“There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read.”
Gilbert K. Chesterton
Having examined the profitability of reading in a previous post, it is important to ensure that we can make reading a fun habit. Like the opening quote implies, your attitude towards reading is everything. Hence, you need to develop the right attitude because the following tips may be of little or no help if you do not have the right attitude towards reading.
Read for fun
Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.
–Henry David Thoreau
If you are new to reading, then, please don’t start with one of Shakespeare’s 400 paged books written in archaic English. If you do that, your journey to the world of books will end before it even starts. When you are learning to read; read for fun, read fun things. In summary, read things that will whet your appetite for more reading. You can start with interesting short stories, poems and interesting novels
Read Beautiful Books
When I graduated from Secondary School, a friend, (Subomi) who was in her penultimate year, got me a very beautiful light green flowered Bible as a parting gift. The design of the Bible fascinated me and trust me, because I had a very beautiful Bible, Bible Study became more fun and more often. Till date, that Bible remains one of my most read Bibles. Following my illustration, it almost goes without saying that beautiful things are very attractive. When you have to buy hard copy books, choose books that look appealing and will make you want to read them over books that look drab and uninspiring.
Be Intentional- Choose what you read
When you have a goal, nothing beats being intentional about it. Don’t just read anything because you want to read it. Choose books that you need per season of your life. If the only books you read are books that you receive as gifts. then, you might be in trouble. Choose your own books, buy them because you know you need them. When you buy books with your own money, chances are that you will read them. Read what you need, when you know you need it, then you will be eager to read it. Read the right books!
Don’t Stay Stuck With Traditional Books
We love hardcovers but the reality is these days, it is easier for you to spend three hours staring at the screen of your Laptop or Smart Phone than spending thirty minutes reading a hard cover book. I remember trying to read How to Be Led By the Spirit of God by Kenneth Hagin for the second time recently and I just could not do it, but somehow I came across the E-book of the same title and I was done in three days! So, if PDF and E-books work better for you, please don’t stay stuck with hard copies or force yourself to them.
Read a Variety of Books
It is not unchristian to read books other than the Bible or spiritual books, actually reading other books that can give you valuable knowledge makes you well-rounded Christian and a balanced person. Vary the genres you read. Read fiction, non fiction , textbooks, history books etc. It will make reading a world of sorts for you.
Develop A Strategy For Each Book
A synonym for strategy here is plan. As the popular maxim goes, he who fails to plan, plans to fail. When you pick up a book, have a reading plan depending on the type of book you are reading; academic, fiction, non-fiction etc. If it is an academic book, you should not read it like a novel. You do not need to read from foreword to glossary. Instead read for the topics of interest, the big ideas, read for the major points.
For non-academic texts, your strategy could mean having a ten days plan depending on the volume of the book. Since it is not a novel, where you need to keep the element of suspense by not reading the end before the beginning, you can read a chapter summary or action plan before reading the main chapter; this will help you know what to expect and prepare your mind to read the chapter and make you read more.
Extra Tip
Make jottings
To make the most of the time spent reading, it is always advisable to make jottings of salient points.
I hope this helps you to read better!
