostalgic connotation might give you more joy! (Mind that over time our taste changes and we become older, so sometimes things might be less enjoyable or feel "childish". Embrace the things your younger you loved about them!)
- read the book to the film you liked: you already know what the world looks like and what happens. So there is no problem when you don't understand something while reading. All the important things about the story you usually already know. You don't have to mind that part.
- read fanfiction to stories you like: you already know and like the characters. Have fun watching them go through other adventures. (Fanfictions are not rarely written in a simpler language).
- read more comics/graphic novels/mangas/webtoons: less descriptive text, more dialogs - which is usually a more familiar vocabulary. Also, they work with a lot of visual storytelling like movies.
- "bookfriends": if you find someone you can share your book experience with, it can be even more fun to read and share you current progress of your book. (Be careful, it there are many people involved (like a book club) and if there is a fixed shedule because you might put yourself under unnecessary pressure!)
👏👏👏👏 This is REALLY good!
I don’t read because I work in document review and by the time I have done that to a few hundred documents over eight hours, my brain cannot process language anymore.
One of the few valid excuses. ✌
I'm currently learning Chinese and I find what you said about literacy to apply to that as well. I'm currently at a level where I'm reading graded reader content made specifically for language learners and the fact that I am able to read it at all is so encouraging to me! It really helps me see that if I keep at it, someday I will hopefully be reading full native content novels in my target language! Loved this video and the lack of judgement for aspiring readers who are struggling!
I randomly came across your channel late last year and watched your intro to the Malazan series. I just started Midnight Tides and I have to thank you for inspiring me to pick it up….this is the best thing I’ve ever read. Cheers sir!
Wonderful! Midnight tides is one of my favourites!
For me it started when I got laptop at age 14. As well an iPhone. They simply became the new source for distraction. Eventually I started to read again, not as much as I wish. Then I discovered I more of a mood reader and that’s even worse for me. As it leads often to reading slumps.
What do you mean by "mood reader"? Can you please elaborate?
@@pinetworkminer8377For example, one day I might feel like diving into a fantasy world filled with adventure and magic, while another day I might want to read a thriller. I love fantasy but I don’t always feel like I want to read that genre. I want to read something else. Now something else can be anything. The problem is that it takes awhile to find the right book for what I’m feeling right now.
Awesome video! And very enlightening. I've never really thought of why someone might or might not read beyond my assumption that people either like to or they don't. The part about trauma is very relatable - that's what actually drove me to start reading more, which eventually led me to creating a Booktube channel. I'd never have even realized it without this. Kudos to you!
It's sad how people leave books behind when they get older. Thankful for Book Guy for keeping the reading game alive!
I'm going to share my trouble with reading just as message to other people who may be struggling.
I'm from the US (one of the green states on that map), and I have struggled with dyslexia my entire life. Reading has ALWAYS felt like a chore to me. But I have just recently jumped back into reading books at the ripe old age of 32, and only having read 2 or 3 books in all my life prior. The key for me with reading was finding out the rest of the storyline being more rewarding the not reading because its can be hard for me. I happened to get sucked into The Licanius Trilogy and now I'm hungry for more. Those first 100 pages were tough but once I got into the groove it became easier.
Great video! I enjoyed it a lot, thank you! You have a new subscriber.
You were talking about a "bad book experience". A few notes on that:
1. A bad book could never spoil reading for me as a whole.
2. When money was scarce and I had to decide between a new book or lunch and I chose the new book, I always read it from cover to cover, even if I enjoyed it less than I had expected at the beginning and sometimes I discovered that it was actually quite good.
3. My eyes are turning bad and audio books have become easier. I always listen to a chapter or so before sleeping, it's like someone is reading you a bedtime story. But it is not the same. Books of paper give a deeper reading experience. You can go at your own pace, re-read passages, create your own idea of for example a person's voice etc.
4. Watching the film or series before finishing the book has killed two series for me: Percy Jackson and The Song of Fire and Ice (nowadays known as Game of Thrones). Never watch a film of a book before finishing the book! Never!
Happy to be part of the 4.1 percent of Australians who support this channel 👍
Thanks for making such a wonderful channel!
I was a reader as a kid, then switched to audio for years because my concentration just wouldn't support visual reading anymore. Anxiety just wouldn't let my brain be quiet enough to read, or I was so exhausted I fell asleep within a page.
