by Shelly Foreshaw

Some books meet you where you are. Others require a little strategy.

If your reading life has felt off lately—distracted, sluggish, or strangely joyless—you’re going to want to diagnose the problem. The right fix might be simpler than you think.

Here are some common causes for a reading slump and how to fix them.

#1. You’re having trouble concentrating.

Diagnosis: Narrative Attention Deficit

You sit down to read, but your mind flickers elsewhere. Paragraphs blur. Sentences slide past. Your attention span isn’t ready for long form content, the book isn’t holding you—and maybe nothing will. So you get up to eat. You do the dishes again. You pick up the book and put it down, then pick up the book and put it down, then pick up the book and put it down.

Prescription: Find the narrator who insists on taking you with them.

Some books are designed to grip you from the first line, with prose that’s urgent, lean, and emotionally direct. When my own concentration falters, I turn to Bret Easton Ellis—not for moral instruction, but for pace. His narrators don’t wait for you to catch up; they just go. A great indie author pick for fast-paced fiction is Sherri L. Dodd and her Murder, Tea, and Crystals trilogy.

Some books feel like films. Chuck Palahniuk once said he set out to write for people who loved video games—not traditional readers. The result was Fight Club. Books like this aren’t just fast; they’re immersive, built for people whose attention is pulled in all directions. (RPG fantasy fans: Check out Veil Online!)

And seriously—keep an eye on debuts! Something written before the author had the luxury (or burden) of refinement. In my reading life, their books always seem to move so fast—because they must!—and the energy is contagious. When in doubt, follow the momentum. Boxcutters by John Chrostek fits that mold!

#2. You just can’t seem to get started.

Diagnosis: Entry Resistance

You’ve picked out the book, maybe even opened it once or twice—but somehow, starting feels like such a task. The first page hasn’t drawn you in, and the thought of returning to it already feels like work.

Read past the resistance. Commit to a minimum page count on your first attempt—fifteen pages, twenty, maybe forty if you’ve got the time. Enough to cross the initial threshold and allow the narrative to begin unfolding. Often, the real problem isn’t the book itself but the inertia of beginning. The second time you pick it up, the world of the story will already be faintly familiar, and that makes returning easier.

Extra, Spicy Tip: Skip the prologue or introduction. Don’t waste your reading energy on the preamble—save it for the actual text. You can always return to it later, once the book has had a chance to speak for itself.

Need more convincing to get started? Here are some of the biggest benefits of reading.

#3. It feels like you don’t have enough time.

Diagnosis: Literary Delusion

We are made up of time. It never changes. 24 hours, every day. There are moments, there are small pockets; these are the little times.

Those books you’ve been wanting to read might feel too daunting. The chapters might be too long. You might feel like you can’t commit at the outset to finishing a full book in a specific amount of time.

Prescription: Reach for short stories. They offer the satisfaction of completion without the long-term commitment. They are so often spaces for authors to take creative risks—testing ideas, styles, or narrative experiments. The best of them come with sharpness: a sense that the story is being held taut by its brevity.

They also linger! Since the author doesn’t have space to expand on every detail, you end up doing some of the imaginative work yourself—filling in the emotional terrain, sketching out the lives that unfold just beyond the final line, while you’re doing your busy work around the house or in your life. It’s a kind of co-authorship. This not only activates your inner world, but it also leaves you with compact, vivid narratives that tend to resurface days later in conversation or thought.

Best of all, short stories can lead you back to longer reading. They awaken the part of you that craves story, and once the appetite returns, reaching for a novel feels less like a chore and more like a continuation. You have the time; you just have to make it. Smartly.

Plays can also offer something unique. Unlike short stories, which can be jagged or experimental, plays often dwell in deep emotional and psychological space. They are less concerned with the outer plot than with what the characters are wrestling with internally. There’s immediacy to them—dialogue, tension—that creates a vivid sense of life unfolding.

Anton Chekov and the American classics are especially good here. Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller are often described as psychological writers—not in an academic sense, but in an intuitive, emotional one. Their work grips you not because of the plots, but because of the emotional clarity and quiet devastation they manage to evoke in just a few acts. You leave not just with a story, but with a mood that stays with you.

#4. You are bored by your current book.

Diagnosis: Narrative Drift

The prose stretches on without much movement—neither in plot nor in cadence. You find yourself drifting, rereading the same lines, or worse, skipping ahead without really absorbing anything.

Prescription: If you’re reading leisurely, don’t be afraid to move on. I don’t care if you’re 200 pages into your 400 page book. It’s still going to feel too long if you’re not enjoying yourself. Sure you can’t add it to your finished pile for the year, but sometimes reading slumps are specific to the book. Move on. There’s better books waiting for you, like these ones.

