• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Instant Pot Recipe Guide! download now!

FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


Thank you for subscribing!


Formerly Your Homebased Mom

  • About
  • Latest
  • Contact
NEW! Watch on youtube!

Your Homebased Mom

Leigh Anne Wilkes

  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Appetizers
      • Beverages
      • Bread
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Dessert
        • Bars and Brownies
        • Cake
        • Candy and Treats
        • Cookies
        • Ice Cream
        • Pie
      • Main Dishes
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Burgers
      • Sauces and Dressings
      • Side Dishes
      • Soup
    • Cooking Method
      • Crock Pot
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pan
      • Oven
      • Quick and Easy
      • Recipes for Two
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Eggs
      • Pasta
      • Pork
      • Poultry
        • Chicken
        • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
      • Gluten Free
    • Cuisine
      • American
      • Asian
      • European
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
    • Holiday
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • 4th of July
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
  • Travel
    • Europe
    • United States
      • New York City
      • Portland
    • What To Wear
  • Life
    • Home
    • Party Ideas
    • Empty Nesters
    • Church
      • Activity Day
      • Relief Society
    • Organizational Tips
    • Recommended Reads
  • New? Start Here
  • Subscribe for weekly recipes

    FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


    Thank you for subscribing!


Recipe Finder

  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Dessert
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Burgers
    • Sauces and Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
  • Cooking Method
    • Oven
    • Crock Pot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • One Pan
    • Quick and Easy
  • Ingredients
    • Beef
    • Eggs
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten Free
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • European
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
  • Holiday
    • New Year’s Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Home / Latest Posts / Life / Recommended Reads / How to Read More Books This Year

How to Read More Books This Year

Share
Share on:
By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 1/08/15Updated: 1/20/23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

read more books this year

If you have read my blog for any length of time you know how I feel about reading.  I love to read.

My love for reading comes from my mother.  She is an avid reader and as children she would take us to the public library almost every Saturday to pick up a new pile of books.  As a young girl I loved reading biographies of famous women and of course, Nancy Drew!  Mysteries were always a favorite of mine.  As I have gotten older my tastes have grown more towards historical fiction but I can really appreciate almost every genre although Science Fiction just isn’t my thing.

I love sharing with you what I read through my Recommended Reads posts I do ever couple of months through the year and then my year end roundup of books that I recently just shared!

I am often asked how I find time to read as much as I do.  Today I want to share with you some of my Top Tips on How to Read More Books this Year!  Did you set a New Year’s Resolution to read more books this year?  If you didn’t, you should!  Did you know that only about 40% of Americans have read a book in the last year?!  Don’t be part of that 60%!!

I love this quote from Dr. Seuss about the importance of reading.  I want to go lots of places!

3c6c32ae57f838bd373dae5098dd9507

So here are my Top Tips on How to Read More Books this Year

1.  Make it a priority.  Just like anything else reading is a choice.  It is a decision to do one thing instead of another.  Turn off the TV and pick up a book.  TV is a passive activity, reading is an active one, it takes effort.  It keeps your mind sharp and engaged.  I love a good TV show as much as the next person but if you really want to read more pick up a book instead of the remote.

2.  Think you don’t like to read?  My guess is that you just haven’t read the right book yet.  Try different genres.  I am a big historical fiction fan but also enjoy a good mystery, biography and even a dystopian novel now and then!  Ask your friends for book recommendations.  Check out some of my Recommended Reads posts.  Check out sites like Good Reads to see what books they are recommending.  Browse a book store.  I love going into my local bookstore and seeing what the new arrivals are.  Be sure to read the recommendations of the people that work at the bookstore make.  Get a library card and talk to your librarian for suggestions.  Amazon is also another great place to see what is new and popular.  Read the classics.  Can’t go wrong there!  There are lots of book lists available online such as Top 100 Novels of all times, etc.  Just Google it.

3.  If you don’t like a book, you don’t have to finish it.  Close the book and find another.  There is nothing worse than reading a book you don’t like, unless it is for a class you have to take, then you have to read it!  Life is too short to read a book you don’t like.

25e92cba3f7eec30c1d83304105bf51b

4.  Join a Book Club.  I have been a member of a book club for years now and I love it.  I don’t always love the books that are chosen and sometimes I choose not to read them but many times the book club has given me the opportunity to read a book I wouldn’t normally choose and I end up loving it.  It has introduced me to lots of new authors that have become some of my favorites. My book club meets every other month which is just right for me.  Many local bookstores offer book clubs or start one of your own!

