Advice how to get back to reading?

[Piotrek81]

I don't meaning recording, although I should probably get back to my solo ASAP.
I mean actually reading books.
There was a time when I would read stacks of books, then it started to peter out. During the last few years I read maybe 10 books a year, and that may be a generous estimate, which includes the ones I soloed. This year the only book I read in its entirety is the one I soloed. Since then, nothing. I actually started reading two books a few months ago, one fiction and one non-fiction, but despite both of them being quite interesting I somehow lost interest.

I guess this is quite vague but if someone has a suggestion how I can get back to reading, it'll be appreciate.
Also, if there's another thread like that, apologies for littering.

[Rapunzelina]

You say that you lost interest in reading, I don't think this is something that you can control. Maybe your mind is occupied by other stuff that take away the pleasure of reading. The usual reason for stopping reading is lack of time, so then the advice is "make time!". But when the reason is lack of interest? Hard to advise.... Start with shorter books. Meditate before reading so that you empty your mind from the cares that won't let you concentrate on reading. Create a calm and pleasant environment for your reading.
Or make it an assignment: for example, set a reward to yourself for completing a book, or find/create a worksheet/activity to test your understanding of the book you want to read. These won't boost the pleasure of reading, but might motivate you until you rediscover the pleasure of reading!
Joining a book club may also be motivating.
Or maybe your interests changed and nothing you can do about it but accept it.

Good luck!

PS. Very interested in seeing other people's perspective on this topic!

[Availle]

Excellent question, Piotr!

Most adults stop reading to some degree. It's the job that gets more demanding, kids take up a lot of free time, spouses, friends or new hobbies encroach on what was formerly reading time... I don't think it's bad in itself, just one of those things we have to deal with when getting older. Once you're retired and the job and kids are gone (and maybe even your spouse ), there will be more time for reading again.

Also, I bet you never stopped reading completely - there's always newspapers, articles online like wikipedia, reading for work etc. Even funny comics count! But that we don't read books anymore, that is what we notice. (Ask how I know. )

For me, forcing myself that I MUST.READ.THIS.BOOK (so I can feel better about myself that yes, I'm still reading books) is not working, regardless of how much I'm interested in the book or the author. That's why most kids hate books they have to read for school. You need to be relaxed and happy about reading, not beating yourself up that you don't.

What helped me is to find a topic or an author I want to learn more about - not necessarily read, mind you! I start with wikipedia and the external links, I check youtube, and if there's a book about it, cool! I also give myself permission to not finish a video, article, or book if I don't like it. This is a hobby, not a school/work assignment. Keep the topics fairly narrow at first, you'll branch out on your own, eventually.

For example, right now I'm trying to read more by and about
- Kenzaburo Oe. I didn't like the first book I read of him, but willing to give him a chance. He must have received the Nobel Prize for a reason.
- Yukio Mishima. Brilliant author and unabashed right-winger. Committed ritual suicide after attempting a coup d'etat and being laughed off the premises. He's controversial even in Japan.
- the Yoshiwara, red light district in Edo/Tokyo from 1617 until 1958.
- the Japanese Meiji period (1886 - 1912) and the Bakumatsu just before it.

Hmmm... Looks like there's a theme here.

[mightyfelix]

What jump started my reading again was finding a group of people online (in person would work too, of course, but might be harder to find) who enjoyed reading similar books to what I like and start talking with them regularly. Enthusiasm is contagious! I actually stumbled into this, first by accidentally finding a podcast taking about books I really enjoyed (The Literary Life Podcast, in my case, but there are many) and then getting involved in their facebook and patreon groups. It's helpful to have a group of people who can give you recommendations and tell you why they loved a particular book.

I also do a lot of my reading with my ears. If not for audiobooks (and LV specifically, of course), I would not be able to read nearly so much!

[Penumbra]

In my case I was having some eyesight issues that made reading paper books a struggle. Eventually I switched to a kindle which lets me set the font size bigger and the brightness brighter and reading has become fun again. Sometimes I get a large print paper book from the library, but mostly I download ebooks from PG. When I record, I record on my laptop, reading the text from the kindle. That works better for me than both recording to and reading from the laptop.

You say you somehow lost interest. Maybe it is worth looking into that. In my case, "losing interest" resulted from it being too much work to read the typical font size of paper books. Perhaps for you interest comes from interaction with others, so a book club would be more stimulating. Or check out a literature blog.

I have a friend who once told me it's OK to stop reading a book I don't like, but I should always give a book 40 pages before giving up. As it happens, the book he was recommending had a major plot twist on page 39, but the point, that you don't have to finish a book that doesn't hold your interest, is perfectly fine and not a sign of personal failure.

[DrSpoke]

despite both of them being quite interesting I somehow lost interest.

Hi Piotr,
I add my thoughts, not sure I can advise. I would maybe try spending some time in a public library, if you have one where you can browse to your heart's content, possibly on a sofa. And I would explore genres farther away from my main preferences. And borrow some escapism books, instead of interesting books. And I would consider other things that have nothing to do with reading; if (clinical) depression is lurking, make sure that you don't underestimate it.
I leave you with best wishes and a word I discovered today: hypernym.

[Piotrek81]

Hard to advise.... Start with shorter books.

Or a collection or short stories. We have similar ideas

What helped me is to find a topic or an author I want to learn more about - not necessarily read, mind you!

I get it. Thanks

What jump started my reading again was finding a group of people online (in person would work too, of course, but might be harder to find) who enjoyed reading similar books to what I like and start talking with them regularly. Enthusiasm is contagious! I actually stumbled into this, first by accidentally finding a podcast taking about books I really enjoyed (The Literary Life Podcast, in my case, but there are many) and then getting involved in their facebook and patreon groups. It's helpful to have a group of people who can give you recommendations and tell you why they loved a particular book.

