Reading Tips
Many people struggle with reading at one time or another, but there are plenty of ways to help make reading more enjoyable.
- Find your reading level. If you are reading a book and you are losing interest, it could be because you are reading a book that is too easy or too difficult. If you are reading very quickly it could be too easy for you, while if you are reading slowly it may be too difficult for you. Try switching it up, check the reading level and adjust as necessary.
- Find out what genre you like. Many times a book is boring to you because you can not get into the story. Biographies are often a good option because you can read about someone that you are already interested in. Think about the genre of movies you like and try a book in the same genre.
- Find the right length book. Trying to read a 400 page book might be difficult for you and that is okay! Try something smaller next time. Or maybe you are flying through 100 page books, then try something larger.
- Find the right length of chapters. You can often find a 200 page book with 35 chapters or on the other end of the spectrum you can find a 400 page book with 10 chapters. If you read in short bursts, its best to have smaller chapters. If you read for long periods at a time, it is better to have long chapters.
- Find an author that you enjoy. After finding an author you enjoy it is easy to work from there. You can find other works from that author, or you can find similar authors. Miss Marziani is always willing to find you authors that are similar to your favorites. Or go to BookWizard.
- Write down key points. This may not be necessary if you are reading for fun, but if you are reading to write a report or taking a test on the book, writing down the key points is the best way to remember. The two best ways to do this would be using sticky notes or a separate piece of paper. Sticky notes can be used to mark the exact location in the text that a key point takes place. On the other hand, a separate piece of paper works well to keep all the notes organized and in one place.
- Look up words you don't understand. This not only helps you learn new words, but it also helps you understand the book better. If you have the time, first try using context clues to figure out what the word means and then look it up. Sometimes you will surprise yourself when you see that you actually did know the word!
- Make sure you are understanding the main idea of the book. After each chapter or each couple of chapters, take a moment to make sure you understand what just happened. It is easy to read for an hour or so and completely miss the point of what you read. Taking a few seconds to make sure you understand what the author was really saying is helpful in enjoying a book.