5.  Get a library card!  Don’t let the cost of books stop you from reading.  I rarely buy a book.  I am a frequent visitor to my local library.  I go online to request the books I want and then an email comes when the book is ready for me to pick up. I am not a big electronical book reader.  I like to hold a paper book in my hands and read.  I do have a Kindle that I like to use for traveling but when I’m home – I want a real book.  But if electronic books work for you and get you reading – do it!

abe118776f8eb4268234bd9daf6a9c76

6.  Listen to books.  I always have a book on CD in the car with me.  It is amazing how much reading I get down in the car and yes, I do count listening to books as reading!  My son uses Audible which is a great way to download books to your I Pad or phone and listen on the go.

7.  Carry a book with you always.  Whether a real book or an audio book, have a book with you, always.  It is amazing how much reading you can get done when you are waiting in the car pool line, outside of piano lessons, at the doctor’s office, etc.

8.  Make it a priority!  Yes, it was my first tip and it is also my final tip. There will always be something else that needs to be done.  Make the time to read.  Now go read a good book!

7d146b5714394473c0492a83cbecce3b

Previous Post
2015 Word of the Year
Next Post
Prosciutto Pizza with Basil and Blackberry

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




  1. Teri says

    Posted on 7/20 at 8:33 pm

    I have two kids under two. Needless to say my days are busy. I used to read before bed but these days I need every extra second of sleep I can get! I manage to get reading done by keeping a book in the bathroom. It doesn’t always work out as my toddler can’t stand a locked door, it takes me months to finish a book ten minutes here fifteen minutes there but it gets done! It’s a silly tip but hey you’re gonna just sit there staring at the wall anyway

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 7/20 at 9:06 pm

      Teri, I love your tip! A few minutes here and a few minutes there!! Take it where you can find it.

      Reply
  2. Carissa says

    Posted on 1/28 at 3:52 pm

    are we friends on goodreads? I set a goal to read 200 this year! Since it’s my de-stress activity of choice, this means that I’m making time for destressing!

    Reply
  3. Ava says

    Posted on 1/10 at 5:37 am

    I used to read all of the time…until I bought a smart phone. It makes me sad and I do have a goal of reading more this year. I love Audible as well, but miss the comfort of a paperback. I’ve even thought of downgrading my phone, but it’s just discipline really. Thanks for the article! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Theresa Smith says

    Posted on 1/10 at 1:38 am

    We brought in the New Year of 2015 while down visiting our kids in San Diego by babysitting while all the adults could go out together. The kids wanted us to READ BOOKS to them! This is another way to start reading more…read to your kids and grandchildren…they love it and so will you!Also if you are ever visiting downtown San Diego check out the new library on Park Blvd. It is AMAZING! You could spend DAYS there! It is several stories high! Fabulous library like no other!

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 1/13 at 8:10 am

      My son lives in San Diego – will definitely check out the library next time I am there.

      Reply
  5. somayeh says

    Posted on 1/9 at 9:14 am

    cest iterest pour moi merci beacoup esp carring a book

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Seasonal Posts

overhead shot of raspberry tart

White Chocolate Raspberry Tart

red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Pink Popcorn

heart shaped pavlova with fruit on it

Heart Shaped Pavlova

Most Popular Posts

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

Crock Pot 5 ingredient Pork Roast sliced

Crock Pot Pork Roast

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

texas sheet cake for two in a baking pan

Chocolate Sheet Cake for Two {Texas Sheet Cake}

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Trending Now

overhead shot of cinnamon rolls

One Hour Cinnamon Rolls

plate of smashed potatoes and a fork

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

overhead shot of bowl of almond chicken

Almond Chicken

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

No knead bread in a pan

Instant Pot Bread

Tomato tart pieces

Easy Tomato Tart

spoon full of mac and cheese

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Almond Torte

  • Crock Pot
  • Instant Pot
  • Chicken
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Bread
  • Salad
  • Dessert

Order my Cookbook, Holiday Slow Cooker!

Buy Now!
Back to Top
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Contact
© 2013–2023 Leigh Anne Wilkes Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled