How to inculcate the habit of reading? And why even read?

I was having this interesting conversation about books with my good friend Syed Saroosh. I had last week posted on my social media: “Sara aBOOKER deserved booker more than Banu Mushtaq.” It was a wordplay joke on “booker” word inside the name of Sara Aboobakar (I have not read both Mushtaq and Aboobakar and do not know their literature). Saroosh told me that he was trying to read the book “Heart Lamp.” And the conversation went to – how to inculcate the habit of reading, commitment to read and the guilt of not reading after buying the books. I thought it is a good idea to just reflect around books and reading.

Why some of us find it hard to read

For most of us, reading came as a deviation from our playing when we were too young. We were made to read the letters – which was surely a new skill and tough to do. Not all of us had good teachers and wonderful books to learn during our nursery. Come first and second grade, if we did not have good books to learn, we started to hate the very idea of books and reading.

One more reason why we did not like reading is because, we were never given the opportunity to read beyond our school books. I am glad, my father got us a few Kannada and English story books during our nursery days, published by Navakarnataka Publications. Most of these were translated from Russian publisher Raduga Publications. These books had very good colour cartoons and pictures. Some of the books were “pop up books” – meaning, when you turned the pages, some of the parts of the image popped up in 3 dimension. These were all good for nursery time.

Once we started moving ahead, I did not get much opportunity to read beyond the school books. The idea my mother had is that, I am not reading the school books, so I would probably wouldn’t read the other books too! We did not have a library at our middle school. We had a small library in the high school for formality and there was no effort to encourage us to use the library. The formalities to use the library were too many and hence we could not even think of going to the library. Our teachers also did not encourage us to read anything beyond the school text books. People around us considered buying books and not reading to be a crime. So, better don’t buy if you cannot read it!

We did have some circulating libraries around. Once in a while, my sister took me to the circulating library and she would borrow some women’s magazines and Bollywood magazines. I borrowed and enjoyed reading comics like Archies and Tinkle. But my teachers and parents discouraged the reading of comic books. Our biology teacher Swaathi Maam told us that students’ imagination abilities have come down by reading comic books, because the story is already expressed in the form of images. My teacher told us that reading novels and story books is better for our brain. Many years later, I am thinking what my teacher would have said seeing the widespread availability of web series, viral content and never ending reels!!!

It is also to do with the friends circle, I did not have many friends in school who were into reading books. It was only when I came to college a couple of friends started speaking about books and novels. That’s where I started reading a few authors.

To summarise, the ones finding it hard to read

• did not get to read anything beyond their school books
• did not get encouragement to read books
• Did not have libraries around or nobody inspired them to check the libraries
• Did not have relatives and friends who were into reading
• Did not get good book recommendations
• Started with the wrong books
• Had friends who said “do not be a book worm” and made fund of reading books

Why Read?

Before we even get into how to inculcate the habit of reading, let me deal with the question: “why read?” There are of course, people who carry a book to show off in the society and on social media. There are genuine readers who are do not care about the trend and read what they like to read. Reading surely brings certain joys, but just because you do not read does not make you any inferior. There are people who have led happy life and been successful without reading one book! However, being born as a human, you should at least once attempt to start a reading habit. After some efforts, if it does not work, do not worry too much and move on. I hope this eases the pressure on you to read.

There should be no pressure to read. Please do not go by the “list of books to read before you die” / “If you do not read these 5 books, you won’t be successful in life” / “10 books that will make you wiser in money management”. These lists often create a goal, a pressure and you are mostly going to fail due to the pressure. You do not need to read just because everyone in the society or your peer group is reading. So, before we proceed, let’s be clear: there is no pressure on you read and finish certain number of books in a month or a year. There are no goals. You wish to take up reading as a hobby and for the joy it gives.

Now that we are clear, there is no pressure to read and you are here to feel the joy of reading, let me tell you what makes reading enjoyable and gives joy. Recall the first time you heard a story in your childhood. A story your grandmother told you when you were a kid. How did you feel? You were hooked into her words. You waited what happens next. You were in awe when your grandmother told you that Shri Krishna fought a snake that was 100 times bigger than him. You were terrified, but had goosebumps when your friend narrated the story of a “Mohini in white saree” during the night! This same feeling is felt when you read a book with similar fiction content.

