The Reading Palette

“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”- J.K. Rowling.

Have you ever wanted to read that book everyone was talking about but you just didn’t have the time? Or how many times have you heard about the benefits of reading but couldn’t build a reading habit? Well! You are not alone.

We all have unread books piling up on our shelves and we want to know what lies beneath those fancy covers and the not so fancy ones. Reading books is not only fun but has a myriad number of benefits. You will be smarter, creative and imaginative. You will have stronger analytical skills and improved focus as well as concentration. So take a chance to live your characters life, feel what they are feeling and learn as they learn. Take a dive into the sea of knowledge that every book possesses.

Here are seven ways that will help you build a reading habit-

1. Read the book you like– For your first book, pick a book you think you would enjoy. Don’t read something because you want to be smart or more knowledgeable than others. The purpose of your first book is to give you pleasure, to take you on a vacation. See if there is something you want to experience in your life. An intense love affair, a life-threatening adventure or a dream vacation, whatever it is that gets you to pick that book up and start reading.
2. Set smaller goals– Don’t make unrealistic goals of finishing the entire book in a week. As you begin, just go for the amount of time that makes you comfortable and fits your schedule. It could be four to five pages a day or even one page a day. It doesn’t matter as long as you are reading. By not pressurizing and over- expecting from yourself, reading will not feel like a burden. You will feel motivated to keep reading.
3. Don’t try to understand everything–  You don’t have to understand the meaning of everything that’s written in the book. Don’t look up every word as soon as you read it. It will hinder your concentration and ruin the flow. If you are very keen, make a list of the words you don’t know and look them up after you have finished reading. Once you have read a few books, you will understand a lot of the words only by reading the sentences. It’s a good exercise for the brain and will help you memorize the words faster.
4. Make a reading sanctuary– Reading a book is like going on a journey and trust me, you would want to go on this journey alone and in peace. Pick a spot where you are comfortable and where no one will disturb you. Find a quiet and clean place to read your book. So whenever you are in that place, you would feel an urge to read. Treat reading a book as some quality time you are spending with yourself. A sanctuary can be any place, a corner in your house, a spot in the park, somewhere in your workplace, wherever it is, it should be yours and yours alone.
5. Share your experience– There is nothing more frustrating when you are dying to share something and no one is there to listen to you. After you have read a book, you would want to talk about it. You want to share your thoughts and experience and whatever it is you liked and disliked about the book. Sharing your experience will boost your confidence and it’s a great way to start a conversation. You will be amazed at how other people think the same as you. Doing this will make book reading an experience you want to experience more and more.
6. Try to read a paperback instead of an e-book- The best part of reading is sniffing a book and getting that old book fragrance, to turn the pages with your hands and explore what lies ahead. You cannot get that from an eBook. Although eBooks are popular and convenient in matters of cost and space, they provide limited physical connection with a book. Having a book in your hand is a whole different adventure. Even if you prefer e-books, you should always have paperbacks in your collection.
7. DON’T GIVE UP– Not giving up is like the best thing you can possibly do if you want to be a reader. You don’t have time? Everyone can spare at least ten minutes in a day, right? You don’t have the patience and want to skip to the last chapter? What if this is your life? You want to live and enjoy every moment. The same goes with a book. Read regularly and with determination. You can start as many books as you want, finishing them is the hard part. Being a reader is nothing less than being a traveler and a good traveler does not leave his journey in the middle.

Everyone has a different story about how they got into the habit of reading and what drove them to read books. And I can promise you every one of it will be as interesting as the books they read. If we talk about me, I was just looking for answers and I found them in this endless world of imagination where you are free and anything can happen. So share your amazing reading stories in the comment section below.