Big ups to Robin Hobb for curing me by writing the most perfect books ever. I hope my life is still okay when I finish RoE 😂
@spacehexagon thank you!
That's awesome! It seems you found what works for you. Everyone reads differently.
Robin Hobb is an excellent choice!
Ugh, thank you for this! I'm trying to get back in with physical books. Thank goodness for audiobooks. They really help with the time aspect.
As someone with ADHD, I struggle to read as much as I would like. Basically, I’ll pick up a book and, regardless of how much I enjoy it, I’ll put it down and won’t pick it back up again for WAY too long. Like there’s been entire months where a half finished book just sits on my bedside table without me touching it.
It’s incredibly frustrating as I want to read so much but I can’t bring myself to just get my head down and see a novel through to the end without a HEAVY amount of willpower and perseverance. Often a book that would take a normal person a week or so would take me a couple months, most of which would be me not reading at all. And even then I’m a slow reader despite my inconsistency.
On the plus side however, I have been writing a book of my own and I’ve actually been pretty consistent with that as of late so eh idk 🤷♂️
Thank you for making this. Before watching this video I'd scarcely even looked at a book for 2-3 months. My days were so busy and reading was beginning to fall by the wayside. For the past week I've been carving out small sections of time in my day to sit and read, and it's been such a relief. I really appreciate your advice and words of encouragement.
Man, I don't know you, but I feel so proud of you right now! Small bits of time are perfect, especially when that's all you have. Keep going!
I read so much in my 20s and especially in my college years including college written essays and studies cause I thrived in the academic environment but after that over the years depression has just made it where I don’t want to read :/. I’ve even picked up old favorites and just don’t want to bother. Trying to get back in the game! Thanks for the vid. ❤
You have fantastic energy! I watched your whole video I have a hard time sticking to long videos. Thanks man now I feel up to it to begin reading again. Looking forward to enjoy more of your content videos.
I just discovered your channel and absolutely love it! It's so heartwarming and positive that now I want to pick up a book just because I feel like the book guy would love that for me.
My work in life is promoting reading, so I checked your video out of curiosity. And it's a great tool!! Thank you for being so kind!
I personally am reading a lot, though I'm learning French and I'm mostly reading in that language, which can be very tiresome. That's why I allow myself to read in English too :)
Pretty much my whole book list for this year are all series you’ve recommended and I’ve never looked back
Haha YESSSS!!! 😁
I was the had a bad experience as a young adult so didn't read for a decade person. So happy to be back to reading now. Those shirts are INCREDIBLE! Thank you for thinking of those of us with sensory issues and making it size inclusive! And cheaper shipping? You guys are the best!
Like many people, I dropped off with reading for fun after university, because at that point I was just so relieved to not have to do it daily anymore. This year, one of my friends convinced me to read ACOTAR so that we could enjoy it together. I had such a good time reading it! Since then, I’ve been getting into Sanderson, re-reading ASOIAF, and have many other books lined up to try 😊 thank you for your videos, as they have been helping me decide what to read next!!
First of all, thank you for this video.
Second, the reason I quit reading was mainly due to being in college. Before college I read lots of books. I loved reading! Then, in my college classes we had a lot of assigned reading. I no longer had time to read books I wanted to read. I could barely keep up with the reading I HAD to do for my classes. Once I got out of college, I no longer had the desire to read anymore. It had become a chore, not the enjoyable activity it had once been.
So I've spent many years trying to get back into reading again. It hasn't been easy! Thank you for all the advice. I especially like your recommendation to read whatever kind of books you want, even YA fiction. I've considered that in the past as an easy way to get myself back into reading, but told myself "You're an adult! You can't read those books!". But you're not the only person on RUclips that I've seen suggesting adults to read YA, so it's more encouraging to get another person backing the idea up.
I have been hosting a book club in Second Life for almost 4 years and I thank you deeply for this video. Our goal in SL is/was to be as inclusive to readers from all backgrounds as the virtual world itself is to folks expressing themselves without being judged. You laid out clearly what has been sloshing around in my head/comes out rambling at times when a soapbox is provided. So important to remember: shaming people does NOT create new readers. We have to be mindful and have deep empathy about people’s place/origin/anxieties. Ok, now off to a weekend of rereading “Infinite Jest” 😎🤘🙏
I would tell them to discover the type of book they like. After school i didnt like to read because i was forced to it.
