Creating a Daily Reading Habit & Tackling the TBR: The 5-Page Method

With the launch of the 2017 Read & Watch Challenge yesterday (have you joined yet?), I wanted to take today to focus on this month's theme word--BEGIN--in a different way. Some of the most intimidating things about reading challenges are the tasks of a) choosing which book to read and b) getting yourself to actually pick up the book and read it. So I thought it might be helpful to talk about creating a daily reading habit and what I'm personally doing this year to help with that.

I know that for some of you, I'm probably preaching to the choir. You don't need help beefing up your reading time. You're a power reader. (But read on anyway because I'm going to apply this technique to tackling that towering TBR pile I know you have.)

I used to be a power reader too. But each year, with all the things that go along with being a writer and running a business, I find that my fiction reading has suffered more and more. In 2016, I read 45 books, which is nothing to complain about, but it was my lowest count in years and a third to half were non-fiction reads.

So this year, two of my areas to focus on, habit-wise, are to get back to reading more fiction AND to tackle my completely out-of-control TBR pile. With both of these, I've found that often the hardest part for me is just taking the time to pick up a book. To BEGIN. My phone is a distraction, chores are waiting, work is always there, etc. It's easy just to leave the book on the coffee table and forget to pick it up.

But then I read this article over at Fast Company: How I Became a Morning Person, Read More Books, and Learned a Language in a Year. It's a fantastic article about starting small with habits, and it tackled what is often the hardest thing--beginning. In the article, the author talks about how she had a goal of reading 1 page a night minimum. Just one. She could read more if she wanted to, but she could check it off her habit list if she made it through one. So it lowers the intimidation factor of picking up the book and helps you feel accomplished, but also, more times than not (if the book is good), you'll end up reading more.

The 5-Page Daily Habit

So I decided to take on this technique, but altering it to five pages because it takes me about that long to get into a reading something. And I'm a fast reader, so five pages is nothing. The method is simple: Read 5 pages minimum every night.

Last night, I employed this technique and ended up reading 100 pages. The book captured me and I enjoyed an evening of reading. And I probably wouldn't have picked up the book last night at all if I hadn't told myself, I only need to read 5 pages.

Applying the Method to the Towering TBR Pile

So then that got me to thinking about my crazy TBR pile. Hundreds of books, people. Shelves and shelves of print and a Kindle full of ebooks just waiting for me. It's been a regular struggle for me to focus on the TBR. Each year, I set a renewed goal for it and fail. But often it's because I'm overwhelmed at the thought of which book to read. I think this 5-page technique can do wonders here, too.

You pick up a book you think you want to read from your TBR and read 5 pages (or 10 or the first chapter, whatever you want your litmus test to be). If it doesn't capture you, put it aside. Go on to the next one. If a book's been sitting on your shelf for more than a year and the five pages don't grab you, well, you're probably never going to read it. Life is too short to read books that aren't hooking you.

For instance, last night I was trying to decide which book to read for the BEGIN theme this month in the challenge. I had two contenders. I decided I'd read the first five pages of each and then decide. Well, I read the first five pages of The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon and I never picked up the second book lol. I ended up reading a hundred pages because the author hooked me. :)

So, if you're intimidated about starting a reading habit this year or joining the Read & Watch challenge, or afraid you'll never put a dent in your TBR pile, then maybe give this a try.

Anyone have any specific reading habits they're tackling this year? Am I the only one drowning in my TBR pile?

Managing the Ebook TBR Pile - An Impossible Task?

Okay, folks, usually I try to blog about recommendations or solutions to things, but today I need your help with something because I haven't figured out a good answer. If you're here, that probably means that you love books like I do, which also probably means that you have a big to-be-read pile.

Mine is ginormous both in print and even more so in ebook. Hundreds and hundreds of unread books. It's both a blessing (yay, my own library!) and a curse (so many books, so little time.) And yesterday I mentioned on Twitter that lately I've found myself obsessed with hardcover books (which I've typically hated all my life) and have leaned more toward reading print this year than ebook. And I wasn't sure why.

