Becoming a Bibliophile
A roundup of tips to improve your reading life
Listen to me read the post above. ⬆️
Notes from a Kindred Spirit is a bi-weekly newsletter about embracing curiosity, exploring hobbies, living with chronic illness, and finding contentment in the everyday.
Hi friends,
Happy New Year! I hope your 2025 is off to a great start whether that means setting up a new planner, getting a head start on your goals, or cozying up with a good book.
And a big welcome to all the readers who have joined this community of Kindred Spirits over the holidays! 👋😊
December 16th marked the first anniversary of this newsletter, so I thought it would be fun to kick off January with a roundup of all the tips I shared in 2024 to help you improve your reading life.
Let’s dig in!
For getting to know your reading preferences
Tip #1
Many people have asked me how I read so many books in a year. I wish I could say that I have magical reading abilities, but alas that is not the case.
One of my secrets? Always keep a list of books you want to read somewhere like on a note on your phone, in an app, or on a sticky note. These can be books you discovered on your own or books that friends have recommended.
That way, you can pick up a new book right after you finish your current one. If you have to spend a lot of time thinking about or looking for your next read, life can get in the way and before you know it, it’s been an actual eternity since you last picked up a book!
To get started on your list, check out my top 6 books of 2024. ⬇️
Tip #2
The more you learn about the kind of reader you are, the better you’ll be able to avoid wasting time on books that make you feel like you’re back in high school history class trying not to fall asleep on your desk! 😴
I recommend keeping a list of books you’ve read and, if you have the time, adding a note or two about why you did or didn’t like the book. As titles with your notes accumulate over time, you’ll be able to learn a lot about your reading tastes, which will help you know what to look for in your next pick!
Tip #3
If you’d like to take Tip #2 one step further, you could try a reading journal. They offer helpful prompts to get you thinking about each book and some even have fun reading challenges you can try.
I’ve made a list of a few reading journals below for you to check out.
My Reading Life: A Book Journal by Anne Bogel on bookshop.org or indigo.ca
Clever Fox Reading Journal
Little Inklings Reading Planners & Journals (Canadian-made)
Read Harder (A Reading Log) by Book Riot on bookshop.org or indigo.ca
If you’re a creative type and interested in creating your own reading journal, check out Plant Based Bride’s YouTube video 2023 Reading Journal Setup | My *NEW* Book BuJo! for some inspiration.
For the note-takers
Are you someone who takes a lot of notes when you read?
I like to take notes when reading non-fiction or personal development books. If I’m learning something new I want to be able to reference it later, but taking so many notes can be time-consuming!
Not anymore!
Anick, who writes Productive Happiness, shared a post with an amazing hack to help you take notes from books and save them somewhere digitally! I read a lot of e-books on my tablet, and this trick even works by using my phone camera and my tablet together.
Read the post here. I promise it will change your reading life!
You can do this. I believe in you.
Do NOT be afraid to DNF a book! (DNF = did not finish)
I cannot emphasize the importance of this tip enough!
Listen, if a book makes you feel like your eyeballs are going to fall out from sheer boredom whenever you read it, it’s okay to give up and move on.
Life is too short, and there are too many amazing books out there to waste your time on something that causes eyeball loss. 👀
That book will still be there if you decide to give it another go later. But, if you try to force yourself to finish it, you’ll stop picking it up, and then you won’t be reading anything at all. Your reading life will be at a standstill, and nobody wants that!
Do you struggle to DNF or have you learned to let books go?
Audiobooks & Classics
Tip #1
If you’re having trouble finding time to read, give audiobooks a try! 🎧 So many people swear by them.
You can listen while driving or commuting, or while doing household tasks. Add intrigue to folding laundry by listening to a murder mystery or spice up washing dishes with the latest Regency romance! The possibilities are endless!
There are many different styles of narration so give a few narrators a try. And if non-fiction doesn’t feel right, give fiction a try or vice versa.
Pro tip: Many libraries loan out audiobooks via an app so check with your local library!
Tip #2
Classic literature can be intimidating, but I know many people have classics on their TBR (to-be-read list) that they’re trying to build up the courage to read.
Trust me, this doesn’t have to feel like Mrs. Smith’s so-boring-I-want-to-pull-my-hair-out English class. Reading classics can be fun!
At a classics book club I attended, one person shared how she found it super helpful to listen to the audiobook of the classic as she followed along in her print copy.
This sounds very nostalgic to me—it reminds me of listening to cassette tapes of storybooks and reading along as a kid!
If you’re struggling with a classic or want to start one, give this a try! Hearing the tone and inflection of the narrator’s voice can really help you understand what’s happening in the story if the language makes it tricky to follow.
Are you going to try any of these tips in 2025? What would you add to the list? Reply to this email or leave a comment below to share!
Happy reading,
P.S. I have 3 digital products available in the Notion Marketplace!
📚 BOOK CLUB HUB for the book club host who wants to organize their club with ease so they can focus on the fun part—reading good books and chatting about them with friends! It’s perfect for small to medium virtual or in-person clubs.
📖 CURATED BOOK LISTS for the book club host or bookworm who doesn’t know what to read next.
🎁 GIFT PLANNER & TRACKER to help you organize birthday and holiday shopping and stay on budget.
I love all these tips! Although I am 100% guilty of trying to force myself to finish books I start, even if I hate them. 😭
Great tips! My library helps me read more, not just by providing books in all kinds of formats, but by giving me a deadline for a few books. If I know that a particular book is not renewable and I will be at the end of the line (again!) for borrowing, I tend to bump that book to the top of my reading list and stay motivated to read it!
Finding people who have similar tastes to my own reading helps, too. There are a handful of people who are great tastemakers for me--both my own friends but a few writers/podcasters whose recommendations I trust. Librarians or booksellers are other good people who can be great in this area. This is a good time of year to check out people's best of lists to see if there is anyone who aligns with you.
Happy reading! I'm reading Challenger by Adam Higginbotham this week.