Then i found i loved detective and crime storys like sherlock holmes.
From that it was easy to back to read
Here after you fantasy news appearance 😁 This video was so thought provoking, thanks!!! The bit around reading on what appeals to YOU really resonated
I appreciate the compassionate approach. It's very grating to see people shame and look down on others for not reading: this mindset isn't productive and doesn't encourage growth. The normalization of getting instant gratification from social media and technology altogether has made reading books less appealing, and a lot of people aren't even aware how enslaved they are to their devices.
I'm someone who struggles to read when I am surrounded by technology. Whenever there were limitations on it, I would naturally gravitate towards reading books to pass the time. I completely understand the feeling of wanting to read but simultaneously getting exhausted quickly because of the lack of dopamine it provides.
Like all problems, the first step is awareness, but awareness with compassion. Instead of shaming people for not reading books or not being able to read much, we should use empathy to understand *why* someone might not find reading appealing to begin with.
Hey Cronk. Really love your videos and your takes on reading. I think Dragonriders of Pern by Anne Mccaffrey could be an interesting series to do further down the line.
Keep on reading!
Thanks for the vid. My ability to concentrate needs to improve. I can't remember what I read. Thanks for tips. Start with kids books. Start with a regular but short time of day. Practice 5 out of 7 days. Book at bedtime maybe. 🇬🇧
I have a 3 hour commute to work every day. So audiobooks are my saviour. Would love you to review the two Empire Of The Vampire books
When I want to read but my brain just won't focus, I read the book while listening to the audiobook, when both are available. For some reason, having someone read aloud while I read along visually just heightens my focus to new levels.
The advice on this video is also helpful to us who like to read books in English (because not everything gets translated) but do not speak English as native language. When I started reading in English, one of the books that I read was Django Wexler's _The Thousand Names,_ and every time I encountered a word I did not know, I wrote it on a paper. It was a long list. This year I read its sequel, _The Shadow Throne,_ and that gave me only a less than ten words long list.
I'll also add that I stopped reading for a long time, for many years, and it made me depressed and miserable and damaged my university studies. When I found out I am an ADD, I started to practice speed-reading. That is a method that actually helps ADDs to read, and it bothers me massively how so many people say stuff like 'speed-reading is bullshit' and 'I hate speed-reading' (both things I have heard from RUclipsrs) without them even knowing what it actually is. There are good resources in RUclips for people who want to learn speed-reading, and I encourage that now and always.
When reading in a language that's foreign to you, it's much easier to start small with easy books (like he said in the video in regards to literacy). English is not my native language, and I learned a lot of English by reading the Harry Potter books as a teenager / young adult. I read them multiple times because back then I loved them so much, so that really helps. And then from there I started going to more advanced books.
Similarly, I learned some Swedish for fun in the past, and my level of Swedish was never good enough for serious books, but I did manage to read a few children's and young adult books. There were definitely lots of words I didn't understand, but the more you read, the more you learn from the context. At some point I didn't bother to look up words anymore, because I could more or less guess what they meant from the context.
@@adastra0 Jag tala svenska också, but only a little bit.
The literacy rate may be a little misleading because those states have a large population of people that don't speak English. I live in Florida and most of the people around me don't speak any English my own grandparents never learned and they moved to the US in the 50's.
It's funny how he uses propaganda as an example of something that harms the illiterate in the same sentence he literally spits out nonsense propaganda about americans. The two most illiterate places are literally stronghold blue states.
I love books and reading. I always have, but I strangely lost the drive to read as much once I started working at a bookstore. I bought, and was given, so many books that I want to read one day, but I just haven't gotten back to that same level of reading since. I think one of the reasons was just being surrounded by so many new reading options every day and the other was just stress from life and work. I'm working to be better since I know I feel better when I do read.
I really appreciate you bringing up trauma as a factor. I was raised by a teacher and my reading abilities were pretty advanced when I was a kid. But due to growing up in a high stress environment; my anxiety contributed to a lot of attention issues around reading. It wasn't that I was a bad reader, but I wasn't able to focus because of the millions on thoughts and fears in my head. Because the anxiety and stress prevented me from sticking with a book, I rarely finished them outside of school assignments. This was also when Harry Potter was really popular and everyone was reading them for fun. I struggled immensely to read for fun and because I struggled; I thought I was less smart and capable than everyone else. The shame further limited my ability to enjoy reading.