Now, that's not to say I have problems with reading ebooks. Obviously I don't because many of my books that I put out there are ebook only. I love the convenience of ebooks and the sales. However, after thinking on it, I realized that the reason I'm reading more print lately is because I can SEE my print TBR pile. I can grab books off my shelves, flip them over, remind myself what it's about and choose one. With ebooks, that is really hard. Scrolling through hundreds of books on my Kindle with tiny black and white covers (because I prefer e-ink) isn't overly inspiring. And then it's not a quick process to read the back cover. So unless I just bought the book and remember what it's about, it languishes there. 

Part of this, I think, goes back to how my brain works. Y'all know about my love for paper planners. They have saved me because electronic calendars don't work for me. If it's out of sight, it's out of mind for me. I need hard copies of things in front of me to remind me. So when my ebooks go off the first page of my Kindle, it's like they're dead to me. And that's frustrating because I know there are amazing books on there that I wanted to read. 

So, I need a solution. How do I organize my ebooks in a visual way that works? I've tried separating into folders based on genre. That made it worse because then they were two steps away from being visible. I've tried Calibre, but it's not automatic and I'm not good at keeping stuff like that up. And a spreadsheet won't work because I need to see the covers, not just the titles.

I'm not even sure that there IS a solution, but I figured I would ask if any of you have any ideas that have worked for you? I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

And anyone else having this same issue?

Breaking Out of a Reading Slump: It's Not You, Book. It's Me.

Normally, Fridays are reserved for Friday Reads. This isn't going to be a Friday Reads post. Why? Because I'm afraid I might be in that dreaded zone we readers hate: The Reading Slump. But...I'm not sure.

Anyone ever go through that? Where you can't tell if you're truly in a slump or it's just that you've picking books that don't grab you?

I've read some non-fiction lately, and that's been fine. But I've been uninspired when it comes to picking up the fiction book I'm about 100 pages into. There's nothing bad about the book. And I LOVED the author's previous book. But I find myself putting it down and not going back. And I haven't moved onto another book because I feel like I'm still "reading" this one and I don't jump around with fiction books. I read one then move on (or decide it's not for me and move on.) A serial monogamist. ;)

But I think I've been reluctant to move on with this one because I can't tell if it's the book or if it's just that I'm in some sort of reading slump. The last book I read and loved (Land of the Beautiful Dead) was back in November. That's a long time for me not to find a book that I'm excited about (especially when I'm on a writing break and have the time to read more.) So that's what makes me wonder if I'm in a reading slump. 

Signs of a reading slump

1. You keep putting down the book you're reading.

2. You browse through your TBR pile and nothing really grabs you.

3. You're not thinking about getting back to a book when you get a minute to yourself.

Ugh. Reading slumps are no good, right? It's depressing. Reading is one of my favorite things to do and I don't want to feel meh about it. So I've come up with a plan to get myself out of the slump. 

 

Getting Out of The Slump

1. Move on to another book, even if you think there may be nothing particularly wrong with the one you're reading.

Maybe it really is the book. Put the book you're reading aside. You may go back to it one day, but right now it's back on the shelf in limbo mode. Life is too short to force yourself to read a book that isn't working for you (no matter the reason). <--This is something I have to tell myself constantly. I have a hard time walking away from a book unless I outright HATE it. 

2. Pick something in a different genre or subgenre than what your current read is.

Maybe it's the wrong genre for you at the moment--like it's a sweet contemporary and you really need something darker right now or something with explosions! Or maybe life is chaotic and you need something quieter to read than the thriller or whatever it is you're reading.

3. Get a recommendation from someone who has book tastes you trust.

Find that friend or book blogger that is your reading twin. They usually love what you love. Get suggestions from them on the last book that blew them away.

4. Reread an old favorite.

Sometimes you need a sure thing. Pick up that book that you know is going to make you happy. (This one doesn't work as well for me because I'm not a re-reader, no matter how much I love a book. Weird, I know.)

5. Pick an author who usually doesn't let you down.

This is when favorite authors can come in and save the day. Your odds for liking the book are higher if you've read and loved their other stuff.

