Tips on how to enjoy reading

As I was thinking about what to write in the next post, then came this idea. To list down several ways on how to make reading fun & interesting. Mind you these tips are suitable for adults, as for children, the methods are quite different.

1. Start reading on topics/genre/authors that you like

For me this is the most important tip. Why stress and force yourself to read something that you don't like? Know your likes and dislikes. This is somehow like a treasure hunt for most readers . Sometimes it will take a while to find your perfect cup of tea. Do you like thrillers, chic lit, classics, non-fiction books? Figure that out. Get your friends to recommend books or join book clubs, but please don't blame your friends if you don't enjoy their recomendation :)

And your interest may differ from time to time. As for myself, when I was a kid I totally
enjoyed Enid Blyton - Fairies, Gnomes, Goblins, fairytales, hehe (I don't understand why some parents discourage their kids from reading these types of books, of course in time the kids will know that the characters are not true, its just the same as believing in Santa Claus oppss, no kids around right ;P), then I moved on to real stuffs such as dinosaurs, animals and plants, then came this Sweet Valley fever, then RL Stine, Christopher Pike, Harry Potter and so on. So I guess its a journey.

2. Share your readings

Tell others about what you have read and share your thoughts. This will make reading more interactive since reading is always perceived as a passive hobby. Share your books so other people can read what you have read. And thats a great thing to do.

3. Have a wild imagination

When you are reading, let your imagination run wild. Imagine yourself as the character in the book, think about what will happen next, what will be the ending, what would happen if the story is written differently?

4. Start small

Start by reading articles or short stories (books with compilation of short stories) before trying the 500+ page books.

5. Bring reading materials everywhere

This is a simple tip. If you are going anywhere, bring something to read. You can definitely fill your time while waiting for your ride or someone, and since you don't have anything to do but wait, you might as well read.

6. Don't give up

Don't give up on reading. Although sometimes it is frustrating not to finish a certain book, give it a try. Try reading other books, make yourself comfortable when reading and you will soon be hooked by reading!

“There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing.”
- Isaac D'Israeli

Tips on speed reading

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I definitely like and enjoy reading, so fast reading and better comprehension is important to me.So I did some research and found out some tips on how to increase your speeding pace without of course compromising your comprehension.

1. Get to know the subject matter
Before you start reading, go through the summary/synopsis of the book and also look at the content table that shows each chapter, title and subtitles. By reading this, before you go through the content, will help you to somehow give you a better idea on what to expect and what to look for when you proceed with the reading.

It is also important to identify what type of reading materials that you are reading. Is it a novel? is it a text book? newspaper? journal? etc. Some reading materials require more focus, and some you can relaxly read.

2. Skimming
When you have an idea of what the content of the book or chapter is about, it will be easier for you filter the text accordingly. Sometimes you don't have to read word by word, letter by letter. Not all of those words matter. What you can do is skim and look for important keywords, based on the title/subtitle of the chapter/book. Go through the words and filter all the information.

3. Read in blocks/chunks
As Is said earlier on, it is not necessary for you to read every letter/word one by one. You can read it in blocks/chunks. This actually explains this theory that says that the letter
that matters in a word are the first and last, the others can be mixed and jumbled, but still readable. Try this:

"Tihs is aziamng inst it, you can raed tihs steencne eevn tohugh it is mxied and jbmueld up"

So practice reading in chunks.Word by word, three words at a time, 5 at a time, in time maybe you can read a whole sentence in a time who knows...practice makes perfect!

4. Avoid rereading
Have you ever read something, and then somehow reread it again? AVOID this habit. Maybe you can use your finger, or if your reading the computer monitor, use the cursor as a guide.

Ahah! and during this little research, I found another interesting tip. I always have this problem whereby when I read fiction, I tend to get anxious and I just can't wait to know the ending of the story. Well, normally fictions are of course easier to read, compared to other reading materials, so I will read as fast as I could. Of course you understand the storyline, you know what's it all about, but you will be missing the details, the beauty of the language used and so on. I guess I will have to read a little bit slowly next time and really enjoy the book :D

Happy reading!