Subscribed! I think you captured it perfectly. My reading experience is always much more enjoyable when I have someone to discuss it with, especially when tackling a challenging book. I'm so glad to see more people embracing reading as a hobby. I’ve always been an avid reader, but my love for books has grown immensely since discovering the Bookstagram, BookTube, and Book Discord communities.
I love reading multiple books at the same time, it keeps things fresh and you don't feel burned out on a series. Great video as always, liked the intro.
I grew up a voracious reader, but I made the mistake of doing an English degree in college, and that killed reading for me for years. Took about 10 years to really regain my adoration. Getting a kindle helped a lot. And finding new authors I actually love. Also, having friends who I saw regularly at work who were all readers. The encouragement was great for getting me reading regularly. A certain series came before all that, but that mostly got me into that series and fanfiction. I will say I tend to have a few books going at once, too. Especially with the long ones. I try to keep them as very different kinds of stories, so as not to get too confused, but that way I have different kinds of reads. When one isn't working but I still want to keep going, I still have others I can turn to. Usually each book is read in a specific way, though the audio book app for my library system is where I do most of my reading. I'm just so happy I finally got back into reading. I missed it so much.
I read multiple books at the same time too. I listen to audio in my car read a physical book in my chair with my dog, sitting in my lap and read an e-book just before going to bed. Usually all different genres. Horror, fantasy, thriller
Amazing video!! I’ve already implemented most of the tips you mentioned prior to watching your video & am relieved that I’m not the only one who uses them regularly! I, too, feel a little silly having to use 2 formats (physical & audio) to help me maintain my focus on reading or even having my finger glide along the words of the page. I promise I’m not illiterate either 😂 but I loved how you explain why these tips work as well as they do & I full heartedly agree!! I’d also like to add that owning a kindle completely upped my book count for a plethora of reasons! Looking forward to more of your videos 👍
Thank you so much! I feel like we’re just living in a time where it’s so easy to be overstimulated so we need a little help finding our focus sometimes haha I’m relatively new to being a kindle user but I agree they’re great - I changed my font to “open dyslexic” and it was a total game changer. Highly recommend - im not dyslexic but it has been awesome.
This was great Charlie! I agree with everything you said. I didn’t know immersion reading was called that. It’s a better name than tandem reading, which is what I’d been calling it.
New subscriber! Like you, I rediscovered my childhood love of reading. I also began reading my first fantasy book series ever…The Fifth Season. It is so good. Mistborn series is next in line. I read a few chapters and am excited!
I also sometimes listen to audio book while doing jigsaw puzzle - but I only do that to books I already read more than once before, so I don't have to be anxious about missing an important bit of the novel :)
Great video. I especially like Tip 6. My take is that I have become much more motivated and engaged with reading since discovering Booktube channels. Before that, unless you have a lot of friends who read like you, it's a bit of a quiet wilderness. Even for introverts like myself who don't necessarily go around interacting directly with others on Discord or whatnot, just watching Booktube creators talk about the books they enjoy spreads that enthusiasm and it almost feels like you've been talking with someone about the books. When I'm finished a book, sometimes I'll search RUclips to look for review videos of that book (and I am amazed at even some pretty obscure ones that can be found) and I get to interact with someone else's experience of the book. If I find that my experience is maybe different from the Booktube norm (like how I didn't love This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone), there's still sometimes someone who shares my unpopular opinion that I can watch and connect with. And if there's no one on RUclips, there's bound to be someone on Goodreads who has posted a one or two star review that maybe I can relate to. So, I totally agree with you that it's super encouraging to share the book reading experience in direct and indirect ways with other people.
Definitely! I’m the same way. I think I found my way into watching booktube content back in 2022 and since there my engagement in the online book community has just continued to grow and I’m getting so much out of it. I’ve found that I’m never as unique as I think I am (and I mean this in a good way) when it comes to how I feel about any sort of book. For example, I totally agree with your take on This is How You Lose the Time War. Initially I thought everyone on the internet was in agreement that it was the best book ever, but I’ve found that that is definitely not the case! Im glad you’re here and that you engage with me about all these topics - it makes it all that much more fun!
I agree with reading multiple boks at the same time, especially when reading bigger books. Currently reading The Stand and I’m really enjoying it, but due to the slow pacing of the book I like reading a faster pace book on the side so I don’t burn out.
Very usefull tips and I think you're right with every single one of them. Also leaving my comment because I think this would be usefull for other people.