Fortunately now I've realized that it wasn't a failing of me and I wasn't a bad reader. As I've gotten older, I gradated from university with a philosophy degree and I feel my reading comprehension is the best it has ever been.
Really happy I found your channel; thanks again :)
I am not a big reader, unfortunately, but I can manage between one and two books per month. It's neither much nor nothing, so I am okay with that while still trying to read more. I had one really bad reading year when my daughter was born and only read three books back then. Now my main reason not to read more is not being able to choose a new book, especially when I just finished something amazing. Then, every book seems dull compared to this and I loose my motivation quickly. Hence, my subscription to your channel in order to get some recommendations 😁
I love that you included audiobooks. It is always a debate whether audiobooks count as "reading" or not.... For me, they do count but I use Whispersync for Voice quite a lot so that is no suprise. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Did you ever cover it in a video? If yes, maybe I missed it😓
And last but not least: the Pride and Prejudice quote on the shirt is great😍I love Jane Austen. By the way, thank you for the video on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: part fantasy, part regency? Yes, please!
Great video. I’ve always been reading since I learned to read. But there were a few years that I wasn’t reading. Since bout this year I’ve been reading something consistently.
I was an avid book reader as a kid and teen. then life happened and 30+ years later I just don't read as much, if at until any more. I've tried to get back into it, but can only find a few minutes a day. I bought a Kindle earlier this year, I find that has helped get me back into reading, as it's easy to pick up and transport about.
Very on point. I think I've been dishonest with myself about what i like to read. I blame a combination of book blogging and my college's English department years ago. I need to really think about what I enjoy, not what I should read or can read.
People say they don’t have time to read yet they spent countless hours on Netflix and Instagram and Facebook.
I read voraciously until I was working full time and doing other things and would only just read sporadically. It really didn't help that I just wasn't liking anything I was reading at all. I feel like it's only been the last few years that I've read things in books that I was feeling the vibes for. In 2023, I decided I would read one book per month at least. Cut to 2024 and I read 18 books last month (natural speedreader since childhood and I have ADHD and oh boy do books deliver on the dopamine).
I will also credit booktok/booktube for getting me back into reading. It's how I keep up on new releases but it's also put me in touch with a lot of like minded people who have recommended me things outside of that sphere which adds to my tbr. I am very fortunate that my library in inner western Sydney is just amazing plus Sydney City lets all NSW residents have access to their library as well which is pretty dope.
I will also credit audiobooks for keeping my sanity during work as well. There are books that I have loved more as audiobooks than the printed version.
About 17 years ago, I discovered that reading is far better than watching the garbage on TV. The librarian at the school where I taught recommended "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, and I loved it. I've been reading about 20-30 books a year ever since.
I really enjoyed watching you be so animated.
I read a book every few days for around 6 months when I was 18. Then partying and fun took over...then as I calmed down that was replaced by video games and TV. It was not until a couple years ago (I'm 38 now) that I decided to read the wheel of time on a fleeting desire and ended up blowing through it in a few months. Since then I have slowly replaced my other time wasters with reading. I canceled my subscriptions one by one replacing them with reading. Now I save so much money! When it all comes down to it we just use something to fill our down time. A book is as good or better than the other options IMHO.
Although I do not agree with everything you say I do love your channel and your positive outlook on things. Keep enjoying life my friend. Your appreciated.
I can relate with your story on reading. Wheel of time was a random book that I picked from the library that sucked me into reading so many years ago. I have since fallen and want to get back to reading again. I did go through some life events that derailed me. I'm looking forward to making reading a daily part of my life again.
I didn’t read much after I graduated. Partly from burnout, but also I discovered I’m a mood reader through and through. Before I would try to force myself to be something I’m not. I would make myself finish a book even if I wasn’t feeling it at the time. Now if I get bored part way through, I just pick up something else. The first book isn’t going anywhere, I can always pick it up again later. I read so much more and enjoy it more if I have multiple books on the go.
The grief and trauma one definitely hits home for me. I lost my mum in intensive care just before Christmas and while reading can be a great escape at times I have found I have to be a bit careful what I read at the moment depending on how I am feeling that day. I definitely need to give audiobooks more of a try, might make it a bit easier to fit reading in between work and my kids 😂
The pretty cover of Priory of the Orange Tree pulled me back into reading. I previously didn't think I had enought time to read with evey day work and chores. I decided to make it a priority in my free time and even if i cant read a lot I still try to get in at least one chapter a day. Audiobooks have been an awesome addition to my reading journey. Multitasking!
