Hook, book, and a Kindle: Realistic Reading Tips

Lately, “smart became the new sexy” And if you ask me, personally, I think it is a very strange way to mainstream “smartness.”

Away from my opinion, one of the advantages of such a “trend,” is that people now actually feel more passionate about reading. Some really like it, some think it looks cool, some start writing as a reflect. But anyways, you hold a book and something, for sure, changes.

Some people would always ask me, “the book-worm friend”, How to start reading? Or ask me to give them blind recommendations”. And to be frank, my mind stops working; what do you want my opinion for? Why are you putting me through this??

But, however, I have few REAL tips on how to choose a book, or how to start reading. According to your own taste, not mine.

Famous books aren’t always famous for a reason:

You ever read a book that everyone is swearing by and you hated it? Didn’t know how to get past the first chapter? You must have thought “I don’t get it? Is something wrong with me?” No, there’s nothing wrong with you. Not every famous bestseller book is worth reading, at least it’s not for you to read it. Books can get famous for various of reason other than being good: a celeb was seen holding it, great marketing plans, beautiful covers. So, famous doesn’t always mean wholesome.

There’s nothing called “heavy” and “light” when it comes to books content:

The term “heavy going book” haunts many books for life. People would be approaching a book and start asking “is it easy to read?” Well, a very wrong way to judge a book. It is not the book that is boring or exciting, it is how your mentality works: someone may finish a poetry book in an hour, some people may hate it and think it is boring. This goes for any type of books, it’s not the book you don’t really like, it’s the subject and the content of it. Try to start with things that excite you at first. No need to challenge yourself with big books. Just go for the ones you feel enthusiastic about. Big books can still be thrilling, and the smallest books can still be dull.

Books are not the only way to “read”:

Some of the most intelligent people I know have never held a book in their hands. Research papers, articles, even the 5 minutes SparkNotes videos with the gist of a philosophical theory or the summary of novel will do you good. Knowledge is power, yes! But this power doesn’t always have to hide between two covers of a book.

Drop it if you don’t like it:

Why should you force yourself into finishing a book that you’ve been yawning and skipping through the most of it? Some of the “bibliophiles” will judge you for not finishing a book, “how dare you quit a book before you find the hidden Eden by the end?” Well, my very personal advice is, throw that book away if it is boring you or making you feel un-eased, in a bad way. If you read couple of chapters and you’ve been skipping sentences; because this book is the thickest thing you’ve seen today, close this book and move on with your life. Reading should be an act of pleasure, why torment yourself?

Know your genres:

Know what you love more: are you a literature geek? A philosophy nerd? A marketing enthusiast? A fan of fiction? A lover of art? Try to put genres into categories, and these categories into other categories. For instance, I love literature, but I’m not a big fan of novels, I still read them though, and I have something for classics, and I prefer a certain movement. That’s why my go-to books would be something that contains all these features together. Pick books the way you’d pick a movie, why bore yourself with an existential French movie when you want to watch Marvel fights, or vice versa? However, stepping out of the comfort zone sometimes benefits you and expands your options.

Let quotes guide you:

If you’re not sure if you would like a certain book, search for its quotes. Quotes will give you a hint and an insight at what you will read: the language, the style, the overall situation going on. But don’t depend fully on the extracts, sometimes they are too good to be true and last for the whole book. So, good luck with that.

Stalk your favorite authors:

I mean it. If you love a book for a certain writer, try another book for him\ her. If you like the other book, start obsessing over this author, read more of his\her creations. Then track down other writers who influenced him\her, track the movement and philosophical aspects of his\ work and you will never be disappointed. This trick will introduce you to more writers and more books and will be a safe haven whenever you need a “feel good” book.

Don’t ever be ashamed of your taste:

Who said you need to read only big, chunky, deep books? If all you like to read is comic books and modern poetry, is it your thing. If all you ever loved reading was teen fiction, what’s wrong with that? It doesn’t matter. Your taste will develop by reading, and liking a genre that is not considered “educational, academic, deep, knowledgeable, classical, or whatever people describe as superior” is never a bad thing. Cause all books are equal, and all books are worth reading.