How I Read A Book / My Book Reading Routine

Hi readers and writerly friends,

This week in Bookish Things, we’re taking a look at my reading routine. I always love seeing how other people curate their perfect reading experiences and I know it seems to be a popular topic in the bookish world, so I figured, why not? So, snuggle up, get cozy, grab a warm beverage, and let’s take a look, shall we?

Vegan gummies and green tea. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Sips and snacks

I can never read on an empty stomach, and especially not if it’s a book that talks about food often or makes you crave certain dishes. I’m looking at you, Night Circus, with your caramel corn and other carnival treats! I probably just made you hungry for that, huh. Sorry! Anyways, I usually eat before reading or bring a snack with me and I always bring a drink either way. If you read my blog post, 20 Bookish Facts About Me, you might know, my go-tos for bookish beverages are either a hot black tea, a hot/iced mocha latte, or a nice glass of rose. Lately however, I have been enjoying Arizona Green Tea and these adorable and yummy candy kittens. (Yes, they’re vegan!) If this blog post is making you hungry, stay tuned for next week’s Bookish Things post because I will be covering 10 when a book made me hungry.

Cozy reading space

Of course, I also can’t read in an uncomfortable position, because that gets old really quick. Instead, I opt for a cozy armchair by the furnace, a nice, shady spot outside, or a good ole pillow nest if it’s a bit chilly. Either way, comfy clothes and blankets are essential. I prefer to read in a pillow nest on my bed, with blankets and my favorite pair of pajamas. I’d also recommend reading in the woods, on the beach, and some place new to you! These are all great ways to spice up your reading experience.

Clear panel booklight. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Ambiance and lighting

This one sort of ties in with the previous item in this list, but if you want to amp up the coziness factor, candles, mood lighting, and aromatherapy are key. I light either soy-based candles or put on my essential oil diffuser for a two-birds-one-stone kind of solution.  String lights or other soft lighting such as salt lamps are a great way to bring in some warmth and light to you reading space. Of course, if you have a fireplace, that’s always a great place to read. Piggybacking on that, reading lights can be a great way to keep the reading going late into the night. I am currently loving this flat reading lamp from Shein. (Later in this post, I mention how our power is currently out due to the ice storm, and I just have to say, this reading light has been a life-saver!)

Book and a notebook. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Taking notes while reading

I keep track of information during my reading process in a few different ways. Lately I have been using a plain, lined journal to keep words and definitions in. I sometimes like to jot down words that resonate with me so I can reference them later on. In my bullet-journal (and on Goodreads, let’s be honest here) I like to keep track of my reading progress by writing down how many pages I read each day. I sometimes like to highlight particularly striking passages and then leave a sticky tab on the edge of the page so I can find it easily and quickly if needed.

Books, a booklight, vegan gummies and green tea. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Reading regularly

I have been trying for years to establish a daily reading routine, but I’m still not quite there yet. What can I say? I am a mood reader, not an escapist reader! Anyhow, I try to read as often as possible and never let myself go more than two days without reading. Sometimes life gets in the way— for instance, I am writing this as the great Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2020 is happening and our power is currently out all over the Midwest City area. We are running off a generator at the moment, but before we got that set up, all I could do to pass the time was read. Suffice it to say, I was well-prepared to read for a few months…

I digress. My point is just that, as a mood-reader it is extremely hard for me to get myself to read daily, but that’s no excuse to not read regularly. Like I said, my 2-day rule is what keeps me reading often. If you are a mood reader too, consider trying this method to see if it helps. Additionally, keeping track of your reading progress might incentivize you to keep working through your TBR.

And that’s it for my reading routine! How do you read? What is your preferred reading environment like? Do you eat/drink while you read or prefer to just soak in the book instead? Let me know in the comments below!

Related topics:

21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021

20 Bookish Facts About Me

Read more from Bookish Things!

