Many of us will fondly remember being voracious readers as kids, tweens, and teens. Staying up late with a flashlight under the covers to “just finish one more chapter,” fighting carsickness while trying to read in the backseat on a family vacation, or hiding a book under your desk and trying to sneakily flip pages while feigning paying attention during class.

Odds are at least one of these scenarios have applied to you at some point! (Mine was the last one. Luckily I had lovely teachers who didn’t want to reprimand me for reading during math lessons and instead just tried to impress on me that I could read all I wanted…during recess.)

Unfortunately, for many of us, as we get older, the demands and responsibilities of adult life tend to take over. And for those of us working as editors, we spend most of our days reading manuscripts. So, with less free time and the ever-tempting entertainment of social media, it makes sense that reading already-edited books might fall by the wayside, even if it’s something we know we enjoy.

When we feel like we need to escape, and turn off our brain for a little while, it’s understandable that TikTok and Instagram scrolling or binging on Netflix might be what we turn to, instead of a book.

However.

There may come a point when we realize we miss reading. We miss devoting time and focus to something we can interact with on a deeper level than just “liking and subscribing.”

If you have experienced any of this and think you want to get back to reading on a more consistent level, here are some ways you can reintroduce this pastime to your life!

Pick Up a Book and See What Happens

Even with the realization that you want to incorporate more reading into your free time, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things when it comes to reading. Sometimes the best way to figure out how to start is to just take the leap. Pick up a book that interests you, and … give it a go. Just start reading.

For many, that might be all that it takes to spark that love of reading again. And that’s amazing! It can be comforting to be able to fall into old familiar habits, especially when those habits can provide you with a sense of peace and relaxation, like reading can.

You might find, though, that maybe you struggle a bit with reading on your time off, after spending so much time away from it. And that’s okay too. Remember, reading is like any skill or habit. After taking a long break, it can be hard to pick it up again. You might struggle to focus (not unusual, especially with social media’s focus on short-form content!), or find your mind wandering. Both are very valid reactions, but don’t give up.

Again, like any skill you’ve stepped away from, perhaps it might take some practice to ease yourself back into where you were when you stepped away from reading as a pastime. So, be kind to yourself and keep at it.

If You Are Struggling, Try Out Some Tricks to Help

If you are finding it difficult to come back to reading, here are a few strategies that can help you out.

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself

Don’t try to do too much all at once! Try sitting down to do some reading for a short period of time, even just 15 minutes. If you want to go a little longer, then great! But if you’re having a hard time sitting still and focusing, put a timer on your reading session to help you build the habit back up. This will help your brain learn how to take content in this way once again.

Also, if you haven’t read for fun in a year or two (or more), maybe don’t rush out of the gate with a hefty 500-page novel as your first book of choice. This may take some discipline. If you want to start off with a romance novel, a fun thriller, or a detective novel, do it! Reading for pleasure is just that: reading for pleasure. 

Go to the Library

As you begin dipping your toes back into reading for fun, remember that your local library can be a great place to explore. If you don’t already have a library card, signing up for one is very easy, and once you are able to borrow books, the world is your oyster! You can try books from any genre, risk-free, because libraries allow you to experiment and try out types of writing you might never have tried before, without the cost of purchasing a book. If you borrow a book and don’t like it, simply return it to the library and choose another book!

You can check out local libraries across Ontario at the Ontario Library Association’s website.

Try Reading on a Screen

I tend to do a lot of extra reading during the summer when we go to the cottage for a week. I can rest assured knowing that when I inevitably spend 5 hours at a time reading in the hammock, I won’t run out of books. Why? Because I bring them on my Kobo.

I know, I know—there are many people out there who say they will never switch from a physical book to reading on a screen. And I get it, I do. I used to be one of them. So, what changed my mind? Well, two things.

The first thing that changed my mind was convenience, which happened when I was attending York University a few years back. There I was on the hour-long GO bus to York with all my notebooks and class textbooks, plus two pretty hefty books I was reading on my own that I needed to bring with me. I knew I would finish the one I was currently reading on the way to campus and would need the second one to fill the bus ride home.

I had heard about e-readers and how these devices could carry all the books you wanted, so I caved and asked for an e-reader for Christmas. It was like night and day—instead of carrying so many books, I just had to take this slim little square that had hundreds of books on it that I could read any time.

The second thing that made me a dedicated e-book reader was that I realized I could get an e-reader that wasn’t backlit, like a computer screen is. When I got my first e-reader, this feature wasn’t available on every brand of e-reader. I’ve gone through a couple of models since then, and my Kobo with its non-backlit screen works best for me.

My love of reading on Kobo continues to this day, and I recently discovered that during busy times of my work schedule, I can read on my phone. It means I can read anywhere I find myself with a few minutes to spare: waiting at the doctor’s office, while my husband runs into the grocery store, or in the kitchen waiting for dinner to finish cooking. If it works, it works!

Try Tracking Your Reading

Lots of people enjoy setting reading goals for themselves each year, and sites/apps like Goodreads can help make tracking your progress easier. If you want to try setting a reading goal, go for it! If it helps motivate you, then why not? You can track for accountability, or just for your own personal satisfaction.

However, tracking your reading even without setting a goal can also be useful. You can keep track of books you’ve read, which titles you’ve especially enjoyed (or truly disliked), which authors you favour, and even track books you’d like to read in the future as a “to be read” pile. 
If you use a tracking method that allows you to rate the books you read, this can help you choose the authors you enjoy reading and the genres that you want more of.  

Choose Books You Want to Read

As I mentioned earlier, definitely don’t jump into your new reading habit with something that you won’t really enjoy or that will overwhelm you. But, as you re-enter the reading world, don’t let your preconceived reading habits influence you too much either. Just because historical fiction was one of the last books you read, it doesn’t mean your tastes won’t have changed in the meantime. Look around for something that grabs your attention and be open to exploring new genres.

For a few years I read mainly romance and nonfiction, until a year into my work at TEC, Beth asked me to review a book she had picked up after reading a review of it in Quill and Quire: Elisabeth de Mariaffi’s The Devil You Know. I hadn’t really dipped my toes into crime or thriller books, but I was willing to give it a go. (Also, my boss asked me to, so I wasn’t exactly going to say no!) And right away, I was hooked.

In the end, trying something out of my comfort zone made me realize that perhaps there were genres that I was ignoring because I was limiting myself to books that were similar to ones I’d already read. You can check out my review here.

I still enjoy thrillers, and have even branched out into true crime as well. I usually get a couple on my Kobo to bring with me to the cottage; however, I still recommend against reading them at night…or alone.

What You Can Learn from Reading Again

The first thing to learn during this process is how to be forgiving of yourself. If you fall out of practice for a few days or weeks, or you don’t enjoy a book you’re reading, that’s okay! Making yourself feel guilty and beating yourself up will only make you feel worse.

Remove the pressure you’re putting on yourself and focus on the fun and enjoyment of reading. If you don’t like a book, like really don’t enjoy it, then put it down and try a different one! (Wuthering Heights is, to this day, one of the few books I’ve quit halfway through, because I didn’t take my own advice about not pressuring myself. Well, Wuthering Heights and the Fellowship of the Ring. We like what we like, and that’s just fine!)

And remember to remind yourself of why you want to get back into reading. Is it because you want to “read” a book and enjoy it without having to “edit” it? Is it to rediscover the joy you felt when reading as a child? Maybe to learn more about a subject or escape into your imagination? Why is picking this habit back up important to you? Once you figure that out then the only thing left is to pick up a book and get to reading!