6. Commit to picking up another book.

Sometimes I find that when I'm in a reading slump, it takes a lot of energy to go and pick out a new book to read. It's like I'm reluctant to get into another disappointing relationship. But just like in life, you've got to put yourself back out there, lol. So make yourself pick up something else and something else until you find that book that grabs you, woos you, and takes you to bed. Wait, we're still talking about books, right? Maybe I took that metaphor too far. ;)

Okay, those are some tactics to help. For me, I'm going to take my own advice and put down this current book and move on. Maybe it's me and not the book, but it's clearly not the right book for me right now. We shall see if the next one fixes this. :)

So, have you ever been in a reading slump? What did you do to get out of it? Any tips to add? And what book have you read lately that was amazing and is sure to get someone out of a slump? 

Tackling the TBR: How To Organize and Choose Books From Your Out of Control To-Be-Read Pile

I have a problem. I suspect it's one a lot of you reading this have as well. The epic TBR pile. I have had this problem for many years and it only seems to get worse with time. In most aspects of my life, I'm a minimalist. With books, I'm a gimme-gimme, more-more-more person. And now that I'm an author, not only do I have to deal with my own out of control book purchases. Now I get FREE books at conferences--lots of them. Lots of bright, shiny new books just brimming with stories. That kid inside me who used to think trips to the library were better than trips to the mall can't resist. Books, books, everywhere! And that's only the print books. The ebook one-clicking is out of control, too, because Awesome Looking Book + Sale = Roni having a twitch in her index finger. Click!

So what has that left me with? A TBR pile that stands at about 500 e-books and 300 print books. Yeah. It's a problem.

And I'm a visual person so if something is not in front of my face, I forget about it. That ebook that is 7 pages in on my Kindle? It may as well not exist. And even if I go scrolling through, then I've forgotten why I bought it. What's it's about again? And my Kindle doesn't make it all that quick to get the blurb. So that book gets passed by for the newest, freshest in my mind book. Meanwhile, great books languish in the pile. Same with print books. Once it's on a shelf, I kind of forget about it. 

So last weekend, I decided to do some research on how to tame the beastly TBR pile. The most obvious solution touted everywhere is "Get rid of most of your books since you probably won't get to them anyway." Yeah, let's not talk crazy now. I am all for doing a yearly culling of print books. There are libraries and Goodwills that happily take books. But the only ones I part with are the ones I've read that didn't make it onto my keeper shelves and ones that I've accepted I'll never read (maybe I got it free, maybe it was an impulse buy, maybe I read another of the author's and didn't love it.) But the ones I still have good reason to read, I keep those.

So the next obvious advice you see everywhere is "Stop buying new books." Uh, yeah. That's not going to happen either. First, I want to support the industry I'm in and the authors I love. Buying books helps the health of booklandia and helps insure that those authors I love keep writing and those series I adore continue on. Plus, books are my main indulgence. A girl has to impulse buy something, right? ; )

Which meant--I still didn't know how to handle this outrageous TBR pile. And the articles I read didn't really give me any tips that resonated with me. I did like the idea of the TBR jar, where you write all the titles down on slips of paper and put them in a jar then randomly pull one out. But I promise you, there's no way I'm sitting down and writing out 700 slips of paper. Not gonna happen. This is probably a solution for someone who has a TBR pile of say--30 books.

So where did that leave me? I wanted a way to randomize my choices. I have my books tracked in Goodreads, but that doesn't help me CHOOSE what to read. Which means, I inevitably choose the newest thing. I wish my e-reader or Goodreads had a "Surprise Me" or randomizing feature, but it doesn't. So I wanted to figure out a way that helped me randomize things but also left a little flexibility for choice/mood. 

Enter the concept of multi-level categories and a few office supplies. And if you know me, you know I love office supplies. : ) 

This is going to be personal to everyone because we all read different things. But here's what I decided to go with for my little random Pick-a-Book game. I made three levels of categories. 

1.  Genre or sub-genre
2.  Format
3. When I purchased the book. (Current year or Before current year)

I made color-coded index cards for each of the three categories and wrote one index card for each of the sub-categories. 