I LOVE your idea of immersion reading! I might have to give it a try when I do my March of the Mammoths challenge. I'll be tackling my first Dostoevsky book -- The Brothers Karamazov.
@@charlie-read-a-book March of the Mammoths is a challenge where you read a book that's 800 or more pages in length. It's usually done in March (hence the name of the challenge), but can really be done whenever.
My biggest problem with reading multiple books is they start to merge together. Do you just have no issue with conflation, or do you have any suggestions for preventing that?
That can definitely happen! At this point I’m pretty good at keeping them separated but I would recommended making each book as different from the others as you can. You’re not too likely to confuse the story line of an epic fantasy novel with that of a non-fiction, for example. Another thing I would try is annotation! Taking notes may help keep your thoughts organized.
I’ll also add that reading books in multiple formats also helps me with this I think. Somehow I feel like an audiobook occupies a different space in my brain than a physical read might. Not sure if that’s a real thing but for me it seems to be the case haha.
Yea I am new to book since I started a book club. But I started reading a few at a time to break it up. I also wanna get Stephen king he has a couple that are of short stories. So those can be a quick pallet cleanser while I am reading bigger books.
I do the bookmark line up a ton when I'm reading physical. A sick part of my brain makes my eyes wander further down the page during tense scenes so I use the bookmark to make sure I don't spoil things during a big reveal or fight scene. What were the 2 you wish you DNF'd last year?
I do the multiple books at once thing. Sometimes I just alternate between books every chapter, or just switch between different books if I feel like I'm getting bogged down, etc. I like to joke that I'm just leveraging my ADHD to get more reading done.
Spotify has something like 30 hours of audiobooks available per month for subscribers. Also, see if the larger cities in your state offer their e libraries statewide. I live in NYS and have Libby access through the Brooklyn Public Library (and my local library, of course)
Good call with Spotify, totally forgot about that! I thiiiiiink it’s 15 hours per month, but still good! I always wonder about how to get library access outside of your area. Do you have to pay for it?
I recommend trying something else the The Vegetarian. I've not heard anyone say they enjoyed it, I enjoyed The White Book by that author. Also I wanted to point out that books don't win the Nobel prize for litrature, authors do. Their entire body of work are considered.
I did not know that about the Nobel prize honestly! That makes a lot of sense. Okay I’ll consider picking up The White Book. I did find the writing to be really well done in The Vegetarian I just didn’t are for the subject matter. I like a flawed character that I can root for but that book just gave me a flawed character that I kind of hated 😅
@charlie-read-a-book I'm happy tobhear you consider picking it up. I will say though, it got more in common with a poetry collection then a fully narrated story.
Never thought of immersion reading, but my issue is that I am very picky with audio books. I only have a handful of narrators that I found that I can tolerate. Many are either too off-putting or very dry.
Yeah I totally get that. Immersion reading might help with that, I wonder. I definitely find that when I’m reading along with the narrator I can listen at a higher speed.
Subscribed! I think you captured it perfectly. My reading experience is always much more enjoyable when I have someone to discuss it with, especially when tackling a challenging book. I'm so glad to see more people embracing reading as a hobby. I’ve always been an avid reader, but my love for books has grown immensely since discovering the Bookstagram, BookTube, and Book Discord communities.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you connected with the video and I’m glad to part of the community ~~
I love reading multiple books at the same time, it keeps things fresh and you don't feel burned out on a series.
Great video as always, liked the intro.
Definitely!
Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I grew up a voracious reader, but I made the mistake of doing an English degree in college, and that killed reading for me for years. Took about 10 years to really regain my adoration. Getting a kindle helped a lot. And finding new authors I actually love. Also, having friends who I saw regularly at work who were all readers. The encouragement was great for getting me reading regularly.
A certain series came before all that, but that mostly got me into that series and fanfiction.
I will say I tend to have a few books going at once, too. Especially with the long ones. I try to keep them as very different kinds of stories, so as not to get too confused, but that way I have different kinds of reads. When one isn't working but I still want to keep going, I still have others I can turn to. Usually each book is read in a specific way, though the audio book app for my library system is where I do most of my reading.
I'm just so happy I finally got back into reading. I missed it so much.
I’m so glad to hear you made your way back to the hobby! It’s a shame how often I hear similar stories.
