I read books for personal enjoyment, basically never for learning or self-improvement or anything like that. I only ever read one book at a time and mostly in the evening before going to sleep.

I’m in my early thirties. My reading speed varies quite a lot based on the book and my mood, but I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve become “worse” at reading in recent years. Too many digital distractions I guess. That said, if I do manage to read for 2 hours before going to sleep, I sleep so much better than if I watch a movie or doomscroll on Lemmy or whatever.

I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy, sometimes historical novels. I think this year I’ve finished 4 books so far, and dropped one quarter-way through. There were definitely years where I’ve managed way more.

I read my first book in 11 years, I finished it 2 weeks ago. It’s The Expanse. I loved the series and someone gifted me the first book.

My trick? I commute by train and have my book with me everywhere I go. If there’s waiting to be done, there’s reading time.

I love books

My biggest recommendation is to avoid asking for recommendations online, particularly in reading - centric communities.

People love to pretend their favourite books are classical just through sheer pretentiousness

The most genuine people you’ll find in life are the ones that are perfectly happy to admit they fucking love a trashy thriller

I finish maybe 5 books a year. The library makes it so there’s a “deadline”, that helps.

I also don’t mind picking up a book, and returning it after a few chapters if I realise I don’t like it.

It shouldn’t feel like a chore.

I tend to go through phases in which whenever I find a bunch of books I’m really interested in, I’ll read a ton. But, once I finish those, I’ll read less for a while. I think my top speed if I’m really invested in what I’m reading is around 800 pages a day, but I never sustain that for long because I run out of book.

I pretty much exclusively read fantasy, with a focus on books with hard magic systems, progression elements, and/or some sort of cultivation (which itself is a progression element).

When I was a kid, I struggled with reading for years because I wasn’t interested in anything I read at school. I only really started reading a ton when I found books I was interested in (fantasy), which in turn made me a lot better at reading from all the practice.

Somewhat more recently, I’ve started reading webnovels in between traditionally published books, which is nice because you get a continuous drip of content. I also generally just read on my phone, as it’s very convenient to pop out a book wherever I am. I like physical books too, but I don’t tend to get through them as fast because I can’t fit them in my pocket and take them with me everywhere.

My experience is that if you want to develop a habit of reading a lot, you should focus on finding something you enjoy, as it’s a lot easier to make a habit of doing something you like than something you don’t like.

I will be 40 in February. I read daily. But what I read daily is this shit. Posts and comments. Memes and news articles. Maybe someone’s fanfic on Tumblr.

Been getting into furry focused visual novels after getting bored and checking out Adastra since I had heard of it years ago and never actually played it, and I just haven’t been able to get enough of Howlie’s work since (finish The Smoke Room so you can get back on Khemia, please! 😩)

I like sci-fi and romance. Adastra was both and has been the best fucking thing I’ve ever read.

I haven’t read an honest to God book since Ready Player One initially came out.

Got to around 30 yrs old

I realized that I, on paper, really like non-fiction books. In practice, I really only like fantasy and space operas (different than sci-fi)

Every night before bed, I read 10 pages or a chapter. Whichever comes first. Can always read more, but not less.

So to answer,

Almost every night Fantasy / space opera Mid 30s, father I’ve added audiobooks to my commute The most important part (I think) is figuring out what you like, and then setting a small but achievable routine

For me getting an alarm clock made a difference. Because that nullified my brains weak excuse that I needed my phone by my bed “for an alarm”. No I didn’t. People have woken up perfectly reliably for years before smartphones. So I got an alarm clock. And that made it easier to turn going to bed into calm reading time instead of doom scrolling (by leaving my phone charging in other room). And that’s made a big difference, not only to quality of reading but also general mood.

What are your reading habits like?

When I pick up a book I typically get hooked after ten to fifteen pages and then complete it on the same day (think ~100s of pages in hours, ~1000s pages in days). This often results in me semi-self-destructively finishing the book and then not touching a book for at least a few days as I have to deal with the things I neglected while reading.

What do you like to read?

Mostly Novels

What kind of stage of life are you in, and how does that affect it?

Have you made any changes, positive or negative, to your reading habits?

I went from physical books to reading a lot on my phone. This allows me to read easily and blend in better while in public. It comes with the advantage that I break up big monolouthic reading sessions with small micro breaks.

What else?

Even though it’s somewhat obvious: I also like to get books that aren’t in my native tongue, I find that reading teaches you a lot about the application of a language.

I read on the toilet, on the bus, while doing dishes. I read while falling asleep at night and whenever I have five minutes alone during the day. I read three or more books at a time, so when I’m not in the mood for one there’s two more options to engage with.

But that’s me.

You’ll read a lot more if you give yourself permission to read things you enjoy. Maybe start with some Terry Pratchett.

Almost 40, comfortably established with no kids, so life is overall pretty easy.

I got into audiobooks on Libby and have gotten through about 400 in the last 4 years. I listen while I’m driving and sometimes while doing chores, but mostly I listen while hiking or paddling - on a weekend backpacking trip I can get through 3-5 books.

My books are almost all what I would call “human adjacent non-fiction” - science and information related to people and the planet, but I don’t find deep science like quantum physics relatable enough to be interesting.

I love to read and learn and wish more people wanted to talk about books, but book people and outdoor people don’t overlap that much.

I don’t read much for entertainment. Never have. The focus on “reading is super important” is honestly pretty stupid in my opinion. 99% of the shit people are reading is probably trashier than any other form of entertainment but people act like its a mark of a superior intellect because they are flipping through pages of a book.

I also find the physical act of reading a book to be incredibly distracting from consuming the information therein. I read much more efficiently and enjoyably using digital platforms than I ever did with printed media. I’m in my mid 30’s and probably an outlier for my age group in regards to how I feel about books.

Its just another form of entertainment, should not be put on a pedestal, and is really just as valid (or invalid) as any other form of entertainment—if you don’t find yourself drawn to it then don’t beat yourself up about it. No one is going around belittling people for not watching enough movies during a given annum; why treat reading a book like it’s some great and noble act?

• i read fairly regularly. 60-120 minutes per day
• i like reading mostly nonfiction, generally textbooks or other learning material. I’ll also read whatever books my SO recommends, and whatever the current book is for a book club im in.
• I’m young enough that ill be working the rest of my life and this means I’m just trying to learn new skills and hopefully be able to retire someday
• I’ve gotten better over time. I set aside a dedicated block of time for distraction free reading. I make use of pomodoro timers to help stay focused.
• economics 101: time is a scarce resource. It is limited in supply and everyone wants more. Be very intentional with your time. How you spend time naturally shows what you currently value. Maybe that means you will value reading, but maybe that means you will value something else. Think about what you spend time on says about you, and if you don’t like what something says then fix it.

1. My reading habits are like everyone of my hobbies, I obsessed for a week then move on to a new pursuit then come back to reading several months later.
2. I read text books about Aztec history.
3. I’m a year away from 40 and I’m coming to terms with being alone for the rest of my life (which is exactly the same leading up to this point).
4. I bought a book stand I can adjust and wheel around.
5. Stop caring what other people think and just read when you feel like it. You’re overthinking this.

My sleep-routine is that I read (usually my kindle) in bed at night.

It’s kind of great both because I like reading, but also because it makes me fall asleep.