Pink cards (genre) : Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, Non-Fiction, Thriller, New Adult, General Fiction/Women's Fiction, Historical Romance, YA Contemporary, YA Paranormal/Horror, Suspense, Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Horror

Orange cards (format): Ebook, Trade paperback, Mass market paperback, Hardcover

Purple cards (age): Old (pre-2015) and New (2015)

So now when it comes time to read my next book, I'm going to pick one card from each category. That gives me what I need to read next: New Suspense Ebook or whatever. And if you're crafty, I'm sure you can get decorative with this. I didn't need fancy just functional so mine is pretty bare bones.

But what about the organization?

You may be thinking--yeah, category cards are great but then I'll have to cull through all my books to find that. No. That's where the organization comes in. This takes a little work upfront but will make things loads easier once it's done. You'll need to organize your books by whatever your Top-Level Category is. Your top level is the one that is most important to you and ideally has the most subcategories. My top-level category is genre. So I needed to organize my books library-style by genre.

For print: I grouped together the genres, often giving them each their own shelf. This will make it easy to grab, say, a YA Contemporary if that's what I pick with my cards.

For ebook: Do the same thing on your e-device if yours has the ability to make folders or categories. I made a category/folder on my kindle for each of the genres I listed. Then, one night while watching TV, I went through all 500 of my books and sorted them into the correct folders. Yes, it took time. But no, it wasn't hard and it's a relatively passive activity while you're hanging out. Also, it helped categorize books whose genre I couldn't pinpoint based on cover alone (and God knows, I didn't remember the blurb.) Now, instead of everything organized by New and Shiny first, I have genre folders, which is nice and feeds my visual self. And if your e-reader or phone doesn't allow for categories, you can do this on one of the book sites like Goodreads or Booklikes. 

Now you're all set. And it's up to you whether you remove cards from rotation each time. Like if you want to give each genre a fair shake, you can put the suspense card aside once you've read a suspense book. Or you can even shuffle and pull 10 different combos in a row. Then you can make a list of the next ten books you're going to read. Whatever works for you.

What if my categories don't fit you?  For instance, what if you only read thrillers or only read ebooks? Then you can come up with different randomizing categories.

Some suggestions for alternative or additional categories:

• Year of publication
• Length (short story, novella, novel, doorstop)
• Alphabet as the random factor (then you have to choose a book or author that starts with whatever letter you pulled)
• Color (This works better for print but you could pull random colors and then have to find a cover that has that color.)

What if you don't want to go through the organizing but still want to randomize your choices? Here are a few "hacks":

• Choose a random page in your e-reader and select a book off that page or sort by author to rearrange the order and get new books on that first page.
• Find a Reading Challenge that gives you a list to tackle. For instance, the Push Your Boundaries challenge I created last year is an easy place to start.
• Sort your TBR pile by a random category like ISBN number in Goodreads. Just go to your list of to-read books, click settings, and it will let you sort by all kinds of things. Then you can select the book that comes up first. (This, of course, assumes that you've entered your TBR already into Goodreads. If you read ebooks from Amazon, it does sync with your account and you can load the books automatically, which is how I did mine. So this captures my ebook TBR more than print.)

One extra tip: Don't be a chronic finisher. If you have hundreds of books in your pile, don't waste your time with one that isn't working for you. I find that when I force myself to finish reading something I'm not feeling, it slows down ALL of my reading because I keep putting it down and won't let myself move on to something else. I try to give books 3 chapters or about 50 pages. I know that's more generous than some, but I've found books that have been slow starters that have turned out to be great. However, if I hit page fifty and am still not feeling excited about it, it goes into the donation pile. Life's too short and my TBR pile is too long.

So that's what I'm going to be using to see if I can be more systematic in my reading selections. I know there are some fantastic, amazing books languishing in my pile, and I'm hoping this will bring them back to the front of the line. I'll let you know how it goes.

How do you handle your TBR pile? Are you as overwhelmed as I am? Any tips to share? I'd love to hear from you!