God bless your grandmother! None of us live forever. But you want to hear the stories of your grandmother forever. So you will say, “can I record her stories through a microphone and keep it forever?” – yes this is what people did 500 years ago when they invented writing as a method to preserve knowledge and information. This is how writing of books started. In India, epics were written hundreds of years ago.

One big advantage of books is that you do not need a living person to narrate you. You can read at a time convenient for you. You need not wait for the person to come and sit with you. One fan of Ruskin Bond told me, “I have never met Ruskin Bond in real. However, I know uncle Ruskin Bond so well and he has narrated me so many stories through his books. I feel I have met him better in books, than in person!” Another book reader told me, “I will tell you the number of interesting characters I have met through these books, it’s given me so much of wisdom for life.”

Humans since the times they learnt to speak have been sharing stories that were either what they experienced or what they imagined (fiction). This was the basis for all the dramas, plays, poetry, books, movies and series. The recent addition is “audio books”. Though audio books are great, you cannot flip them conveniently like you do with books! So many centuries of evolution, but the convenience of holding the hard copy of a book and reading it at your convenience is something no other format can give. I can bet you on this. The convenience and luxury of reading while waiting for a bus or while sitting in a park or in a café is nice.

Recall a time when you accidentally met a person at a café or during travel. He had interesting stories to share from his life. He looked so simple, but he told you he owns property worth crores. You talk to him, you can see he is satisfied in life and happy. You wish to know more about his life. He starts narrating, you are hooked to his life story. He is telling you how he started his first business. Before he tells you how he was successful in that business, his station arrives and he leaves! So disappointing right? What if people like him recorded their life experiences about success, happiness, travel, business, goals, life challenges and made it into a book? Would you be interested to read it?

The objective or the motivation for new readers should be based on this idea. Imagine what stories you love to hear from people? What are the topics that interest you to listen to? What type of people you love to hang out with? If you choose books written by such people on such topics, I am sure you will not put the book down!

Many people will tell you the advantages of reading. That they became successful due to reading books. I would say that starting to read with an expectation also would create some eagerness. If your expectation is not met, you get disappointed. So, I would better ask you to simply read for joy and not with any expectations!

Where to get your books from?

Because most of us these days are privileged, we have books on discount on amazon, we all do online shopping, the advertisements are repeatedly telling us to own the books, we are often temptation to buy a book to read. Before 1950s, books were too costly and could be afforded by elites. Thanks to mass production, technology and better salaries, we can afford to buy books. But then, some of the best readers do not really own the books they read!

Saroosh told me that buying a book creates that commitment of “I have paid for this book, hence I ought to finish reading this book.” But I countered him saying that, “what if the book is bad and you are on one hand not wanting to read the book, but on the other hand wasting your time reading the same book out of guilt of wasting your money!”

If you really wish to buy a book and can afford it, do buy it. My suggestion for a new reader is – please do not buy a kindle or ebook reader to start your reading journey. There are way too many formalities due to which your simple book reading habit will become complicated as hell! First buy a kindle, then setup your account, buy the books. Kindle asks you to better go for subscription. Set up the internet for the kindle. Instead, just go to any book shop or a library and get your f*cking book!!

You can acquire book from one of these methods:

1. Borrow from a friend: but your friend should be ready to give you. Once you borrow the book, make sure you do not mutilate the book and remember to return the book in good shape. It is a good idea to keep a reminder on your phone or give your stationery in memory of the borrowing! I have had people who took good books and never returned them. So, I avoid giving my books!
2. Borrow from a library: this is the best method to get a book. For the first time, you will have to pay a library deposit fees and get a card. You may have to pay a fine if you do not return the book on time. Libraries are best places to start reading. If you cannot borrow, read them in the library itself. A library has many advantages, which I will tell a bit later.
3. Second hand book shops: also known as “used books” or “pre loved books” – some of these shops give you books at affordable prices. Most of the popular titles are available in such shops. Some of the shops even have the facility to take back the same books for a price surely less than what you bought for! So, this surely works cheaper than buying books and higher than borrowing from a library. You can use the book the way you want and can even mutilate it. Just that you will not get a good resale value – which is negligible.
4. Road side vendors: these are usually pirated copies and you get the same content on a lower quality paper or sometimes same quality paper. I mean to say – these are pirated copies. Your bargaining skills will come handy here. You purchase many books and you get good discounts. Be sure to check amazon listings, because some of the bestsellers in public domain are sold for very good price. Some of the well known authors have revealed that they had purchased pirated copies during their struggling days.

What to read?

