With the new year here, lots of people, from voracious readers to occasional readers, have updated their reading goals. So in an attempt to help you reach that goal, even if with one book, I want to share ten tips for how to read a book in a day.
- Set aside an entire day or an entire morning/afternoon/evening to start and finish the book you will choose.
- If an audiobook, choose a book that is under 10 hours. If an e-book, decide if you will be reading silently or if you will enable Siri to narrate for you. (Note: If you do the latter, you can adjust the speed of Siri) Whether an e-book or physical book, choose a book under 350 pages or if you’re going by word count, under 100,000 words. (Typically, it takes me 3-5 hours to read a book that’s 50,000 words, if that helps. Note: You Can Search Titles By Word Count Here)
- Choose a book in a category (fiction or nonfiction), age category (Children, Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, Adult), and genre that you are in the mood to read.
- Consider choosing a book written by an author you’ve already read and loved or a writer whose style and tone you are already familiar with as this may help you in being able to dive right into the book. If not, read the first chapter of a couple of books that you have in mind for your day read and then decide on your book.
- Get a good night’s sleep the day before. You’ll be so glad that you did.
- Have a big breakfast on the day of. Prep your meals, snacks, and drinks for the day or period of time that you’re setting aside to read that morning or the night before.
- When it comes to setting, choose an area to read where you’ll be comfortable and you won’t be distracted. (Tip: Don’t go to the public library on the weekends for quiet reading if your library is small because that is the wrong time to go since kids of all ages will be there.) If you listen to music while reading, choose your music (and headphones) ahead of time.
- Plan your breaks ahead of time. For instance, make it a goal that after every 100 pages or every 10 or 20 chapters or every hour, you will stand up and stretch, go to the bathroom, etc…
- Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode. Or the opposite. Live tweet your reactions to the book as you read.
- If you’re reading a book that has been adapted into a movie or TV show, have that rental ready to watch as your reward for completing the book!
Good luck on your reading journey this year! Here’s to many books you’ll read in one setting in 2017! Woo! You’ve got this!
Be sure to check out my guide on How to Read Widely!
Happy Reading!