Want To Get Back To That Reading Habit? 5 Tried And Tested Ways To Rekindle Your Love For Books
Chapter 1: Once Upon A Time
In the city of dreams called Mumbai, a girl was born and raised. She had everything that a girl her age could dream of and yet there was only one thing that she ever wanted – books. That girl was me. Growing up my parents – especially my mother – instilled the habit of reading in me. Every night I was to read a book before I fell asleep and enter a new world of dreams. And I have to say, growing up that was my favourite thing to do. I used to enjoy reading to the extent that mum would often run out of books. And what followed later would be more book shopping, where I could buy any three books that I wanted. Even as a kid, I gravitated towards books that looked like portals to another world.
And those three always ended up being fiction mystery novels or adventure novels – like Hardy Boys, Famous Five, Nancy Drew, the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes books, etc. They changed the way I looked at the world. They made me curious about each and everything that I saw in my day-to-day life. In fact, they pushed me to ask questions about everything around me even if that annoyed the people I was asking.
Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens
The older I grew, the more I fell in love with books. Rather than a way to pass my time, reading became one of my favourite hobbies. I not only read a book before I went to sleep but I also read it whenever I got the chance. My habit of reading books helped me a lot with my academics. I would finish reading the chapters faster than the other kids and I would also understand them better. In fact, thanks to them I can read people, surroundings, and even situations.
But things don’t last forever and change is inevitable. As I started growing up, the time I used for reading shortened and that broke my heart. I had so much on my plate – academics, extracurriculars, classes, exams, etc. – that I could hardly give time to books. There came a point around my 10th grade where I stopped reading altogether and that pained me beyond reason.
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Even though I started reading again during my junior college years, I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. Why? Because I couldn’t give it the time and attention it needed and that’s when I realised, I was struggling and pushing myself to read. Later on, when I chose English as my major, I had no other option but to read. But I ended up reading the texts prescribed in the curriculum. Moreover, I’d read it keeping in mind the literary theories that I was taught, and trust me, that is not the way a book should be read.
My relationship with books was complicated. I’d read them but they didn’t excite me and the reason for it was simple, I was reading the books I was told rather than choosing them myself. And as soon as the realisation hit me, I went to the nearest book store I could find and picked three books that got my immediate attention.
Chapter 3: The Conflict
Books and I were now closer than ever. I would remove time from my daily schedule and ensure that I read at least two books a day. And most of the time, I would succeed at it. I was happy with my books and my routine until the day the pandemic took over.
The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything for me, for all of us. I knew too many people whose work-life balance was imbalanced, who didn’t have definite work schedules, and they had so much on their plate that they forgot about the things they love. It was then when I spoke to people around me that I realised that most of what people were doing in the pandemic were working and binge-watching. I realised that people’s relationships with books had become like mine when I was in junior college.
People had an estranged relationship with books. And why wouldn’t they? I mean, there was an overwhelming number of movies and series available online that distracted them from books. People would read books when they are either commuting to work or are traveling, neither of which was possible during the pandemic. And that strained their relationship with books even further.
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Chapter 4: The Resolution
When I realised that people’s relationships with books were becoming more and more strained, I knew I had to do something. I did not know what I wanted to do but I just wanted to do something. And so, after giving it hours and hours of thought, I finally came up with 4 ways through which one can have an even more fulfilling relationship with them.
Here are my 4 – tried and tested – ways that you can opt for to ensure that you never get out of touch with books:
- Make it a habit to read at least one chapter a day and then slowly increase it up to two and then to three and so on.
- Start with ones that have fewer chapters and fewer pages. It will push you to finish it faster.
- Read books from genres that evoke curiosity and interest.
- Opt for tangible books rather than online ones. There is a different feeling to books when you can touch and smell them.
Chapter 5: Happily Ever After
I know we all lead very busy and hectic life. In fact, we’re so surrounded by the reality that more often than not it becomes overwhelming and difficult to deal with. And so needing an escape from reality becomes even more important. That’s where books come in.
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Books are these portals that transport you into another universe where you are not you and your reality doesn’t exist. They provide an alternative perspective and contain so much knowledge that they can even help you find a solution for your real-life problems.
Books can be intimidating at first, but trust me give them a chance. One chance and they will become your partner for life. They are my happily ever after, to say the least.
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