The biggest dilemma for the new readers is – what to read? People are ready to spend money without dilemma, but they want to buy and read “good books.” I would not suggest you to aim for “good books”. Rather, I will suggest you to aim for “books that are right for me”. Taste in books, writing quality are all subjective. Much like cuisines, coffee, beer and pizza – books also depend on taste of each individual. A book might have won a booker prize, but it may not go well for you! Do not assume that you are not worthy of that book or you are not good enough. It is just about your taste! People who are regularly into reading do not rush to buy a book because it won an award.

First decide what you wish to read – fiction or non-fiction. Fictions includes novels, stories and poetry. Non-fiction books are usually these “personality development” and “self help books” and “business books”. There are also books that are “biographies” and these come under “non fiction”. But some people tell so many lies in their biography that my friend jokes, “oh his biography should be labelled under fiction section!”

Most of the avid readers are into fictions like novels and poetry.

It depends on many aspects:

1. MOOD: What is your mood like? Some people have weird expectations from books. For example, some people are already sad and wish to read tragedies and sob a lot! This sobbing gives them some relief. Some people are all fine, happy, well to do, yet want to read some sad novels and cry!! Some are sad and wish to read humour, so that they feel happy. Some wish to travel, but unable to travel, so they pick a novel where the character travels to places.
2. TOPICS and INTERESTS: What are the topics that interest you? You name a topic and there are hundreds of novels on each of these topics. There are novels based on sports, music, movies, science, laboratories, workplaces, college, arts etc. You just need to search “good reads dot com” lists to explore. Or even amazon or local library can help you.
3. LEARN: at times, you wish to learn something and books are good to learn many things. Not every skill can be learnt and mastered through books, however books can offer a good starting point and good theoretical foundations. For example, you wish to learn gardening, baking, writing poetry, starting a business, being a freelancer etc. There are books on this.
4. CULTURE AND AUTHOR: The culture of the author becomes important, especially for those whose mother tongue is not English! Authors from your country can be easy for you. People in India love Chetan Bhagat because the cultural setting, beliefs, characters are relatable. And even his English is not too advanced. People in India have liked Amish Tripathi and Devdutt Patnaik because they deal with Indian mythology – that is familiar to Indians!
5. LIFE: Sometimes, people are going through something in their lives. They want to make sense of what is happening. Or they want to come to terms with reality. At times, people do read to understand the meaning of life. Usually people turn to religious and spiritual books. Some read memoirs and biographies. It depends.

Before you buy or borrow:

1. Good Reads: Check the reviews on good reads website. The rating given on goodreads is usually reliable. Good reads has “lists” where you can find books based on genre, emotion, topics etc.
2. BOOK REVIEWS: some of the magazines and newspapers have book reviews every month or week. Do check these reviews. However, these reviews have become too much PR driven and can be misleading.
3. EXCERPTS: some of the publishers do give permission to print or reproduce the first sample chapter of their books on newspapers / magazines / online websites. This can give you a fair idea about the book.
4. BLURB: The backside of the book has a summary or synopsis of the book. It gives an idea of what the book is all about. Thanks to Radhika for reminding me about the blurb aspect.
5. Pick the book: Most of the books are not sealed. So you can open them and read a few pages. Once you find the blurb interesting, just read a few pages and ask yourself it is goes easy on you. Is the topic fine? Is the language understandable? Or is the book complicated? Does the book go well with your mood? Do you feel joyous reading the book? One caveat though: a lot of books start giving you that thrill or joy only after you complete at least 30% of the content. It becomes better as you near the climax!
6. Length: Just check for books that are small or have a collection of short stories. Or go for novels in which each chapter is short!
7. Format: there is a format called “graphic novels” – these are loved by teenagers and adults too. There are comic books too. If you are a beginner, comics may work really well!

When choosing, always pick 3-4 books together. If it is a library, you may borrow 2-3 books only. Why I ask you to borrow multiple books is because, that one book you bought after 1 month of research and reading reviews isn’t good for you within a day! So, you may start regretting. So, better have 2 more books as back up. There are people who keep reading multiple books side by side.

Once you start reading

People say they do not have time. For such people, I say, you simply carry your book wherever you are moving. You never know where you can find time. You have placed an order for coffee, it’s taking time, sit and read a few paragraph till the coffee arrives (instead of scrolling reels! Books are a good way to cut down on screen time and reel scrolling). You are waiting for the doctor, read a few pages. Getting restless waiting for the bus? Just read a few pages. Every time you feel bored and do not know what to do, just pick up the book. Keep a book mark so that you know where you left. You do not need pencil or markers usually. Just enjoy the process of reading.

