I have always loved reading since I was a child. My childhood was filled with books from Dr. Seuss to Roald Dahl to JK Rowling. Reading is a hobby that I discovered at a really young age, and it has stuck with me ever since. Reading was my definition of a hobby, and little did I know that I would be working on my own novel one day. All the books that I read shaped my love for writing, and that’s where it all began. This post is about my journey with books, how it helps my mental health, how to find books that you would not fall asleep reading, and most importantly, how to start reading. A lot of my friends and family, my parents included, often ask me, “How do you read books for fun?” and often quote, “I would fall asleep reading.” so here I am trying to explain why I read books for fun.
My reading journey
When I look back, my earliest reading memory is associated with a book titled “The little house” by Virginia Lee Burton. I was probably five years old back then, but that book ignited a hobby that soon became something I fell in love with. Although it was not the first book I ever read, it was one of the first books I remember reading as a child. Since then, up until eighth grade, I read plenty of books, explored classics like Harry Potter, and then suddenly stopped reading. By December 2019, I had entirely stopped reading, and I just could not bring myself to pick up a book. I assumed that I grew out of it and forgot all about it. Before I stopped, the last book that I read was “Beautiful broken things” by Sara Barnard. I have heard tons of nice things about this book, but it was not for me, and it bored the hell out of me. Then came a phase where I started watching the movie version of books instead of reading them, from Everything, Everything to All the bright places. I watched the movies and felt that watching the story on screen was better than the books themselves, and this went on for a while.
In the middle of the pandemic, I started seeing books getting hyped all over social media. Influencers and celebrities started sharing certain books, and many friends got into reading as well. Just to witness what all the hype was about, I picked up “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover. That book got me back into reading and put me through an emotional roller coaster in the best way possible. Colleen soon became my favorite author, and if I could only read one book for the rest of my life, this would be it. I fell in love with the story, and it is my all-time favorite. If you decide to check this book out, it is a very bold and deep novel so check the trigger warnings before reading because it goes a little deep into the roots of topics such as abuse. Now, of course, this book is not going to make everyone fall in love with reading magically, but it worked for me. Thanks to “Booktok” for filtering out the best of the best. Booktok is basically a sub-community dedicated to books in Tik Tok, and somehow the things trending there make their way to Instagram, which is now the only way I keep up with what’s happening there. When it comes to the book itself, I personally prefer reading paper copies of books over ebooks/audiobooks, so just to get the full experience, I would recommend paper copies.
The question of the hour – How to start reading?
To answer this, let me first answer why you should start reading. Reading is somewhat like watching a show expect the show runs in your head. I probably don’t read enough to label myself a “bookworm,” but I read enough to consider it a hobby. Like playing video games, watching comfort movies, or comfort shows, books help you escape the moment, which is very soothing. The books I read give me comfort and keep me entertained. That is the simple reason behind why I read. If video games or shows give you that comfort, that’s great then, but if you are looking to start a new hobby or just start reading to reduce screen time, I hope this post helps. Before buying a book, think about a genre you think you would enjoy. Obviously, a dozen genres would pop into your head but find the one that interests you the most and do some research. Find a book you think you would enjoy and start reading. If the book still gets you bored, experiment with genres and authors since there are plenty of fish in the sea. It may take a while to find books you enjoy but trust me; the process is worth it. Reading is not something that everyone would enjoy and I agree but it is worth giving a shot.
Social media is pretty much all you need to find books. I have a massive list of books that I want to read, so I usually don’t go book hunting. However, many Instagram handles like @bettysbooklist can help you find books you like. You can also download Goodreads – an app for readers and book recommendations. If you want a few handpicked suggestions, feel free to contact me anytime. I hope you liked reading this post. I know that I have been very inconsistent with my posting schedule but let’s hope 2022 changes that. I hope you have a great week ahead!
– Shivani
@bettysbooklist : https://www.instagram.com/bettysbooklist/?hl=en
The most popular books on “booktok” : https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/booktok/_/N-2vdn
Goodreads site (you can download the app as well): https://www.goodreads.com
Shivani Arvind 