The power of a pretty cover is real!
He’s back!!!
I need this video. I need this video really badly.
The bit about "low energy day". The bit about post-trauma low-energy life, I've barely begun the recovery out of that.
When I was a kid, my parents rang the school and public libraries and told them to deny me any fiction books. I'd learned to read a book in the shower without getting it wet.
When I was a teenager, I learned to stop off in town from school, pick up one of a particular series of let's-call-it young adult books (1980s Doctor Who novelisations), pick it up, read it whole in the store in under half an hour, then head home on the next bus. I was reading "Dune" and the Asimov "Foundation" trilogy.
Then, working in a place for 25 years that mocked "over-thinkers". And in IT, so I have all the "too much screen, not enough book" problems. Then Bad Things happened in life repeatedly over a period of years, before the workplace committed peak bad, breaking me into dysfunctionality. Here I am and 30-40 years later, reading *properly* is a challenge.
... although, it's still sometimes easier for me to open a video transcript and skim it, than it is to sit through a 21m video. Which in this case was good, but a *tiny* mistake.
Then, this TV show came out, from Amazon, about Elves and these ridiculous things called "Harfoots". And that show was so offensively bad, I resolved to hit a non-Amazon store, buy the original books and read them (because I didn't read them as a kid, it was Herbert and Asimov).
I was *kind* of ready for it, because I saw what AppleTV did to my beloved "Foundation". They didn't just "misunderstand" it, they didn't just "ruin" it. The show pushes and praises values completely *inverted* to the books and their author.
And now, after reading "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings"... well, I'm ashamed that took me a YEAR. And now it's a struggle (because I want to take notes as I go rather than just read), but I'm finally reading through "The Silmarillion". I'm not sure where that comes on the 4-level reading literacy scale...? Three? I hesitate to say Four, there has to be stuff out there *much* harder than The Silmarillion.
There's a downside to skimming transcripts of a video: didn't find out for a few minutes of skimming, 19m into the video, that this Book Guy is in my country. Accents don't come across in text, I guess.
@cronkthebookguy - thank you. I needed the message in this video of yours. It's kind of a chuff, a shot in the arm, to also discover you're on the continent. Thank you for the therapy of getting this out; thank you for having the good kind of message in this video.
Wow! Your parents called the school and libraries to stop you reading fiction? That's awful. Good on young you for learning to read in secret.
Thank you for sharing. Yes I think the silmarillion is definitely level 4 reading complexity! You're doing great! Keep going and take your time. You have so many more adventures to go on. I wish you the best in your healing and recovery journey.
@@cronkthebookguy ❤
I re-started my reading habit about 6 months ago by reading the "Silo" novels (Wool / Shift / Dust). I watched the TV adaptation, and I was so intrigued by this world that I wanted to read the books after that to learn more about this world. Well, the books were somewhat mediocre compared to the TV show, but I'm very glad that I read them because they got me back into a reading mindset/habit, and I've read over 20 books since then within the past 6 months (including a full re-read of LotR)!
Before that, I barely read for about a decade. I was pretty disillusioned by what I had to read for uni, so it took a lot of the fun out of it (Point 4 would be the culprit there). I did (re)read a bunch of graphic novels during that time, as well as the Expanse novels.
Now I read whatever I want, even though it also took me a few months to make up my mind on what that will be (to the point that I now have 2 to-read lists on goodreads/storygraph, one for short-term and one for sometime-in-the-future) :D
For those who have little time to read. 30 minutes can do wonders. That's about 10-15 pages per day. By the end of the year, you'll have read 15-25 books.
If you haven't read a book since forever, start with 2 pages or 10 minutes a day and try to increase your reading time from there.
That is very good advice I read 50 pages a day and it helped me so much ,and on great days I will read 100 not often but does happen.
Thank you for this video, your channel has been a true breath of fresh air! Very very well said points
I really enjoy that kind of videos, so interesting. Reading is my main hobby and it is something I prioritize even though it can be complicated sometimes because… life. Lack of energy is something I experience often because I’m working at the hospitals and after night shifts it can be very hard to stay focused on reading. Audiobooks help me sooo much when I want to read but don’t have the energy. I also really like to listen to books while doing chores or driving. And I also listen to my audiobook before falling asleep. Would totally recommend trying audiobooks !