—Payton

How I Got Started Reading When I Hated It

It might be surprising to learn that a published author, creative writer, and professional editor used to hate reading books. The truth is I wasn’t always an avid reader. To fully understand how my love for books, and more importantly—my love for stories has grown over the years, I have to back up to a time before I appreciated books.

I really learned how to read books in the third grade. I hated reading because I wasn’t good at it and thus, I wasn’t good at it because I hated it. It was a vicious cycle that repeated itself anytime my teacher assigned reading for homework. This resulted in me not doing so well in school and having to be held back in the third grade. I’m not ashamed of it now, but it made me feel like a complete failure. As I got older, I realized it was essential to my growth as a student, reader, and writer and I had no idea it would ultimately become my lifelong passion.

So, even though I’d learned how to read around first grade, I really learned to read proficiently during my second round of third grade. I had a kind, caring teacher who was really dedicated to helping me grow as a reader and worked with me to build my skill. Following the third grade, I almost instantly did better in all of my studies, passing tests with accuracy that was once gated by my reading inability.

Woman covering her face with a book. Photo by Siora Photography

 I began reading books from the Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne and Barney the Bear-Killer, by Pat Sargent. I was drawn to Sargent’s story because of the cheetah on the cover of book seven in the series and reached for Osborne’s books of which I’d heard contained a magic tree-house that could take Jack and Sally anywhere they wanted to go. Between books that had to do my favorite animal, the cheetah, and endless adventures for kids, I had plenty of reading that I could connect with. These book series helped me to connect with compelling characters over a long stretch of books which kept me reading for a long time.

Games also helped better my reading abilities, which is why I am such a big advocate for giving children access to games. While video games are constantly under fire for promoting violence and toxic environments to children, I have to point out that playing World of Warcraft from the age of nine years old, has significantly benefited my reading skills. When I first started playing the MMO, my reading abilities weren’t too strong, and I had a lot of trouble reading game instructions and quest text. However, playing the games in combination with reading Sargent and Osborne, my reading proficiency increased.

Soon after I’d reached middle school, my family and I moved to Oklahoma and being the new girl, I turned to books until my friends found me. I got into graphic novels from James Paterson’s Maximum Ride Series and after falling in love with the characters from the manga books, I  began reading the full-length novels.

 In eighth grade, I attended Quartz Mountain Christian Camp for two weeks in the summer, and being new to the camp, I again turned to books. We had a lot of downtime in our cabins and with cell-phones off-limits, I decided to read a random book I’d packed in my suitcase on the off chance I’d get bored and have to read.

That’s exactly what happened, and the book I’d brought was Gillian Shield’s Immortal. This book was pivotal for me because it was the first time I’d read a book that I just couldn’t put down. It taught me a very important lesson in reading—there is a genre for everyone and if you don’t like reading, you just haven’t found the right genre. I didn’t know what genre it was yet, but I realized I had been reading all of the wrong books when I was younger and fantasy, romantic, thrillers, action novels and horror were where I should have been the whole time. (Okay, maybe horror isn’t something third graders should read, but still.)

My favorite genre to date, is the romantic thriller. I don’t know, maybe I really am one of those mushy, hopeless romantics after all, but there’s just something so compelling about supernatural love, forbidden romances, and tall, dark, handsome guys with way too much angst. What can I say? I think I have a type. Following Gillian Shield’s Immortal series, I dove straight into the Hush, Hush Saga, by Becca Fitzpatrick, which is my all-time favorite series to date. I’ve read it about eight times now, and I reach for the series every fall. (Except for 2019, where I got a little too excited a little too early and burned through the series in four days over the summer. Oops!)

By my freshman year of high school, I was so deep in the reading hole, I couldn’t get out. In one year, I’d read all of the Percy Jackson and Olympians series and Heroes of Olympus, both of which were written by Rick Riordan. That same year, I reread Maximum Ride, and read for the first time Gillian Shields new book, Destiny, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, and the Warcraft: War of the Ancients Archive by Richard A Knaak. This was a new record for me, because not only had I read so many books in one year, I also burned through the last book, which was thicker than my upper arm, with proficiency.

