I’ve been (half) trying for 3 years, my main problem I think is all the things I read have adaptations and I live for movies and TV (my entire YouTube subscription page is movie commentaries and filmmaking discussions)
I watched 11.22.63 and I loved the show so much and saw that people who loved the book didn’t like the adaptation and I’ve always resented that in a sense but at the same time really wanted to see what it’s like on the other side
So when I started Harry Potter in 2021 I wanted to read the books first and in the beginning I flew past book 1 finishing it in a week, then book 2 took a month, I took a break and picked up book 3 about 5 months later and it took me 3 months to finish that (even though I loved it the most), and i stopped book 4 midway through, that’s almost 2 years ago now
in the summer I bought The great gatsby cause it’s short and well known but I only read 38 pages of the book before I lost it and idc about completing it tbh
This is probably a pretty common post on here but I really want to get into reading and I have a few books on my list of books I wanna read but I was wondering if there was a trick to use or a mood y’all get into
Or is it about finding the right book?
Or maybe I’m just not a book guy
by Flash_SA
5 Comments
I always say this: I am a huge movie fan myself, but I also love books. Stephen King is one of the best authors when it comes to offering pure entertainment with his novels. He’s a storyteller first and foremost.
But seriously **11/22/63** is a beautiful story and the adaptation does not do it any justice.
I’ve always been an avid reader, but I kinda dropped off for a few years. Now I try to read every chance I get (I say after spending an hour scrolling Reddit oops), but one consistent habit I have is reading before bed! I don’t like being on my phone before bed, so to relax and wind down, I’ll read at least one chapter of whatever book I’m on. Usually that turns into about an hour of reading, but even when I’m really tired, I love curling up in bed and reading a chapter of my book.
I recommend starting there! Reading takes training, and it’s a habit to get into. Picking a consistent time of day where you read a chapter or for x amount of time is a really good way to get yourself into it! Also if you’re normally on your phone before bed, studies show that doing something else (like reading) instead will help you sleep better 🙂
Have you considered audiobooks? They’re a great way to kind of bridge the gap between printed text and visual media.
Well, I think you should ask yourself why you want to get into reading? If you like fiction, then maybe the only type of fiction you have patience for is from the visual media such as movies. And that’s totally fine as there are people who can read all day but can’t sit still watching a 2 hour long film.
If you’re adamant about getting into reading, then maybe start with graphic novels that have been made into movie and show adaptations such as the Walking Dead, Akira, Hellboy, etc? Graphic novels seem like the perfect middle between reading text and still getting that visual component.
you could just not be a reader, and that’s okay, but it may be that you haven’t found your book yet!
rather than looking at movie/book adaptions, maybe have a look at what you enjoy about movies? for example, if you enjoy how action! packed! some movies are, maybe you can read a thriller? (I don’t read many of them but {ice station by Matthew Reilly} is an Australian classic lol). Stephen King was also mentioned, and you can try some of his short stories if length is an issue.
alternatively, maybe you can try some nonfiction reading? if you really enjoy movie and tv analysis, you can always read more about that! I think the issue is that if you enjoy all the thoguht and detail that goes into the intricacies of film making, you won’t find the same in books at all, and should think of them as completely separate.
my final advice – if you want to finish Harry Potter but you’re getting stuck in the words – you can try the illustrated versions, that may pique your interest a bit longer.