Reading whatever you want and love is also so important. I recently realized that I sometimes read a huge book way faster than shorter books just because I enjoy it more. Realizing that made me way less afraid of 800-1000 pages books (Stormlight archives 👀).
What got me back in the saddle was wanting to know more about certain lore. First it was Hellraiser. Then Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Now I’m about to embark on the bible after hearing about it all of these years. Bible lore 🙌
Wonderful video and so encouraging! You are definitely a big inspiration in helping me get out of my current reading slump. Love how nonjudgmental you are! Keep up the great work!
Do you have any videos talking about how to improve the reading level? Or which books are good for some levels and etc? I can read a YA book in one sitting, but they tend to bore me or make me feel "bad" for only being able to read that. Maybe there is something thats still in level two, but it's non fiction or other genre?
Also, I may read 5 of them in a week because I crave reading and then not read anything in four months because they don't excite me, but it's the only thing I can read, so I don't even develop a schedule or routine.
I go to a club meeting where we read theory, so I know that I really really love it! But it's different in a group because we read aloud, so I know I can ask anything i don't get or we can discuss it later! If I tried to read the same book on my own, even if I know i would love it, i feel like I can't do it.
I don't know how to get past the feeling of being an idiot for not being able to read what i would love to read lol
That's a really good question. I don't have a video on improving reading levels specifically, but I'm adding it to my list of video 'ideas'. 😀
I hope you don't mind me saying, but it sounds like you have some ADHD tendencies. The whole doing nothing for a while, then doing everything all at once, is very ADHD. It can make reading tricky, for sure. Reading in a group sounds like an excellent accommodation. You could also trying listening to a book while doing something else, like housework, walking, or playing games. When my wife got diagnosed with ADHD, she switched most of her reading to audiobooks cause it helped her concentration. But that was her specific solution and everyone's different. Try to find what works for you specifically and don't compare yourself to others.
Can I just stress though, you are definitely not an idiot. You are clearly intelligent, well-spoken, and capable. Please read at your own rate, even if that means binge reading then doing nothing for a while, and remember that progress is still progress even if it's slower than you'd like. ❤
@cronkthebookguy thank u for the response and the kind words! 🥰 I'm going to stick around even if I'm not reading at the moment because all your videos have such a good vibe lol! And here's to hoping the video idea comes true! It's difficult sometimes to figure out if I'm ready for a book yet based solely on genre because the writing styles are so different! And it's even trickier when many of the books recommended on online spaces are not avaliable on my third-world-spanish-talking country to ask my friendly librarian about it lol
You could try using note cards. Use one for each reoccurring character, and one per chapter to write a chapter summary so you can refresh your memory before starting a new chapter. Maybe draw a simple sketch of each character's profile/bust for quick reference.
Some books have character names that are difficult to pronounce, especially fantasy books, or they have too many characters with similar sounding names, or similar looking characters. I find that to be more of a flaw in the writing than reading.
Hey! It's cool to come back to this comment because i found my life hack, that it's actually told in cronks videos lol I wasn't reading things that I enjoyed! I kept digging and trying to find something that spoke to me, and I read a fictional book with historical and political aspects to it and absolutely devoured it(nuestra parte de noche)! I learned that I love my country female gothic writers because they have so much politics and history behind it and fell in love with that aspects!! So I'm currently reading cometierra. Also that it helps to have another book that's lighter and that doesn't sucks me in as much as the main one so I finished the first two books of dune! I'm also progressing in reading theory because I found what kind I was craving right now and it was digital utopias, antinaturalism and brujx anthropology! Thank u so much for the kind words, the actually made me want to keep searching around
Awesome video! Love the approach you take as always!🌻 Kind regards from a country not in the top viewers. (the Netherlands)🌻
"you're never too old for dragons" yes. need!
Time/Energy/Trauma (basically: Life) is the things I encountered on my reading journey and it was very interesting to see which mistakes I might have made unconsciously on my way of rebuilding that reading habit I once had. I used to be what you would call a bookworm until my late Twenties, reading more than 200 books per year (including rereads, of course), and that went away completely in the years to follow. And I experienced first hand how tempting it can be to overreach trying go back to it, because, reading 40 books? Piece of cake, right.