If you’re reading as an assignment or feel like you have to read the book, go for a walk. Pace up and down your room, your hallway, your garden—anywhere that allows for a bit of steady, uninterrupted movement. The physical rhythm can help impose structure where the writing offers none. It keeps you alert and engaged, and paradoxically, heightens your focus. With the mind slightly occupied by movement, your attention on the text sharpens. What seemed shapeless on the page starts to take on a rhythm of its own.

#5. You feel like you’re lacking momentum.

Diagnosis: Passive Absorption Mode

Some books don’t offer natural pauses—long chapters, no section breaks, no clear arc. You’re not reading to savor the prose; you’re reading to understand, to absorb, or simply to finish.

Prescription: Read in public. A subway ride introduces “organic” interruptions—someone getting on or off, a shift in the carriage, a dog barking in the distance. These interruptions, rather than breaking your focus, can create a strange, dreamlike absorption. The plot lodges itself more firmly in your mind, and you often retain more than you expect. Alternatively, the ambient distractions can produce a kind of tunnel-vision concentration—as if your mind is working harder to hold onto the thread of the story.

This approach works especially well for lighter or less stylistically rich books, the kind you don’t necessarily want to sit down and savor, but still want to read through with momentum.

If you’re prone to dizziness or public transit isn’t an option, replicate the effect in a café or bar—ideally in the evening, when the hum of conversation is steady and low. The surrounding life creates texture and contrast with the text.

#6. You’re feeling intimidated by the classics.

Diagnosis: Literary Stage Fright

You’ve been meaning to read them—Dostoevsky, Proust, & co—but something about their reputation, the page count, or the way people talk about them makes you hesitate. You want to admire but are afraid you won’t understand them—or worse, that you might not enjoy them.

Prescription: Begin with the author’s shorter work. Novellas, short stories, essays. Just get a sense of their voice, concerns, and style. A single story can introduce you to the atmosphere of their work without requiring a major commitment. It builds familiarity and, more importantly, appetite.

Once you’ve had a taste, you may find you want to read the longer works—not out of obligation, but curiosity. Most of these stories are available online or in collected editions. Think of them as literary aperitifs—sharp, suggestive, and much easier to approach.

If you want to read Robin Wall Kimmerer for example, author of the hefty but incredible Braiding Sweetgrass, start with The Serviceberry.

#7. The book you have to read is too difficult.

Diagnosis: The Comprehension Stall

You’re reading the same paragraph for the third time and still can’t quite tell what it’s trying to say. The prose is dense, the terminology unfamiliar, and the argument elusive.

Prescription: Begin with the conclusion of the chapter or section—this is where the author often distills their central claim. Once you know where they’re headed, you’ll be better prepared to trace the path they take to get there. Next, skim the chapter to identify key terms that you don’t yet know. Take the time to look these up before your proper read to not interrupt your flow later.

When you return to the full chapter, you’ll find the argument clearer, the reading smoother, and your focus far less fragmented.

#8. You’re reading the wrong format.

Diagnosis: Paperback Inaccessibility

I love physical books. New book smell, old book smell; I welcome it all. I love to listen to the gentle swishing of the page as I turn it to find out what happens next. I love placing it face-out on my bookshelf or nightstand and carrying it by my side as I venture to my comfy spot.

But you don’t always feel uncomfortable reading in public, or you need to turn the light off because your partner is asleep.

Prescription: Experiment with a new format.

E-readers can be great for public reading. Not only might some of them fit in your pocket, but if you whip out your Kindle at your kid’s sporting event, it might just look like you’re on your phone like so many others.

E-readers are excellent to fall asleep by too. If you read a paperback, you need the light on. With e-readers, you can lie in bed, read with only one hand, and fall asleep naturally without having to interrupt it by turning off the light. (Be warned though: you may drop it on your face.)

And audiobooks open up a whole new world of possibilities for readers! The time-sensitive reader can do the dishes, put the clothes away, even go to the gym while they’re reading. Nonfiction books make for great audiobooks because it doesn’t matter much if you tune out for a paragraph or two. Give it a shot!

What’s causing your reading slump? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

Having worked as a playwright in Berlin, Shelly Foreshaw now splits her time between Germany and the UK while working as a freelance writer. She’s currently in the process of publishing her first novella.

Thank you for reading “Troubleshoot Your Reading: A Guide to Overcoming Reading Slumps” by Shelly Foreshaw! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post Troubleshoot Your Reading: A Guide to Overcoming Reading Slumps appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Jaylynn Korrell

Poetry quotes: little golden nuggets of wisdom to send you sprinting to the bookstore

Poetry is unlike any other form of language. It’s not speech. Not prose. It’s not even always natural. Sometimes it rhymes even though we don’t rhyme. But one thing it does do? It lasts.

