Reading Habits: What Are Yours?

Let’s talk about reading habits today!

Being in the online book community has opened my eyes to the various reading habits of other readers. Some of them are relatable, and some of them are new to me. When I think about my reading habits, I realised that the number of books I read doesn’t always reflect how much reading I actually get done in a certain amount of time. That doesn’t make me less of a reader, but it can feel like I’m not doing enough on the days I don’t get the chance to read.

Here are my most common reading habits:

• My reading tends to be pretty inconsistent. For example, I can finish 3 books in a day and then don’t read a single page the following week. I wish I’m more like the people who are diligent about reading 50/100/etc pages every day because reading does make me happy. But I also acknowledge that not every day is the same, and I can’t expect that my reading will also be the same. Otherwise, it’s just putting unnecessary pressure on me!

• I feel like I need to be in the right mood and setting so I can spend at least 1 hour with my book. I can’t do little 5-10 minutes reading sessions (unless it’s a short story). I don’t like it when I’m really getting into my book and then realising I have to stop because I have to go to work or fulfill other obligations. That’s why I generally get more reading done during weekends when I have the extra time to put away.

• This is a habit that many other people say they fall into as well – I tend to put off reading books that I’m excited about! For example, there are books I’ve been looking forward to since last year but the moment I have a copy of them in my hands, I feel reluctant to start. I think I’m just scared I’ll be disappointed. But when I do start them I’ll be like “Why didn’t I read this sooner!”

So, those are my reading habits that maybe some of you can relate to. Please tell me I’m not alone in this! What are your reading habits like?

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Cover photo by Gulfer Ergin