Only that it isn't. I have partaken in the Goodreads Challenge 8 years in a row now, and only beat it 2 out of 8 times.
And even slowly increading the pace might be more difficult than it seems. Last year I succeeded in reading 30 books though I had to "cheat" at the end doing a reread of Jennifer Roberson's splendid Sworddancer saga to meet the goal. This year I planned to read 40 books and I'm only halfway through (meaning that I would have to burn through 20 books if I still want to meet that goal. Now I'm not taking those numbers too seriously, but yes it stings, and given how many interesting books get published every year and how many interesting books have already been published, thinking about it too much can be disheartening as well. So sometimes I feel like I waste more time with procrastinating over what to read next instead of actually just reading something.
Here's the thing, though: even if I stopped reading completely for the rest of the year, that would mean that I had read 20 books that made me laugh, cry, think, feel entertained, that enriched my life in ways not many things can (in my case: music would be the other thing that does). And even if I had only read one out of those 20 books, it would have been completely worth it. And that's what should matter not the bragging rights you would think reading tons of books would give you. So for everyone struggling: Try to change perspective and think more about the cool experience reading gave you instead of giving in to FOMO. Even if it was only one book, that time spent should be cherished.
I found that audiobooks completely cure the time and energy concerns. I have a dog to walk, so I read at least 2 hours a day!
I'm not reading at the moment because I'm watching a video on RUclips regarding why adults don't read.
A lot of adults I know either are too busy to read, or they're simply not interested.
I primarily listen to audiobooks because reading a book gives me headaches, but, apparently for some that's not really reading.
Do what you enjoy, read if you want. It is entirely up to you.
The thing on literacy in different languages was really surprising for me bc even tho i understand quite well and i am able to write cohesive enough most of the thing i want to say in English (my 2nd language, like you said in the example), reading is extremely difficult for me and demands A LOT of effort if gets a little bit more complex than a casual/modern english.
I borrowed from a friend GOOD OMENS and im struggling so much to read that i could only read about 10 or 15 pages in one hour and kinda gave up because it will take me forever to read this 😂
Thanks so much for years I haven't read cause i'm busy with college! But this year I have already read a lot more than I have in the past my goal this year is 30 books! Also I am working at a bookstore this summer part time and it is amazing and wanting me to read more!!! Thanks for your channel it is amazing!
This makes me so happy! Yes you can absolutely hit your goal of 30 books. I believe in you!!!!
This is so positive, I'm sure a lot of people could use this encouragement! (Including myself 😅)
Thank you for your public service sir ✌️
In high school we were assigned The Old Man and The Sea. It was dreadful. We were assigned The Red Pony next. After 3 chapters I took the book up to the teacher and informed him I would not be reading the book. I told him I like to read and I want to keep it that way.
Every time I hear about The Old Man and the Sea I think of my sister. She always hated that book!
I was reading tons of different genres from 5 to 25, went through a depressing stuff and honestly? Since i got better i just can't anymore.
I still read articles or listen to non-fiction stuff but i much more prefer to listen to an audiobook, taking my bike for a ride or meet with my friends, doing something less passive.
I am simply burned out when it comes to books.
With every video, you always bring quality content no matter the agenda.
I fuckin love you my man
I fuckin love you, random citizen! 🤣
i have problems not knowing where to start, there's so many options and I'm on a very tight budget, so going to a thrift store or anywhere and only finding a few books in a series is very frustrating and discouraging . My library doesn't have a great selection of books either and tailored to mostly learning books instead of other books.
I’m coming back after a 1,5 year gap (bought a ps5 then). Got into fantasy books only recently and I’m having a blast
This. 👏🏼 Is. 👏🏼 A. 👏🏼 GREAT. 👏🏼 Video. Well done!
THANK YOU!!! ❤
blame schools ...they made reading seem like a terrible activity when they should of inspired kids to read show them how enjoyable it could be ...
I haven't read much since Harry Potter lmao. I think lack of translate to other languages has something to do with it. I've read 6/7 HP in my first language and it was awesome.
Thank you for another great video.
Excellent encouragement. I love your channel!
