The Art of Reading Fiction

The Art of Reading Fiction 📚

I was a huge book worm as a child. My room was littered with novels, my favourite subject at school was English and my ‘acts of rebellion’ were to stay up late reading with a torch under a blanket.

I got older and, as with most things, life got in the way. I chose reading-heavy subjects at A Levels and University and something I used to enjoy for pleasure became a mandatory chore. Yes, there’s a difference between reading about the story of a young wizard and studying the ethics of medical law, but still…

I stopped casually reading in my final year of GCSEs, and it wasn’t until the last 6 months (some 7 years later), that I’ve managed to pick it back up.

The best advice I could give to someone looking to get/back into reading would be to start small. Whether you read complex classics and long novels before (or this is where you aspire to end up), reading for pleasure, like most things, requires some amount of build up. I have actually found the easy reads I’ve been entertaining of late some of the most pleasurable books in my personal library.

Some of the popular page turners responsible for my return to reading are The Hating Game by Sally Thorne; The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood; and Ugly Love, November 9 and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I would also consider how you might best enjoy reading. For example, I love the physical feel of books and the aesthetic of having them littered about my home. Others prefer the uncluttered version, and find a Kindle ensures they keep reaching for that story. 

If you’re an avid serotonin-seeker, try downloading an app like Goodreads. It keeps a digital library of all your books and you can tick them into your ‘read’ category once you’ve finished. This quickly creates an impressive collection to look back on (which will encourage you to keep it growing).

Finally, don’t forget to set the mood. I, unfortunately, do not have a fireplace in my home, but Youtube does! There are tonnes of 10+ hour ‘Crackling Fireplace’ videos to choose from! Whack one of these on, light some candles & put the kettle on - you’re all set!

Give it a try and let me know which book you’ll be picking up first! :) I’m currently reading ‘Verity’ by Colleen Hoover.