Reading for Beginners

Before you start reading ask yourself these questions:

- Are you genuinely trying to develop a reading habit?

- You want to invest your time, energy, and resources at hand to do so?

- You are not here because you are following the next big trend?

If you answered "Yes" then you have completed the first and most important steps to start reading.

You can not expect yourself to read with a half-hearted effort, just like you can't go to a fight with a mentality that you have already lost, can you? You cant learn a new skill without investing and indulging yourself in it.

To experience the magic every bookish person is describing, you must be able to believe in it.

You can't go and read a book with a closed notion and a close mind i.e " It's a waste of time" or "It's not a piece of my cake" or " I simply can't read, don't have the patience for it" If you have these thoughts lingering in your mind, simply throw them out of the window and start with a clean slate and let's move ahead from here.

Often I see and hear people complaining that they genuinely want to read but always end up giving through a few pages in or midway. Here are some of the things you might be doing to put off reading.

1. Starting with the wrong book: If you are new and starting with a book you have no idea about or a book that a pro-book reader suggested, it will most probably put you off with the heavy vocabulary and complex writing and you are more probable to give it up mid-way. If you are in an early reading phase, do your homework and research a bit on the book you will read, read some reviews, know the story backgrounds, and then it spikes your interest, then only take a dive in. Going head-on with no knowledge of the book can demotivate you more and feed more into your non-reading habit. Ask friends and book-readers alike for a comparatively easy yet interesting read to get you started.

Find a list of books for beginners here.

2. Starting too ambitious: If you are someone just starting reading, don't go grab a 300-page biography with heavy vocabulary that makes you want to give up the second you open it. or start with a heavily metaphoric book that keeps you scratching you are head trying to decode it(like Murakami) Start with easy reads, something that spikes your interest and urges you to read on. Keep in mind your personal interests and read books accordingly if you are a beginner to give you a head start.

3. Too many distractions: In this digital era, where the world is a global village and where everyone and everything is just a click away, it can get difficult for new readers to leave everything and focus their minds on the book they are reading. It can be difficult to shift your focus from the constant notifications. So to curb this and fully focus yourself on the reading, I suggest you put aside these distractions and separate at least 30 mins of your day to focus on reading. Once you do this for a week or more, it slowly starts becoming a habit and when you find yourself enjoying it more, the more natural it comes to you. You can find more about this in one of the igtv challenges that I have been doing i.e. #ReadwithMez

4. Not committing yourself enough to do it: Sometimes a simple reason you cannot do it is that you don't commit yourself to do it. You cannot do something you don't start in the first place. and sometimes you just need someone giving you a little push to do it, to say hey read this and keeping in check with your reading and the most helpful things to keep you in check-in: Buddy Reading". Buddy reading is where you read alongside someone though you may not always do so physically. Don't worry. There are many bookish heads like you with like-minded interests with whom you can virtually buddy read and help each other keep up with their reading goals. One such platform where you can find bookish dragons is @kitabloversnepal So go make book buddies and develop lasting friendships. I myself am so thankful for all the wonderful friends I have made through Instagram

5. Feeling like you don't have enough time: This is something that I myself have gone through. With most of us doing the usual 9-5 jobs, or are in schools and colleges with so many assignments and deadlines to commit to, it might seem we just don't have enough time to sit and read. When I first started my first job, I felt so overwhelmed and constantly tired to even turn a page and guilty for not reading when I really wanted to. But it's okay to feel that way. and what I realized during that time was how I was constantly going through my social media feed instead of using that time to read. So I separated a time slot to do some reading, usually before I went to bed for at least 30-40 mins, For the first few days, it was hard to stick to the schedule but as all great people say " There is no such thing as less time for the things you love. You always find time for the things you love, it's all about priority"

6. Following the Trend: And last but not the least, don't jump into the reading a book bandwagon just because someone said you will love it. Everyone has their own personal tastes and interests. Read if you think it will help you. Don't go follow a trend to read a #bestsellernovel even its way out of your interest. I am not saying to read these books at all, but if you are a beginner it is better if you know yourself and the book so that you can enjoy the book you are reading more and truly enjoy your reading experience.

I hope you find these book reading tips useful. And if you do think these helped you improve your reading, do leave a comment on this post so that I can know that this post was helpful and I can keep creating more helpful posts like this.

Find Mini-Reviews for the "Books for Beginners" here:

Links for Purchasing these books:

P.S. I don't claim to be an expert #bookstagrammer or #reader. All these are my own personal thoughts and opinions and experiences I have collected along my journey as a reader. In no way do I claim to be a know-it-all in these topics. If you have any suggestions to add to, you are always welcome.

Youtube