I read multiple books at the same time too. I listen to audio in my car read a physical book in my chair with my dog, sitting in my lap and read an e-book just before going to bed. Usually all different genres. Horror, fantasy, thriller
Yes, love that! Different books for every mood. So nice of your dog to keep you company while you read too. Very thoughtful of them.
Amazing video!!
I’ve already implemented most of the tips you mentioned prior to watching your video & am relieved that I’m not the only one who uses them regularly! I, too, feel a little silly having to use 2 formats (physical & audio) to help me maintain my focus on reading or even having my finger glide along the words of the page. I promise I’m not illiterate either 😂 but I loved how you explain why these tips work as well as they do & I full heartedly agree!! I’d also like to add that owning a kindle completely upped my book count for a plethora of reasons! Looking forward to more of your videos 👍
Thank you so much! I feel like we’re just living in a time where it’s so easy to be overstimulated so we need a little help finding our focus sometimes haha
I’m relatively new to being a kindle user but I agree they’re great - I changed my font to “open dyslexic” and it was a total game changer. Highly recommend - im not dyslexic but it has been awesome.
Tip 6 was definitely a big one for me last year and massively helped me stick to reading.
Yeah same - definitely kicked that one into high gear in 2024!
This was great Charlie! I agree with everything you said. I didn’t know immersion reading was called that. It’s a better name than tandem reading, which is what I’d been calling it.
Thanks, Cams! Hah tandem works too 🤷🏻♂️ I don’t know if “immersion reading” is an official term either, I just know that’s what I call it!
Immersion reading works, at least it has for me. It keeps me focused and moving forward, and a good narrator can really bring a book to life.
Yeah a good narrator makes a huge difference for sure!
New subscriber! Like you, I rediscovered my childhood love of reading. I also began reading my first fantasy book series ever…The Fifth Season. It is so good. Mistborn series is next in line. I read a few chapters and am excited!
Thanks so much! Glad to have you around. I loooooove Mistborn. Haven’t gotten around to the fifth season yet but have heard amazing things!
I also sometimes listen to audio book while doing jigsaw puzzle - but I only do that to books I already read more than once before, so I don't have to be anxious about missing an important bit of the novel :)
See that makes a lot of sense - I bet that would work for me too. I’ll try it again when I’ve got a reread going on!
Great video. I especially like Tip 6. My take is that I have become much more motivated and engaged with reading since discovering Booktube channels. Before that, unless you have a lot of friends who read like you, it's a bit of a quiet wilderness. Even for introverts like myself who don't necessarily go around interacting directly with others on Discord or whatnot, just watching Booktube creators talk about the books they enjoy spreads that enthusiasm and it almost feels like you've been talking with someone about the books. When I'm finished a book, sometimes I'll search RUclips to look for review videos of that book (and I am amazed at even some pretty obscure ones that can be found) and I get to interact with someone else's experience of the book. If I find that my experience is maybe different from the Booktube norm (like how I didn't love This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone), there's still sometimes someone who shares my unpopular opinion that I can watch and connect with. And if there's no one on RUclips, there's bound to be someone on Goodreads who has posted a one or two star review that maybe I can relate to. So, I totally agree with you that it's super encouraging to share the book reading experience in direct and indirect ways with other people.
Definitely! I’m the same way. I think I found my way into watching booktube content back in 2022 and since there my engagement in the online book community has just continued to grow and I’m getting so much out of it.
I’ve found that I’m never as unique as I think I am (and I mean this in a good way) when it comes to how I feel about any sort of book. For example, I totally agree with your take on This is How You Lose the Time War. Initially I thought everyone on the internet was in agreement that it was the best book ever, but I’ve found that that is definitely not the case!
Im glad you’re here and that you engage with me about all these topics - it makes it all that much more fun!
I agree with reading multiple boks at the same time, especially when reading bigger books. Currently reading The Stand and I’m really enjoying it, but due to the slow pacing of the book I like reading a faster pace book on the side so I don’t burn out.
Totally! Sometimes I love a slow pace, but others I crave quick story progression.
Good work Charlie! Just hit subscribe 😊
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it ~
Very usefull tips and I think you're right with every single one of them. Also leaving my comment because I think this would be usefull for other people.
Thanks, I’m glad you thought so!
Appreciate you watching and engaging with the video~
I LOVE your idea of immersion reading! I might have to give it a try when I do my March of the Mammoths challenge. I'll be tackling my first Dostoevsky book -- The Brothers Karamazov.
