My Reading Habits

 

We all have a different routine that we follow when we want to curl up with a good book. For me, I have a few different routines. Reading in the sunshine, reading at night, reading during a storm – they all call for a different reading experience.

 

Keeping My Mind Busy

Recently, I have been watching all of OliviaReadsALatte’s videos. They are a perfect mix of calming music to read to and book recommendations. If I want to focus solely on my reading, she also has ‘read with me’ videos and she recommends some amazing reading sprint videos from other channels. Listening to other people who are invested in reading makes it easier for me to focus on my own book. I have been known in the past to lose interest in reading even if I am really enjoying the book so having the background motivation of others reading really motivates me to keep reading rather than wondering if there is something else I would rather be doing.

Another way I stay engrossed in my book is by using audiobooks. Listening to them on their own usually leads to me getting distracted by my own thoughts and then coming back to the story with no clue what I just missed. Reading the book while also listening to the audiobook at the same time, however, helps me to be fully immersed in the story and it also allows me to read faster because I take less breaks and can speed up the audiobook to match my reading speed. This was probably the only way I managed to read the novels required for my English degree so I highly recommend this if you are struggling to keep up with the amount of reading you have to do!

 

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

We all know by now that it’s not uncommon to have three different drinks on the go at once. A drink for energy, a drink for hydration and a drink for fun. For me, this is usually made up by a cup of tea (Tetley of course!) or iced coffee for the energy. An obnoxiously large bottle of water, usually with squash cordial added, for hydration. The fun drink varies. Sometimes I’ll have some pop, sometimes chocolate oat milk, the possibilities are endless.

Along with drinks, it’s also important for me to have some snacks around. When I am fully engrossed in a book, I often can’t tell that time is passing and when I finally resurface I realise I am so hungry that I need food ASAP! This usually means that I end up ordering something that is not good for me or for my bank account. If I snack while I read then I am able to make myself food after I put the book down instead of being so hangry that I just need food made for me NOW!

 

Journaling

In one of the FairyLoot subscription boxes I received, I got a reading journal. It is a beautiful faux-leather notebook with pages designed to track the books you have read. There is space for a page count, when the book was released, when you started and finished reading, a rating and a large section for your review. Filling this out once I have finished reading a book allows me to gather my thoughts about the novel and also have a base to return to when I write a review for my blog.

It is also very rewarding watching the pages fill up as I read the books that have filled my shelves and my kindle. Being able to finally give these books the attention they deserve after sitting unread for months or sometimes years. Writing about these stories makes me appreciate them more and also separate them from the other books I have read that month.

 

What is your reading routine? Where do you read? Let’s talk in the comments!

 

Love ya,

Lauren xoxo