That sounds awesome! I want to go!

I've got a google sheet with 5/6 different tabs on it, a reading log where I can update when I started/finished, whether it's a series or not, author, number of pages, genre/sub genre, physical/eBook, where I got it (library/KU/Purchases etc.) and rating, then a tab for my TBR, a series tracker, then a couple of tabs with charts showing different things. I love data and messing around with excel/sheets and it's good practise for formula's etc

There's classical, definitely. I also enjoy putting one of of many "focus/study" playlists on Spotify or other services, usually it'll be some instrumental minimalist beats that are just enough to drown out distracting noises, but not enough to distract from reading.

I keep track of what I've read and how I rated it. Mostly to know what I've already read, but also just for fun.

People enjoy them. Nobody is forcing you to read them. Nobody forcing you to complain and whine like a little baby about them, either.

I use Goodreads but the percentage make me awkward (don’t know how to explaining it…) And I use my journal to rank my books or dedicate a page for it when I need it :]

So he basically creates things to be angry at them? His entires existence revolves around being revolted about things and when he sees that said things do not really exist, he imagines them so that he can continue to be angry, however they are unimportant at best? Is that an accurate description?

Agreed on all your points. I really only continue to use it because it’s hooked up to my kindle and everything gets added automatically when I finish a book. So it’s low effort, but I still have a record to reference if I’m trying to remember a book I’ve read

Nope….reading is one thing listening to music is another.

I finished it on a Thursday morning after which I proceeded to rant about it for half an hour in a Starbucks, I understand!

I have a brain condition where I have terrible short-term memory. After figuring out I'd read this book and that one once I reached the middle, I started a list and have kept it up since 2015. Grouped by year, author, story/book or book series plus where it places in the series (ex: Robin Hobb - Liveship Traders (#3)). Plus small TBR, list of books I'm looking for, and general notes/reminders at the bottom.

My memory is a lot better than it was back then, but the list still comes in handy.

She does what now?

Maybe go to the library first as there’s not so much of a cash upfront cost so if you don’t read as much as you hope to, to start with you won’t feel guilty which can make a spiral of avoidance start.

I use the do not disturb function on my iPhone for reading now and I also try and leave it in another room so I have to physically get up to get it.

Start with books that are light and easy to get into. I’m reading Hilary Mantel ‘the mirror and the light’ at the moment and it’s a bit of a slog for me. I’ve already read 7 books this year including a Donna Tartt for context so even for me (I would describe myself as a reader and that reading gets me into flow) some books just don’t hit the right moment to bring out the positives of reading.

Most of all - have fun, don’t be hard on yourself and reading is for everyone and everything counts. You read a newspaper article - congrats, you read some dialogue on assassins creed - brilliant or read a few chapters of a book - amazing.

But also if reading isn’t your vibe then that’s fine too!

Astute. His entire existence is centered around being angry at imagined slights.

You mean he is full of hatred towards nothing of value? Basically like the title of Shakespeare's work, Much Ado about Nothing, maybe?

No.

It’s a great read.

Set aside 1 hour a day to read.

Tolkien is what made me fall in love with reading, now I devour anything fantasy.

Sometimes it just takes that 1 book.

From the two examples you gave, Dostoevsky and Premchand, you're trying to go from reading nothing longer than newspaper articles to reading classics.

The thing with classics is - they are like a slow roasted meat dish. You start with many, many routine, mundane steps and then after a whole day of cooking you finally have the pay-off of extremely delicious food. To people who naturally enjoy the mindless chores of cooking or people who love the dish, all that mundanity is worth it, and there's something joyous about doing little things that give such brilliant results.

But if your cooking is usually limited to 20-min Hello Fresh meals - it's gonna be a chore to make such a dish. You're gonna be bored out of your mind stirring the damn pot throughout the day, and you're gonna wonder why anybody even bothers. Then you're gonna walk out of the kitchen while the damn thing simmers - and suddenly realize the whole thing has burnt.

You gotta build up to things.

Read contemporary fiction. And don't worry if it's "not a serious book". People like me, who love reading, we started out with small, un-serious books - we just did it as kids, and got sucked into the hobby. Just because you're starting out as an adult doesn't mean you get to skip steps!

I would also recommend trying various genres, and sticking to books published in the 21st century and ones that are not marketed as "classics of the genre".

• Read a memoir - Trevor Noah's Born A Crime is amazing (& I read it without knowing who the guy was)

• Read a thriller - I really liked David Baldacci's "The Innocent" when I was new to the genre

• Read a narrative non-fiction - Ben McIntyre's "A Spy Among Friends" is brilliant, but I may be biased by my fascination with the Philby Story

• Read a pop science book - Mary Roach's Bonk: The Curious Science of Sex might be of interest - which college student doesn't wanna read about sex!? (And I say this as an asexual person myself - it was very entertaining and curious)

• Read a short story collection - I recently read one about an elderly serial killer that was great fun, An Elderly Lady is up to No Good

• Read a popular science fiction novel - Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary was great fun, but I wouldn't have gotten through it without the audio book. On this note, also try different mediums!

• Read a graphic novel - Joe Sacco's Palestine is what got me into it. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was also really good

Read a romance, read a book about sports, read a fantasy, heck google a list of genres and just read the first book that comes up when you google the genre! As with anything else, the trick to enjoying an activity is trying various things till you discover your tastes!

I like to put on the Disneyland esplanade music while I read (or do a puzzle)

For me, this is one of the funniest books ever written. The guy is so bitter and vengeful towards the pettiest stuff. I read it to feel better about myself.

Vanillin

Start with short fun novels, starting off with something huge and dense is just setting yourself up to quit

You're likely falling asleep because you're exercising your brain in a way it's not used to. It should get better as you go. The same thing happened to me when I got back into reading and then again when I started reading regularly in French. And both times it slowly went away as I kept reading.

I did…. Lmao

If your problem is you can’t read consistently but you know you like fantasy books, then don’t give up on them! You are not wasting your time by using leisure hours doing something you like. And you are learning from them - you are building your vocabulary/grammar skills, being exposed to new ways of human (and non-human) interactions/perspectives you wouldn’t otherwise be, and you are exercising your imagination! Think of it like a workout for your brain. Also, as others have said, I encourage you to not read just because you think it looks cool or sexy. That is literally being a poser which is the opposite. The guy who reads at a bar because he wants girls to think he’s smart is a notoriously lame archetype.