I 100% read less because of feeling like I have to read books I don't like. If I buy it, I feel I have to finish it. It it's a gift (people gift me way too many books) then I feel I HAVE to read it. To keep myself reading I usually alternate between something I don't love, and some comfort series. I should just get rid of the books but I can't 🙃
I appreciate the note that you don't have to read every day, all of the advice on how to get through books is "read ten pages a day!" or "a chapter a week!" and it just doesn't work for me. I tend to go through cycles about a month long where I'll read a lot of webcomics, watch a lot of anime, listen to a lot of audiobooks, or just live off of video essays. In phases like the one I'm in now, I'm mostly watching One Piece and reading Berserk, and I have to give myself permission to pause on my Silmarillion reread until I'm ready to get back to it. If I was trying to do everything at once I'd have an unpleasant time and not really get anything done.
2:49 That map of literacy rates does not make clear that the data appears to be for _English_ literacy. States with large immigrant populations tend to have lower English literacy rates because the immigrants are only skilled in reading their native tongue.
I read A Song of Ice and Fire to get back into reading as there was a show on at the time. I wanted to know what happened. That was before the show caught up with the books.
Now I read more often. Mostly fiction but I will read some non fiction stuff too.
I've never been a fantasy reader - I've found it hard to see myself in the stories written by cis-hetero-men (which is often the case in classis fantasy haha) but thanks to your channel, I just ordered a second hand version of Liveship Traders Trilogy, I have a feeling I will love Robin Hobb and her storytelling! Love the deep dives and the presentations of the different series you high light - it gives such a great overview but also so well rounded and educational!! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL - NEW SUBSCRIBER!!
Please do a video on The Green Bone triology by Fonda Lee, it was the first fantasy I ever read and its is beautiful and addictive - I haven't read fantasy since but looking forward to the Liveship Traders Trilogy!!!
Wonderful! Yes classic fantasy can be very cis-hetero male, as well as white. I'm thrilled you've got Liveship Traders, cause that series is very much NOT the norm. I'd also recommend Discworld for the same reasons.
And hell yeah! Green Bones was awesome! I just read it a month ago and I'm eager to talk about it asap.
I used to love to read books as a kid and I used to read big biology books from higher grades cause I was curious and I stopped reading for years and been having getting back I think the problem is I'm always trying to get back into reading by just jumping into the advanced stuff like a few hours ago I was looking at a college level electronics book and I don't know anything about electronics I think I should start with lighter stuff also I like how you explain the levels im at 6:30 and I love how you throw in jokes I liked and subbed at the family guy joke
Not everything you read needs to be at your highest literacy level, of course. I read a lot of technical medical literature, papers, guidance etc in my work, but at home am more likely to pick up a YA (or old favourite) after a busy and hectic day and a more complex world fantasy saga or classic when things are less stressful elsewhere. There is no reason to avoid a simpler read especially if the alternative is not reading. Likewise I don't care how good a reader you are or how many complex works you read each month, you still need to read the STOP sign too!
That was a great video and very interesting. Absolutely agree with the going through hard times and not reading. Haven't touched a book for 6 month, but they'll be waiting. Whenever I am better and back to feeling like myself again, they'll still be there to be read. 😊
I never really developed any sort of reading habit at all. I always thought books were boring for as long as i can remember... Not sure where that comes from but I've been wanting to start reading, just that i kept procrastinating.
Problem is, I just started studying philosophy at a university, so now i pretty much have to start with some of the toughest literature out there... i now doubt that this will benefit my relationship to reading :(
As an American, those statistics are embarrassing and shameful.
Up till about 35 I read nothing but romance then I got into fantasy. Around 50 I got into mysteries. I still read all three genres so I really believe you should try different genres to keep you interested in reading.
Disappointed to not find my particular reason for not being able to read for the last... mmh... 8 years? HAVING KIDS WHO DEMAND CONSTANT ATTENTION LOL
On a more serious note, thank you. I have it nailed down on what's stopping me from reading again, but your passion is infectious and I'm really going to follow some advice. I'll put some book I already love in the bathroom and I won't take my phone with me.
I'll just have to listen to your videos when I'm cooking instead...
54m people is almost the entire population of my country...
Watching booktube gave hype needed to start and keep reading
I heard a statistic one time that I wish I could remember…some crazy high percentage of Americans never read a book again after their high school assigned readings. I think high schools should offer more choice to foster a life long love of reading
Been well over a decade since I’ve read anything of substance and in the last year and a half I’ve read more than I have in any other period of my life.