I'm not sure we have any in-person reading group here, but I'll think about it. On-line group would not motivate me

I have a friend who once told me it's OK to stop reading a book I don't like, but I should always give a book 40 pages before giving up. As it happens, the book he was recommending had a major plot twist on page 39, but the point, that you don't have to finish a book that doesn't hold your interest, is perfectly fine and not a sign of personal failure.

I've never understood people forcing themselves to finish a book either.

despite both of them being quite interesting I somehow lost interest.

Hi Piotr,
I would maybe try spending some time in a public library, if you have one where you can browse to your heart's content, possibly on a sofa. And I would explore genres farther away from my main preferences.

Yeah, I have to start visiting libraries again. Thanks.

[Rapunzelina]

Our local community library shut down completely with covid and never opened up again
I still have to visit the next closest one, maybe a 15-minute bicycle ride, but it's in my plans! Though not as convenient as the previous one, within a 5-minute walk...

[DACSoft]

....

I have a friend who once told me it's OK to stop reading a book I don't like, but I should always give a book 40 pages before giving up. As it happens, the book he was recommending had a major plot twist on page 39, but the point, that you don't have to finish a book that doesn't hold your interest, is perfectly fine and not a sign of personal failure.

I've never understood people forcing themselves to finish a book either.

Many of us are motivated, learned (or conditioned from early age), that when one starts a project (read a book, build a shed, make a science project, plan an event, seek a term in public office, etc.), that they complete the project to the best of their ability. Non-completion only occurring by circumstances beyond one's control.

FWIW,

[GettingTooOld]

could be a lifestyle thing.

if there is a bus trip and you can't use electrical power, a book works. You can only start reading once the bus is onto the highway or you'll get carsick. thats why if there is a movie for all in the bus it doesn't start until the highway. Turns while watching a screen = sickness.

a car trip will be an audiobook because the radio is intolerable for so many reasons and you can't read if you get carsick. You can read while driving I often did that, but it seems to perhaps alarm other drivers if they see you, especially with large newpapers. I don't do it these days of course, motion sickness, you have to look at the road. Same for being a passenger.

So bus trips are books, while car trips are audiobooks because you can use a powered stereo.

plane trips are weird. Am I the only one who looks out the window ?????? I cannot understand how people do not look out the window and would rather watch garbage on television. I cannot understand that at all.

the only other place to read a book is erm, unmentionable. Plus, with a japanese/korean sort of setup you'll never have time to sit and read.

you could always try jail, but I suspect besides being able to catch up on reading there are possible downsides you should check into first.

[Sue Anderson]

Hi Piotr,

Reading books... Your post really stirred up my thoughts, and I wish you well. What came to my mind in a sharp burst when I first read your post, was "how could Piotr possibly expect to have the patience to read books with a war going on next door to Poland???"

Reading, quality reading...needs stability of mind, the ability to concentrate. Depression figures in too.

What came to my mind next, reading your post, was a letter my older sister Ruth (1937-1995), wrote to my husband Sidney entitled "My Strategies" on how to survive life with serious illness. Ruth wrote:

"Cable TV = FNN, CNN, ESPN, Tacoma, Atlanta, C-Span, two PBS stations, 4 classroom channels--sanity assistant."

"Increased magazine subscriptions. Still have trouble with concentration--can make it through book with difficulty. Brain tires. Just shuts down..."

Where Ruth's comments resonated with me were in 1) in admitting that serious reading was, for the time, out of the question; 2) opening oneself to sources of NEW interest; 3) starting out slow ( computer, TV, magazines etc.) and building up to books...

If one is going to read books, they have to vitally interest you at the point in life where you are NOW. They are probably not the books you read in the past.

Personally, when I was in my 20's I could read "serious books" -- academic books. I can't now, and have not been able to for a long time.

What resonates for me now are autobiographies -- how other people managed their lives...

Recently, not being able to find any book I wanted to read, I happened on an article I had cut out of the New York Times Book Review (when the NYTimes was still paper, not the computer) from 2019, titled "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years." I read down the list and picked out a few books to buy used (so there would be no pressure to read by the return-to-library due date). One book from the list, which held my interest was Amos Oz' A Tale of Love and Darkness. Author is in same age bracket as myself, growing up in chaotic times....

Lists of books can sometimes help pique your interest.

With best wishes,

[MaryinArkansas]

I think every reader goes through a reading dry spell. We may be more aware of it now, with ebooks and such declaring, “You have read for 49.7 minutes today” and such. I do set a goal of so many books a year, but rarely reach it. I usually enjoy what I read, so that’s enough of a goal for me.

For those times when my brain is floundering around for something to read, I enjoy looking through a coffee table book. This type of book isn’t presented as a continuous story, but can be good to read in sections for a few minutes at a time. The large pages mean they’re too big to carry around, but the illustrations and text sometimes pique my interest in reading more about a particular subject matter.

[TheBanjo]

For me, installing the Kindle app on my iPhone has been a godsend. Yes, I've got a nice Kindle Oasis reader, and I use that quite often, but I find there are all kinds of little moments in the day when I can squeeze in five minutes of reading on my phone, often while I'm waiting for something else to happen. The iPhone app and the Kindle Oasis sync together seamlessly, so I'm always at the "right place" in a book. I, too, have been through dry periods such as you describe, so I do know what you're talking about. Right now I'm loving the fact that I'm reading more again.

[bobpliley]

I have maybe two dozen books that I have read multiple times….such for sheer escapist pleasure and because I admire a character here or there in these books. Such a revisit; such a pleasure I will never forget, twenty years ago I read The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille. When I finished, I immediately began reading it again from the beginning! Never have done that before (or since).