By Cat Barbour ‘24
Staff Writer
The Pew Research Center found in 2019 that 27 percent of American adults did not start a book in the last 12 months, despite the many benefits of reading. Studies demonstrate that reading can increase a person’s understanding of themselves, other people and other cultures while also decreasing loneliness. Pleasure reading has also been linked to increased academic and professional success. Starting to read for fun, however, can be a difficult task. There are many strategies to stay motivated on your literary adventure. The Mount Holyoke News reached out to students to share some of theirs.
Choosing the right book for you is one of the most important steps to enjoying reading. With tons of books out there, narrowing the list down to one can be difficult. Fiona Milton ’22 likes finding books through “BookTubers,” content creators who have YouTube channels dedicated to book reviews, recommendations and other bookish content.
Looking at different genres is useful too. Samantha Pittman ’23 said that it was important for her to move “beyond the notion that, as a college student, I should be reading ‘hard’ books. If you find a book or story you love, you shouldn’t be embarrassed to read it,” she explained. The pressure to read nonfiction or classic literature is not unique to Pittman. While reading biographies and literary fiction is the right choice for some, others prefer a bit of escapism. Wherever you may lie, it is important to read something you will enjoy instead of what others say you should.
If you are struggling to actually sit down and read, one strategy is to set a specific time for the activity. Pittman makes a point to read before bed. Not only is this a good way to include reading in your schedule, but it also comes with benefits: Reading before bed has been found to reduce stress and improve concentration and sleep quality. On the other hand, when sitting down isn’t possible, Milton finds that “Audiobooks are great for filling ‘wasted’ time.” She explained, “I listen while brushing my teeth, eating meals [and] walking around campus. If you read during all those moments, you actually get a lot of reading done per week.”
Now that you’ve started the book, continuing to read is the final challenge. Both Pittman and Milton advocate for reading buddies, someone who reads the book and discusses it with you. Reading buddies can be found in friends or online communities. Goodreads keeps track of your reading and allows you to set yearly goals. It also comes with book reviews, discussion forums and other fun activities such as book giveaways and virtual book talks with authors.
Some people might feel they need a little more structure, like Emma Xue ’23. Xue treats her reading time like another school assignment. She sets daily goals, like trying to read for half an hour to an hour every day, and treats herself when she succeeds.
Milton’s biggest tip, though, is, “If you aren’t enjoying [your book] or feeling excited to read it, put it away. You can easily get into a reading slump by forcing yourself to read something you’re not interested in.”
With these strategies and more, you can make books a part of your life like they are for many others. While finding the time and energy to do so may be hard, it is worth it. As Roald Dahl, author of “The BFG” and other children’s books, once said, “Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.”