How to fall in love with books
My little adventure into the world of books
That was me. I have hated books my whole life thinking that all books are like the ones I read at school. Boring stories and essays, chapters about irrelevant useless things ( not all of em ) etc. It’s quite normal these days to see almost everyone hating books considering how the whole system is built. Everyone is just emerged in academics for getting A”s, social media, games, Netflix etc. Generally, we are never taught that books are fun too. At least I wasn’t. TwT
Today I will tell you my story, about how I started to read and fell in love with it. And how you can do it too. Trust me, reading books is one of the best things you can do with your useless life.
As a new year’s resolution, I thought of starting to read books this year. Also, my best friend Ana was quite a book freak. All I knew is she loved books for real. So I wanted to taste the essence of books too. Then I started with a non-fiction called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. One of the most terrible decisions I’ve made in my life. And it didn’t go well as you are thinking. I didn’t make any progress till March. I was trying boring books and making my impression toward books bitter and bitter.
Then one day, I came across a quote saying, “Read what you love, until you love to read”. I instantly knew what I was doing wrong. I wasn’t reading what I love and instead, I was trying to force-feed myself things that I thought were beneficial for me.
I always wanted to read “Harry Potter” by J. K Rowling. Ditching all the other non-fiction, I started with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. And guess what? I’ve finished reading all 7 books of the “Harry Potter” series.
198 chapters, 4200+ pages, over 70+ hours of reading …
in the course of three months! Maybe it’s not an amazing thing to the regular bookish people, but it is a big deal to someone like me who hasn’t read a single book outside of his academics in his whole life. I never thought I would be able to love books this much.
As of now, I have finished over 20 books this year. Now I am going to tell you how you can do it too! ><
1. Read what you love
“Read what you love until you love to read.”
— Naval
Start with something that you love. Don’t go with taking what other people tell you. Read what you find interesting, the genre you like, the story you find awesome etc.
2. Have less friction
“The less friction you face, the easier it is for your stronger self to emerge.”
— James Clear
Try to have as less friction as possible between you and the books. Do you stay at your study table the whole day? Keep a few books here and there. Have books on your bedside table. Maybe carry one with you. Read eBooks if you like them. I prefer eBooks and I have the “Google Play Books” app installed so that I can read anytime anywhere I want. Also, I kept it on my home screen. Have less friction.
3. Have bookish buddies
It works, it worked for me at least. I opened a bookstagram to make more bookish buddies. And I surely can tell they encouraged and motivated me to read books. Try it. Surround yourself with people who are already at where you want to be.
There are more things you can try, like — building habits, scheduling, making a routine etc. Experiment with everything. Find out what works best for you.
Reading books has changed my life. I believe it can do the same for you.