Since I’d fallen in love with the game, it’s lore, and it’s characters, I was more prepared than ever to take on this thick tome of game lore, character backstory, and history of the world of Azeroth, in which the game was set. I’ve read it twice since then and every time, I enjoy it because I remember how enchanted and enthralled I’d felt when I’d first read it.

As a third grader, I’d never imagined I’d ever read at the level I do now, and as an adult I can’t imagine a life without books. They’ve helped shape me into the woman I am today, and through reading, I have cultivated a love for books and stories. I love equally the process of reading and the process of telling a story—two process that go hand in hand since a writer cannot expect to better their craft without reading the works of others.

I highly recommend reading and if it’s not something you’re interested in right now, keep looking, because I assure you, you just haven’t found the right genre yet!

And that’s the end of my hot take on reading when it’s something you hate. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by Daria Shevtsova

—Payton

Immersion Reading - Audiobooks and Ambiance

Woman wearing headphones while reading. Photo by Karolina Grabowska

Audiobooks aren’t really books. Or are they? While many argue that listening to an audiobook doesn’t really compare to reading a book, there’s something to be said about immersion reading -or reading text while listening to an audiobook simultaneously. By using two of the five senses, readers gain a richer reading experience and find it easier to get into the story.

So, if reading tackles one sense -sight, and listening tackles a second -sound, then shouldn’t this foster a better reading experience?

Not exactly. Many readers argue that audiobooks are distracting to the story, or their reading pace differs from the reading pace of the voice actor, or the narrators read in strange voices for each character. These are all issues authors face when considering having their manuscripts formatted as an audiobook. While these are real issues to readers and authors alike, they still receive an overwhelming positive response, and here’s why:

1. There’s a new trend in the reading community called immersion reading. As defined above, immersion reading is when a book (or e-book) is read in tandem with an audiobook. This has helped many readers better get into the story and has fostered, for many, a richer reading experience.

2. Not all voice actors read character voices. If you’ve listened to George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” the first book in the Game of Thrones series, you know how fun/annoying character voices can be to listen to. This is an issue for some because it doesn’t allow the reader’s imagination to create the characters’ voices, but instead provides them with a narrator-interpreted voice. However, this isn’t always bad; readers who want to focus on the writing and the content of the story won’t have to waste their time imagining voices if they hear them while they’re reading. A quick check in the reviews of your audiobook will tell you if the narrator used character voices.

3. The pacing. Readers often read at their own pace and many argue that audiobooks don’t read as fast/slow as they’d like. If you’re using the Audible app, there is a slider that allows you to change the speed without butchering the narrator’s voice.

Another way for readers to experience immersion reading is by playing music in the background of your reading space. No, I don’t mean Lady Gaga should be blasting while you’re reading your next high fantasy novel. Instead, you should put on music from the Slytherin Common Room at Hogwarts, or something fantasy-based. This helps drop the reader into the setting of the story and makes for a richer reading experience. A great place to find music like this is Ambient-mixer.com or on the Ambient Mixer app. This app allows the listener to create different sound loops and has a variety of looped tracks for any genre/setting.

A quote from the Ambient Mixer site describes what the site offers to listeners:

Ambient Mixer Slytherin Common Room slider volume controls. Photo by Payton Hayes.

“Ambient-mixer.com is a community driven project offering you some unique quality soundscapes with different atmospheres for chilling, relaxing or your recordings using our endless audio loops. You can further effectively mix and create your own sounds absolutely free, with no software installations required. You can begin listening to our sounds by clicking on the images above, which are based on different themes. All atmospheres are royalty free audio files and you can use them even in your commercial projects, thanks to the Creative Commons Sampling Plus license.” (Ambient Mixer, Homepage Footer, Para 1).

While not everyone supports the use of audiobooks over reading tangible books or even e-books, immersion reading is gaining traction and becoming more popular throughout the reading community.

Thumbnail photo by cottonbro.

—Payton