Oooh I want to know more about this challenge - sounds like you’ll be tackling some big classics? Immersion reading should totally help with those!
@@charlie-read-a-book March of the Mammoths is a challenge where you read a book that's 800 or more pages in length. It's usually done in March (hence the name of the challenge), but can really be done whenever.
Oh I was way off haha - still fun though!
@ Curious to hear what you thought it was. LOL
@@DCbigpappa hahaha just that it was about reading old classic books. Like books that are big in name more so than in actual physical size.
Tip #6 is pure gold! Definitely about to get more active in the comment section 😅
Hahaha glad to hear it!
Love your vids
Thanks so much!
My biggest problem with reading multiple books is they start to merge together. Do you just have no issue with conflation, or do you have any suggestions for preventing that?
That can definitely happen! At this point I’m pretty good at keeping them separated but I would recommended making each book as different from the others as you can.
You’re not too likely to confuse the story line of an epic fantasy novel with that of a non-fiction, for example.
Another thing I would try is annotation! Taking notes may help keep your thoughts organized.
I’ll also add that reading books in multiple formats also helps me with this I think. Somehow I feel like an audiobook occupies a different space in my brain than a physical read might. Not sure if that’s a real thing but for me it seems to be the case haha.
@ Grazie! I’ll add in more non-fiction and short stories. My annotation sucks…
@ my annotation also sucks 😂
Yea I am new to book since I started a book club. But I started reading a few at a time to break it up. I also wanna get Stephen king he has a couple that are of short stories. So those can be a quick pallet cleanser while I am reading bigger books.
I love a good palette cleanser - there’s a lot of great novellas and short stories out there that are worth a read!
@ yea the Stephen King one I want is call Night Shift.
I’ve heard it’s good - I want to read The Body by him
3:26 actually my books openly mock me on a daily basis hahaa
😂
2:48 DNF DNF DNF 🙌🏻 lol
LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK
I do the bookmark line up a ton when I'm reading physical. A sick part of my brain makes my eyes wander further down the page during tense scenes so I use the bookmark to make sure I don't spoil things during a big reveal or fight scene.
What were the 2 you wish you DNF'd last year?
I DNFd The Blood Stones and I SHOULD HAVE DNFd The Will of the Many and Dragon Rider. All good books that didn’t work for me.
I do the multiple books at once thing. Sometimes I just alternate between books every chapter, or just switch between different books if I feel like I'm getting bogged down, etc.
I like to joke that I'm just leveraging my ADHD to get more reading done.
Hahahaha definitely - I love when I end up finishing multiple books at around the same time too. Huge dopamine rush.
Spotify has something like 30 hours of audiobooks available per month for subscribers.
Also, see if the larger cities in your state offer their e libraries statewide. I live in NYS and have Libby access through the Brooklyn Public Library (and my local library, of course)
Good call with Spotify, totally forgot about that! I thiiiiiink it’s 15 hours per month, but still good!
I always wonder about how to get library access outside of your area. Do you have to pay for it?
@charlie-read-a-book nope! They just require a location ping to prove I'm in the state once a year.
@ 👀 oh my - I will definitely be setting that up then, thank you!
17:20 book fandoms being crazy and mean? Unheard of 😂
You’re right I have no idea what I was talking about 🤔
I recommend trying something else the The Vegetarian. I've not heard anyone say they enjoyed it, I enjoyed The White Book by that author.
Also I wanted to point out that books don't win the Nobel prize for litrature, authors do. Their entire body of work are considered.
I did not know that about the Nobel prize honestly! That makes a lot of sense.
Okay I’ll consider picking up The White Book. I did find the writing to be really well done in The Vegetarian I just didn’t are for the subject matter. I like a flawed character that I can root for but that book just gave me a flawed character that I kind of hated 😅
@charlie-read-a-book I'm happy tobhear you consider picking it up. I will say though, it got more in common with a poetry collection then a fully narrated story.
@ haven’t read much poetry in recent years - good to know.
@ ah I see now that is an essay collection I seeeeeee
People underestimate the power of a dnf
They really do!
Never thought of immersion reading, but my issue is that I am very picky with audio books. I only have a handful of narrators that I found that I can tolerate. Many are either too off-putting or very dry.
Yeah I totally get that. Immersion reading might help with that, I wonder. I definitely find that when I’m reading along with the narrator I can listen at a higher speed.