1.
Know how to read. Since you are reading this blog, I assume this has already been
completed. Good; I like to be able to
start a checklist with something all ready to be struck off. If for some reason you are miraculously able
to understand this tutorial without reading, may I suggest taking a short break
to look into The Literacy Network, or perhaps make a trip to your local library
and ask one of the helpful circulation desk staff for assistance. They’d love to help. That’s what they’re there for.
2.
Okay, now to the more serious obstacles. Find a book to read. Since this is not what to read but how to read
a book, I will leave this choice up to your discretion. Although I would like to remind you that I have
some recommendations, there are also TONS of places to find book recommendations, including but not limited to: Goodreads, Amazon.com, blogs, newspaper articles, magazines, and again, LIBRARY STAFF. You know how I said they'd love to help you learn to read? The other purpose of their existence is to help you find what to read. They're kind of like human search engines, and if you're a library regular, they can get to know you enough to personalize a reading material search more accurately than any online computer program.*
3.
Once you have a book to read it is vital that you find the
time to read it. This is a stumbling
block for most would-be-bibliophiles, because what with work, school, chores,
errands, bills, family, friends, holidays, hobbies, etc. it can be hard to find
the requisite time to read.
In this way reading can be similar to exercise. Exercise is good for the body, and important to keeping it strong. It’s hard for many people to find time to exercise at home, much less go to the gym. Likewise reading is exercise for the mind—and, I believe, the soul—and it can be hard to make time to read in the comfort of one’s living room, much less make a trip to the library.
One thing I remind people who tell me they don’t have time to read is that from a historical perspective our culture has more “free time” than ever. Look at the pre-lightbulb society. Just to survive people had to work all daylight hours, and maybe even had chores to do in the evening, all before crashing into rather uncomfortable beds made of straw in order to get a little rest before the next day’s toil began.
We should be thankful that our society has so much free time, for social media, for television and movies, for music, for events and pursuit of hobbies. We all have free time until we fill it up.
Look at your schedule, how you fill up your off hours. Some people may reasonably have very little time to devote to reading. There are children to parent, accounts to be balanced, dishes to wash. But others may have lots of time that currently is spent watching television or surfing through YouTube randomly. Imagine how much you might read if those moments weren’t frittered away.
Again, if you have a priority to read, then you will read. You will find the time.
In this way reading can be similar to exercise. Exercise is good for the body, and important to keeping it strong. It’s hard for many people to find time to exercise at home, much less go to the gym. Likewise reading is exercise for the mind—and, I believe, the soul—and it can be hard to make time to read in the comfort of one’s living room, much less make a trip to the library.
One thing I remind people who tell me they don’t have time to read is that from a historical perspective our culture has more “free time” than ever. Look at the pre-lightbulb society. Just to survive people had to work all daylight hours, and maybe even had chores to do in the evening, all before crashing into rather uncomfortable beds made of straw in order to get a little rest before the next day’s toil began.
We should be thankful that our society has so much free time, for social media, for television and movies, for music, for events and pursuit of hobbies. We all have free time until we fill it up.
Look at your schedule, how you fill up your off hours. Some people may reasonably have very little time to devote to reading. There are children to parent, accounts to be balanced, dishes to wash. But others may have lots of time that currently is spent watching television or surfing through YouTube randomly. Imagine how much you might read if those moments weren’t frittered away.
Again, if you have a priority to read, then you will read. You will find the time.
Alright, you have the time. Now the place. Find a chair. Is it comfortable? No? Then a) it does not belong to the Spanish Inquisition, and b) it is not a good Reading Chair.
A good Reading Chair fits the general guidelines of being comfortable: roomy enough to stretch in, but cozy enough to curl up in without feeling agoraphobic. It should be soft enough to sustain a reader for hours without discomfort, but not so plushy that the reader falls asleep.
The placement of the Reading Chair is also important. In winter it should be away from drafts...unless you are reading about Shackleton or Oliver Twist and the cold gives an additional dimension of verisimilitude. Otherwise in winter there should ideally be a fireplace or at least a nice warm afghan (again, not TOO nice and warm. We aren’t looking for a Nap Chair in this particular search).
A good Reading Chair fits the general guidelines of being comfortable: roomy enough to stretch in, but cozy enough to curl up in without feeling agoraphobic. It should be soft enough to sustain a reader for hours without discomfort, but not so plushy that the reader falls asleep.
The placement of the Reading Chair is also important. In winter it should be away from drafts...unless you are reading about Shackleton or Oliver Twist and the cold gives an additional dimension of verisimilitude. Otherwise in winter there should ideally be a fireplace or at least a nice warm afghan (again, not TOO nice and warm. We aren’t looking for a Nap Chair in this particular search).
There also should be adequate light. Even if your book is on an e-reader that has a light-up screen, this can be taxing on your eyes after a length of time. If you feel yourself squinting, either from bright or dim light, find a good reading lamp to add to your reading area and adjust the light accordingly.
Optional pieces to add to the ambiance of reading:
- A table for snacks and drinks and to put your bookmark so
that it doesn’t invariably get lost.
- An ottoman to stretch out your feet.
5.
Cut out distractions. See Step 3 for examples of distractions that keep you from reading in
the first place. These same variables
may interrupt your hard-earned reading time. If possible, let the people around you know your schedule of reading,
and ask not to be disturbed. If your
friends still interrupt you, perhaps it’s time to break up with them.
Books before bros, people.**
Books before bros, people.**
But the real distractions are of the electronic kind. First, stop watching Monty Python videos on YouTube after I added that link in Step 4.
This was a test, one which both of us has failed.
Next, it's time to turn off your cell phone. I know it’s hard. I feel the urge, too, its little glowing rectangle calling to me to play games or check e-mail or update my facebook profile. So turn it off. If you’re reading on a tablet this is impossible. So turn off the internet at least. Then when you’re tempted to search Wikipedia or text a friend, the little airplane icon will gently reproach you for your addiction, and you’ll be reminded to go back to your book.
6.
Just read. This is
a “retrain your brain” exercise. Our
culture now is multitasking, multimedia, multi-purposed. It’s time to go back to a simpler time, when
people would sit down to a task or pastime and keep at it for hours. You’ll feel that need to get up and change the
laundry, or check the score, or get something to eat.
Fight it.
Your mind is wired by truncated texts and fast-paced action shows and little blurbs running across the screen of TV and computer, so now you expect everything to move this quickly, and when it does not your mind will think of things that it can “switch” to. If possible, force yourself to read for as much time as you’ve set aside. Hopefully this will be a good long time. And by the end of it, who knows? You may have lost track of all that time, and been absorbed in a world completely created out of words.
Fight it.
Your mind is wired by truncated texts and fast-paced action shows and little blurbs running across the screen of TV and computer, so now you expect everything to move this quickly, and when it does not your mind will think of things that it can “switch” to. If possible, force yourself to read for as much time as you’ve set aside. Hopefully this will be a good long time. And by the end of it, who knows? You may have lost track of all that time, and been absorbed in a world completely created out of words.
**I’m honestly not sure whether I’m kidding or not.
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