If you read 50+ books a year, how do you do it?

@BlueFairyBugsBooks I write every title down in my logbook. When my MH dives, I don't read. My psychiatrist told me that my logbook was a more accurate picture of my MH and I found that very helpful in terms of tracking.

Hang in there 💛

I'm a lawyer so my job depends on me being able to grasp complex issues in dense text very quickly. And I've always been able to. It's just normal to me so I don't really know how to explain it.

I did this for a NY resolution before (56 in total I think). Read on the train, read in bed a bit, doubled down on holiday and read a LOT.

I always thought I didn’t have time to read but apparently I have time to read shit on my phone til midnight far too often. Go figure….

Also I read some really short books so I could keep my stats up!

I read 263 books last year. A variety of fiction/non-fiction. Some easy read "fluff" as my mum calls them. Some deeper and weightier. Nothing overly long though according to my StoryGraph stats. The year before I read a handful of 500+ pages. And this year I'm reading Les Mis, which is about a billion pages long.

I don't "do" audiobooks, and the occasional one I listen to doesnt go on my list. Couldn't care less if others count them as reading, I don't. But the chances are I couldn't tell you what I listened to as my brain switches off.

Im reading much slower this year for various mental health reasons.

But even so, you must be going at a speed way beyond most mortals. I know some people can do it, but I can still hardly imagine it. Does it eg hinder how much you can take in? Are you aware of reading in a different way from ordinary folk? Or am I simply underestimating how much one can do with only a little extra time?

I average 120-130 books per year.

• Go into bookshops and look at all the books you like.
• Open your library app and reserve them all.
• keep a book in your car, your handbag, everywhere.

And enjoy!

My 229 books last year were all full books. I don’t read short stories. They are your average book size.

I read 35 books in January, including David Copperfield, Nexus, and several dense history books. A few Agatha Christie's but mainly the rest was literary fiction...
but i was recovering from an accident so only working a few hours a day and DH had to do all the housework and most of the childcare so I had a lot of free time.

If you read 200+ books a year, what types of book are they?!

While there are various ways I could get my numbers up (eg short books, books with pictures), what really ups my rate is books with lots of dialogue, and smooth uncomplicated prose with no particular subtext. I’m currently reading Simon Callow’s biography of Orson Welles and although it’s enormous, I’m speeding through it.

But even in ideal conditions, I can barely imagine a rate approaching one a day.

Oh gosh as a housing officer you have all my respect!

I worked in a different aspect of local government but during the pandemic there were very few of us working in the building so we all shared a floor. The agro they dealt with day in day out was just jaw dropping. And the patience with which they dealt with it.

I read over 300 books a year. I am a fast reader but I also read every opportunity I get - it’s like breathing for me. I am also lucky because DH is a SAHD and does virtually everything round the house, so once I’ve finished working (I work FT) I don’t have many chores to do. DD is older now (and also a bookworm) so doesn’t need as much looking after.

I think the biggest factor though is that I watch very little TV, so my evenings are mostly spent reading - 2-3 hours every night soon helps those numbers rack up. I don’t try for a specific number though - I read a lot because I can’t not read. I genuinely think I’m addicted to reading. I get withdrawal symptoms when I’m doing anything that prevents me from reading!

Yeah, definitely my favourite job too. Worked there for around 8 years and in that time only had 2 customers kick off majorly. One was totally justified as their kid had managed to borrow an adult devil worship book and was traumatised and the other person was just a nasty arsehole that was still under the impression that libraries should be silent and not have free storytime for toddler sessions 🙄.

We did also have a perv trying to look at god knows what porn he had on a USB stick.

In my next job, Council Housing officer, I was screamed at about 20 times on my first day 😂.

I have two small DC, work full time and read at least double that figure, probably more. I love reading, always have, and always have a book on the go. Having a Kindle helps and I'll often have it in hand as I do housework! Recently though I've been reading less and more time doom scrolling so really trying to get back to reading as it makes me happy. Also want to challenge myself more with the content I'm reading.

