How can you sustain and strengthen a love for reading?

We round up tried-and-tested methods from authors, industry experts and mental health professionals for you to bookmark

One of my fondest childhood memories will always be the trips my sister and I made to the neighbourhood bookstore, spending hours browsing through books and zeroing in on the ones we’d then devour in the weeks that followed. Back then, my relationship with reading was simple and straightforward. Today, it isn’t quite the same. Whenever I sit down with a book, I’m interrupted by one of two things–the guilt that emerges from putting off a seemingly more important task on my growing to-do list or the urge to check the notifications lighting up my phone screen. Conversations with close friends reveal similar dilemmas and, frankly, the evidence is all around us. On any given day, you’ll find more people gripped by the glare of their smartphones than by a riveting read. As attention spans dwindle and we succumb to the convenience of content in bite-sized, snackable formats, books seem to have taken a backseat.

“Read because it makes you empathic, empowers you with information, helps form opinions and an understanding of the world. I read because I love to immerse myself in stories, characters, plots and places that are brought alive. I love that I can translate what I read into my imagination and that is wholly mine–unlike when you are consuming a web series or a movie,” says Priya Kapoor, Director, Roli Books, giving us compelling reasons to carry on reading. For those of you who agree or are looking to sustain–and even strengthen–your love for reading, we penned down tried-and-tested methods from authors, industry insiders as well as mental health professionals, and here’s what we found.

Forging the foundation

Like many habits, reading is one that often has its roots in our formative years. “I grew up with books around me, and always, as a child, had my head buried in the pages, sometimes even at the dinner table,” says Priyanka Khanna, soon-to-be-published author and former Fashion Features Director of Vogue India. Khanna, also a mother of two, believes that children are quick to soak up what they see around them. “Reading is a habit that I picked up from my mother. I have this visual of her reading, the stack of bangles she always wore, clinking as she turned the pages. Today, both my husband and I are big readers and my six-year-old daughter is an avid reader too,” she says.

However, the opportunity to befriend books may also present itself at a later stage. The pandemic, for example, gave birth to several new readers–being stuck at home for months on end pushed many to crack open old, unread books. This was when our Instagram feeds were filled with stories about how it takes only 21 days to form a habit. But I had my reservations when it came to this theory: Was such a tight time-frame realistic in forming a lasting, lifelong habit? “I work with my clients extensively on forming habits as adults. What works is what I like to call rhythm and building slow stamina. Create habits but follow them one by one–slowly and steadily. Start with five or ten minutes every day and increase it gradually to what eventually works," says Mumbai-based counselling therapist Ishwari Bose-Bhattacharya.

Reading and routines

Yet, even the most seasoned readers sometimes struggle with reading religiously and find themselves stuck in unrelenting slumps. This, I found, is best remedied in the following ways: (a) keeping your phone as far as possible, preferably on airplane mode, and (b) weaving reminders to read into your daily routine. “It’s a great wind-down ritual. Every night, before I go to sleep, I make sure to read a few pages,” says Khanna, who reads an average of three to four books every month. Kapoor, on the other hand, relishes reading in the quiet hours of the morning, before the chaos of a work day sets in. “Some find it helpful to set practices of either reading 20 minutes a day or a certain number of pages per day. I am always reading but I enjoy it most when I finish all my morning activities ahead of time and I can steal time to read before the work day officially begins,” she says.

Identifying the gaps

Another way to read routinely involves parting with the idea that an ideal hour or day spent reading has to look a certain way to be fulfilling. Sometimes it may involve a cosy nook and a hot cup of coffee but sometimes it may not. Once this pressure is lifted, we can immerse ourselves into books on commutes both long and short, or while we wait for a friend at a restaurant. If you look closely, you’ll find that your day offers guilt-free gaps to pore over those pending pages. Avid readers will attest to keeping a book by their side at all times and not waiting to set aside time to read. “I always have a book on me wherever I go–doctor's office, school pick-up or nail salon. Also, thanks to the Kindle, I don’t have to worry about excess baggage when I travel,” adds Khanna who recommends exploring other formats of reading, especially when it’s clubbed with another activity. “Audio books are also a great idea. I have friends who swear by them for long drives and walks,” she says.

Books of a feather flock together

The varied means through which we can consume books isn’t what has only changed in recent times. The rise in the number of book clubs globally suggest that reading is no longer a solitary activity. Having a group of individuals to discuss and dissect your latest read with every month not only introduces us to fresh perspectives but also brings many bonuses. Book clubs are a way to bond, belong and often give us that gentle, much-needed nudge to read regularly. “I think book clubs are great! I’ve always wanted to join or form one. I’ve believed that if you have a book, you are not really alone but to do it in a group, with friends, sounds pretty ideal to a geek like me,” says Khanna.

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