Oh, poetry, how I love you!

How you break down doors, traverse barriers, say things that haven’t been said in ways that haven’t been done before. There’s nothing like you. And yet you encompass everything.

Reading quotes about poetry can change the game for so many readers. Why else do you think I’m putting this list together? I want you to read more poetry. There’s something special in there for you, I know it. And once you start, there’s no turning back. You’ll be a poetry lover in no time.

Here are some of our favorite poetry quotes!

1. “To find beauty in ugliness is the province of the poet.” ― Thomas Hardy

2. “Poetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known in private.” — Allen Ginsberg

3. “Always be a poet, even in prose.” — Charles Baudelaire

4. “The genesis of a poem for me is usually a cluster of words. The only good metaphor I can think of is a scientific one: dipping a thread into a supersaturated solution to induce crystal formation. I don’t think I solve problems in my poetry; I think I uncover the problems.” — Margaret Atwood

5.“Poetry comes from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.” — A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

6. “Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.” — Robert Frost

7.“Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.” — Virginia Woolf

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8. “Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” — Plato

9. “There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either.” — Robert Graves

10. “You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.” — Carol Ann Duffy

11. “A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.” — W. H. Auden

12. “Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.” — Don Marquis

13. “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” — Emily Dickinson

14. “The fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world in spite of History.” — Derek Walcott

15. “A poem is never finished, only abandoned.” — Paul Valéry

16. “The crown of literature is poetry.” — W. Somerset Maugham

17. “In poetry and in eloquence the beautiful and grand must spring from the commonplace…. All that remains for us is to be new while repeating the old, and to be ourselves in becoming the echo of the whole world.” — Alexandre Vinet

18. “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy

19. “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” – T.S. Eliot

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20. “There is often as much poetry between the lines of a poem as in those lines.” — Alexandre Vinet

21. “Poetry is one of the ancient arts, and it begins as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.” — Mary Oliver

22. “It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things.” — Stephane Mallarme

23. “If you know what you are going to write when you’re writing a poem, it’s going to be average.” – Derek Walcott

24. “A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.” — Dylan Thomas

25. “I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.” — Socrates

26. “Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry.” — Georges Brague

27. “Poetry, I feel, is a tyrannical discipline. You’ve got to go so far so fast in such a small space; you’ve got to burn away all the peripherals.” — Sylvia Plath

28. “Poets are masters of us ordinary men, in knowledge of the mind, because they drink at streams which we have not yet made accessible to science.” — Sigmund Freud

29. “The world is full of poetry. The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its brightness.” — James Gates Percival

30. “I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” —Steven Wright

31. “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” — Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

32. “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T.S. Eliot

33. “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” — Allen Ginsburg

34. “A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” — Robert Frost

35. “Poetry is not always words.” – Terri Guillemets

Which poetry quotes speak to you most? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell is a nomadic writer currently based out of Pennsylvania. In addition to her writing and reading for Independent Book Review, she curates lists at GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Jaylynn Korrell

Technology and books: Friends or enemies?

If there’s one thing that book lovers love, it’s books! More of them. No matter how they find them. Ebooks, audiobooks, paperbacks. The more chances to read the better. And with the right book apps, they can be totally free!

You don’t have to worry about feeling like you’re betraying your beloved paperbacks! Think of these apps as an extension of your love of literature or a portal into even more literary engagement!

But not all of these book apps are simply for reading books.

There are apps that allow you to browse & buy brand new titles, read reviews, log your reading, track your patterns, and even keep your kid reading. The options are all endless so long as you have the right digital resources.

So check out these awesome book apps!

(Everything on Independent Book Review has been selected by a very picky group of people. As affiliates we may earn a commission on items you purchase through our links.)

1. BookBub

There’s no better place to start than my absolute favorite cheap & free eBook app! BookBub’s got unbeatable deals with author updates, handpicked recommendations, and truly some of the best indie & big-five books available. If you haven’t tried BookBub yet…you’re welcome.

2. Amazon Kindle

The Kindle is definitely one of my favorite e-readers, but it’s also a great app to have on your phone or iPad. Not only can you find & download nearly every eBook on the internet, but it’s extremely readable as well. You’ll always have access to your favorite books with the Kindle app, and the app will keep track of where you left off on a different device and save it in the cloud so you’ll never lose your place.

3. Goodreads

Ummm…you’ve heard of Goodreads already? No surprise! This is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Readers can search their database of books to find people’s honest reviews before buying anything. Or, they can join the conversation and write their own reviews!