True. I tend to read a wide mixture over the course of the Year from tiny novellas to weighty tomes.

I remember my English teacher in year seven telling me off because I hadn't read a book a week like I was supposed to. When I pointed out that was because I had been reading the Grapes of Wrath while my peers were reading Sweet Valley High she just looked at me blankly. My mum had to take a copy of the book in to show it to her

The length of the book is a huge factor. Anyone reading tomes like Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, War and Peace and A House for Mr Biswas will likely read fewer books than someone reading novels of 100 to 200 pages.

I recently read a couple of Penelope Lively's shorter novels in one day, I couldn't do that with War and Peace.

I don’t count how many books I read, but it’s a lot. I read in the bath, before bed, and when I wake in the night. If I go on holiday I take half a dozen paperbacks and hope there’s a book exchange in the hotel.

I worked in a library while I was studying for my masters it was amazing - I would take home a big bag of books every shift and then tear my way through them around studying for my masters and other work

It was my favourite job I think (apart from some customers looking down their noses at me for some inexplicable reason) . I loved creating displays and helping customers find books that they could only remember some vague detail about. Everyone who worked in the library was brilliant and well read and we had the most wonderful conversations about books

I read 70 books last year.

I read 8-10 books on holiday. We go on holiday 2-3 times a year for 10-14 days at a time. It's my favourite thing to do, no washing to sort out, food to prepare, cleaning to be done - total guilt free reading.

I read quite quickly, will pick a couple of short stories and often read an audio book (autobiographies) when I'm out walking, so that bumps the numbers up too.

I read everywhere, when I eat my meals (apart from with my partner) take my kindle to appointments and will grab 10 minutes whenever I can. Read every night before bed.

I retired last year so my reading has increased slightly (still doing ad hoc work here & there). I will read before watching TV. Sit outside and read when it's sunny.

I read about 85 books last year - mostly I read super fast but when I find an author I love I will tear through every book until I’ve read them all.

I read when having lunch, read if I’m treadmill walking, read when everyone’s watching TV and we’re all on the couch, read for half hour before I sleep.

I did in my 20's, generally by heading to bed around 9pm and reading for anything up to 3 hours. No smart phones in those days with time wasting doom scrolling. Also working in a library gave me first dibs on all the latest book releases!

Now rapidly heading towards my 50's and lucky if I can get a book finished within 3 weeks via our councils elibrary app.

Really wish I could get back to the days of finishing a book over a weekend.

I read a lot. I don’t watch much tv. My son is non verbal autistic and I need to watch him all the time but he likes to do his own thing so I usually read my kindle around him, so I am there if needed. I probably read a book every couple days. Sadly I also get a lot of migraines and if i am feeling rubbish reading is the best distraction .
I wouldn’t put pressure on yourself to read , just do when you can. You have a small child! It’s very different if you were retired.

I read about 80-100 books a year.

i don’t really watch tv.

i include audiobooks in this which i listen to on my commute for minimum of 1 hour per week day.

i read an actual book at the same time.

i read everyday.

i could probably read a lot more if I spent less time on my phone.

I am a fast reader. Last year I read 229 books. So far this year I have read 27.

I read a lot, I take my kindle with me to read instead of scrolling on my phone while waiting for people, on the bus, lunch time etc. I also don’t sleep well so often read instead the night to try to make me sleepy.

I have a very fast processing speed so about 100 pages in an hour is the right speed for me to feel fully immersed in the book (for me it's a bit like being on a movie set when I read). I have a 40 minute commute and I read then twice a day. I'm also not a massive TV/screen person so I tend to read when the family are watching in the evening. Early mornings at the weekend when I'm doing chores I might have an audio book on if I'm in the mood. Over the year it averages out to about a book a day but it's rarely as simple as reading a whole book every single day. Of course I read much more on the holidays!