10 Ways You Can Become a Regular Reader today

Are you one of those people who love to read but just is so busy with life that you do not have to time to read? Raise your hand if that is the story of your life. It is so easy to fall into a regular routine and not have time to read. With our hectic lives, it is easy to "forget" to read or to look for excuses as to why you do not have time to read.

However, there is hope for us! It is not actually that difficult to add reading into your regular routine as we tend to have time to spare during the day. It is how we choose to use that time which is important. Reading helps us to gain knowledge and is known to help with mental stimulation.

Here are ten ways you can work on becoming a voracious reader today!

1) Make a list of books you are interested in reading
This will motivate you to look for the books you want to read and then actually read it in your free time. You can look online for book lists for inspiration on books you are interested in.

2) Join a local library
Libraries tend to have a ton of books and you can just borrow it for free. Libraries also have a wide range of books so while browsing through the books, you never know what you might find. Try to challenge yourself and pick books from various genres. You can pick multiple books at once and return them once you are done. If none of the books grab your attention, you can always go back and choose other books.

3) Set aside time to read daily
You have to set aside time to read daily whether you want to or not. Try to set aside 15-30 minutes daily just to sit down with your book and read. You can easily get this time by cutting down on mindless surfing online(Read: Facebook, Twitter , Instagram etc) and instead giving this time to focus on reading.

4) Learn various reading techniques
The more you read the more you will start to pick up reading techniques such as skimming and speed reading. You can skim in the beginning of the book to see if you are really interested or not interested enough to commit to reading the book. This way, you will be reading more books as you will be able to get through a book faster.

5) Join a book club
Why not join a book club in your area? You will be more motivated to read this way. You will be able to meet with different members of the book club to discuss the characters and the plot of the book  which will keep you engaged with the story.

6) E-Books
If you are someone who prefers to read on a tablet rather than an actual book, go for it! It is convenient compared to traditional books. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of e-books and traditional books( https://chanda-chandasblog.blogspot.tw/2017/12/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-e-books.html) You can check out more information in the link above.

7) Keep a notebook
You can use it to write quotes from the book and follow your progress in the book. You can use it to write summaries, book reviews etc. A notebook can also be used to keep progress of how many books you have read so far. It can also be useful in looking back and seeing what you have actually learned from reading the book.

8) Go to a quiet place to read
Sometimes you really need to go somewhere peaceful and quiet in order to fully concentrate on reading. You can go to a quiet corner in your house and spend time reading there. You can also choose to go to the library if you do not want to be disturbed by others. It helps you to focus on the book and not be distracted by others things.

9) Read at night before going to bed
Sometimes we just want to read in a relaxed manner before dosing off to sleep. Why not turn off your electronic devices earlier and just spend the extra time in bed and read? It is so relaxing to just sit on your bed and read.Remember as kids how our parents' used to read us bedtime stories?  It is because reading before sleeping actually helps to get a great night of sleep. It helps us to relax and de-stress from our day.

10) Turn off your electronic devices
If you are someone who is easily distracted, I would suggest turning off all your electronic devices in order to concentrate on reading. This way, you can focus on reading instead of checking your phone every few minutes. Take a deep breath and only focus on the book as that is the only thing that should be on your mind.

Advantages and Disadvantages of E-books and Traditional books

There are many ways to read a book in today's world. Whether it's through purchasing an e-book online or by buying traditional books at a store, books have come a long way. There are several advantages and disadvantages of both e-books and traditional books.

First, we will discuss the advantages of e-books. 

1) E-books are easily accessible. You can purchase e-books at the tip of your fingers. You can read them on your phone, on your tablet device or any other electronic device anytime you want.

2) In comparison to printed books, e-books are much more environmentally friendly. As e-books are the digital version of a book, it does not need to be printed like traditional books which saves trees. Another reason e-books are environmentally friendly, is that there won't be any pollution associated with shipping as e-books do not need to be shipped to a store near you like printed books.

3) E-books help to preserve books. E-books are ageless.  Unlike traditional books, e-books will not rot and fall apart with time. Your printed books might start to fade with time, and the pages might turn yellow. However with the e-book, as long as there is no problem with your electronic device, your e-book will look the same as when you first bought it.

4) If a catastrophe were to ever occur, you will not end up losing your entire book collection. As long as your electronic device is safe you have nothing to worry about.

However, e-books also have some disadvantages.

1) When you use e-books, you are staring into a screen. In the long-term, it does cause damage to your eyes.

2) E-books are not exactly cheap, sometimes it costs the same, if not more, than the actual printed version of the book. As traditional books have to be printed and shipped, it does not make sense if the electronic version of the book costs the same amount, or even more, than the actual printed version of the book.

3) Did you know that when you purchase an e-book on your electronic device you have not actually bought the e-book? You have just paid money to have the license to read the book. Which means, the license can be revoked anytime the company deems necessary. I would suggest checking the terms of service when you buy an e-book next time.

4) I mean this is obvious but if you want to read e-books, you must have an electronic device. Electronic devices are not cheap. Especially if you are looking to shop for a specific tablet for reading such as a Kindle. You have to first pay to buy the hardware, then pay to purchase the e-books to fill it up.

On the other hand, we also have traditional books.

1) Traditional books are timeless and the feeling of holding an actual book in your hand is like no other.

2) Traditional books are also comparatively better for your eyes than e-books, as it does not put excess pressure on your eyes the way that staring into an electronic device does. Print is better for the eyes than light from electronic devices. Studies have shown that print books help retain memory of what you have read in the long-term.

3) If an e-book and printed books cost the same amount of money, it would be more worth purchasing a traditional book than a printed book. As I mentioned earlier, traditional books have to be printed and shipped, it does not make sense if the electronic version of the book costs the same amount, or even more, than the actual printed version of the book.

 4) You can collect your traditional books in your bookshelf. There is a certain novelty factor in collecting traditional books and filling your shelves with new books you have gotten. People can also get to know you better by seeing the types of books your bookshelves are filled with.

Nonetheless, there also some disadvantages to the traditional way of reading.

1) Print books do take up a lot of space, especially if you have the habit of regularly purchasing them. Your bookshelves might get full then you need to think of new places to keep your books.

2) Print books aren't actually environmentally friendly. First, you need to cut down trees for the paper. Then you need to ship the books to different countries. All of which contribute to pollution associated with shipping.

3) Over time, traditional books tend to disintegrate and fall apart. This can be troublesome if you are someone who enjoys travelling with books or if you plan to pass the book to someone else.

4) Books may make their way to landfills, if someone chooses to throw it away. In order to destroy the book there, it produces twice the climate change emissions than the manufacturing process of the print book itself.

In the end, it all boils down to preference. Some people might prefer the convenience of an e-book, while others may prefer the comfort of a printed book. However if you are someone who prefers traditional books, I would suggest you to check out your local library and borrow books from there in order to be more eco-friendly.