Dictionary and google: Initially when you start reading, you may not know a lot of words. You would not know their meaning. You will be tempted to check the exact meaning of so many words. If you check the meaning of a dictionary, it may be fine. But if you pick up your phone to check the meaning, you will take 30 minutes to get back to the book after checking all the notifications!!! One of my friends Ramya told me that initial days, resist the temptation to check the meaning of words every single time. As you keep up with the story, you will get an approximate meaning of the words due to the context. Look for meanings rarely, only when the entire paragraph does not make sense to you! This is how you can avoid getting blocked or getting deviated from your reading. If you read about 4-5 books, your vocabulary would have improved much better and you would not need to look to a dictionary.

Making time for reading may be tough sometimes. So, keep the book as a filler throughout the day. You may also have a dedicated reading time when people do not disturb you. Keep the book reading for a time when you know you would wait – like doctor / dentist / café / or waiting for a friend you know wouldn’t come on time!! You can also read while you are traveling on bus or train. Some people use books to fall asleep. They hold a book, start reading and are snoring in no time!! Useful method, if you are suffering from insomnia!

Once you start reading, the first 2-3 pages go easy. After 5 pages, you may resist a bit. Until you finish 30% of the book, you may resist. Once you cross 30% of the book, it goes pretty smooth. And once you cross 50%, you may get used to it. If you cross 70% of the novel and move towards the climax, that’s where you feel a lot of excitement!! You are restless to know how it ends and you would be ready even to compromise on your sleep during this phase.

Sometimes, you get the signs early. Within a few pages, you do not feel any connect with the book. Better to put down the book and shift to the next book. Remember I told you to get 3-4 together? Shift to any of the 3 other books you have.

Even if you paid and bought that “uninteresting book” which you discarded now, please do not feel any guilt. Instead, just sell off that book for half the price. I am someone who believes that – if you get into the wrong train, get down at the earliest. Do not be attached to any book just because it is from a respected author or it won some awards. If the book does not suit your mood or your sensibilities, just put it down and give it away. There are thousands of people waiting to buy and read that. So, you are not even causing any environmental damage. That’s why I suggest you to purchase a used book or borrow from the library.

How many days to read a book? It depends. Some of the advanced readers finish reading an average sized novel in 2 days. Some of the beginners take weeks to finish a book. There is no hurry to finish a book as long as you are consistently reading a few pages every day and are interested to continue. At times, some parts of the novel / books are not so interesting. You may skip a few paragraphs or even pages. Some of the advanced readers inculcate the knack to know when and where to skip the pages!! Sometimes, the emotions in the novel may overwhelm you. You are free to take a break from reading and focus on your life. Or shift to another book.

Other Aspects:

Public libraries are funded by the government. They are good and have affordable membership fees. However, they may be maintained badly, dusty and not have good collections. Circulating libraries are good, but most of the good ones have closed down! Some rare ones do exist. Book readers and book lovers clubs exist, but at times, it will be more discussion than reading. Silent reading book clubs that focus on reading should be preferred. Literature festivals and book discussions happen once in a while. They can offer good insights on what people are reading. These literature festivals and other events usually have books display and discount sales. So, do check them out. Some of the friends would discuss about the good books they are reading. You can get good recommendations from them too.

I am someone who believed in buying every good book. But I kept too many books and now I do not have space in my house to keep those books, I have decided not to purchase only “reference books” and fictions are better borrowed from library or from used book shops. Beginner readers will experience this after a couple of years of hoarding books! Since I am on this topic of hoarding books, let me tell a few words about this: in my experience, hoarding books is not a good idea, especially if you do not have space at your home. Better buy 5-10 books at a time. If you are able to read a book, that’s fine, but if you are struggling with a book, better to give away that book to someone who would read or to the used book shops. Never simply keep the books that you never intend to read. It simply wastes your home space. Keep your “already finished reading books” only if they have “reference value” (for eg. Charts, statistics, grammar, encyclopedia) or you keep revisiting that book often and also if you have sufficient space at home.

Some of the smart readers simply borrow books from the library, read them in the library mostly. These readers may read one book at a time and return the same. They do not hoard the books. After facing the issue of space shortage at my home, I have decided to be very conservative in my book buying.

Happy reading 🙂