4. Serial Reader

Classic books are classics for a reason. People have loved reading them forever. But a lot of people find them difficult to get through, even if they end up loving them. Serial Reader gives readers a more digestible way to read Classic books by dividing them up into 20 minute sessions. You can read an unabridged 20 minute portion of these books daily with this free book app, and slowly but continuously check some classics off of your “to be read” list.

5. Scribd

Find yourself too busy (or homebound) to take a trip to the library? Check out this extensive digital document library! Book apps like Scribd provide readers with access to over 170 million documents, while also allowing people to upload their your own documents. It allows readers to keep a number of useful audiobooks and ebooks in one place: a truly great learning and sharing resource for readers and writers.

6. Hoopla

Finding this app was a game-changer for me. If you’ve got a library card, you’ve probably got access to Hoopla (or Libby). Hoopla allows you to access books found in your library’s database, as well as audiobooks, comic books, and even movies. So much free content!

7. Wattpad

Looking for somewhere to read original works of fiction? Wattpad has over 90 million subscribers who are reading and uploading fiction works and connecting with other readers and writers. This may just be the place to find your next favorite author before their writing career takes off. These are not always published books like you’d find on Kindle, so you’re finding some real hidden gems here.

Love poetry? Check out these gifts for poets & poetry lovers!

8. Audible

There are ways to read books without opening your eyelids or flipping a page. Audible the dominant force in audiobooks. This app offers monthly membership subscriptions or individual purchases so that you can listen to new, old, and bestselling audiobooks while doing household chores. Try a free trial!

9. Bookly

How long does it take you to read? This book app is a valuable tool in helping you reach your reading goals by tracking your reading progress, maintaining an organized catalog of your completed books, and helping you set monthly or even yearly reading goals. It even provides you with personalized stats in real-time so you can track your progress. People who are trying to develop a good reading habit will like this!

10. Blinkist

Blinkist caters to those who don’t have the time or maybe even the interest to read an entire book. With this book app, you can get a summary of thousands popular nonfiction books in 15 minutes or less. So if reading isn’t your thing but you want the information from some of the best nonfiction books, Blinkist is the way to go.

11. StoryGraph

Have you ever wished for a better way to pick the perfect next book? StoryGraph might be the way to do it. This app takes tracking to the next level by taking into account your mood and the mood of the books you’re usually reading (emotional, lighthearted, relaxing, etc). You can also view how your stats progress overtime to give you more insight on what books you should pick up next.

12. Summary Z

Unlike Blinkist, Summary Z provides a short summary of fiction books as well as nonfiction. So if you’ve got work to do for class and could use a refresher on a novel, check this one out! Summary Z is a great reference.

13. Poetizer

Poetry lovers, unite! Apps like Poetizer allow people to read, write, publish, and buy poetry. Poetry collections can be delivered to your doorstep and then promoted on your personal Poetizer platform. It’s an excellent app for writers & poets.

14. Litsy

After you read a really great book, it’s hard to not want to talk about it with everyone you come in contact with. Having the community to do that with is rare. But it doesn’t have to be! Litsy is a place to share blurbs, reviews, your favorite quotes, and more. It’s my preferred social media account for book lovers!

15. BookClub by Book Movement

Make your book club experience a lot easier by downloading this essential bookclub app. This app is excellent for those looking to simplify every aspect of being in a book club, from setting up meetings to picking your next book club book. Look up top book club books of the week or use their discover tool, and don’t forget to ask good book club questions!

16. Epic

Book apps aren’t just for adults. Kids book apps like Epic exist just to engage readers 12 and under. Epic is the largest digital library just for kids who love to read. It has over 40,000 kids titles to choose from, and they have audiobooks and learning videos available too. This app is free for educators and students to use during the school day.

17. Aardvark Book Club

A book subscription box is a great way to gain access to new releases easily. Aardvark Book Club’s app allows subscribers to choose three new released books from a curated list of 4-5 newly published books to have delivered to their doorstep each month. Then you can discuss your favorites on their app in their discussion community. It’s just like having a bookstore and a book club in your pocket!

So which of these book apps will you be downloading? Let us know in the comments, and tell us if there are any you think we missed!

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell is a nomadic writer currently based out of Pennsylvania. In addition to her writing and reading for Independent Book Review, she curates lists at GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “17 Best Book Apps for Avid Readers” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post The 17 Best Book Apps for Every Kind of Reader appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Toni Woodruff

Asking good, open-ended questions is the key to unlocking the best book club meeting.

That, and wine! 

Summon laughter, good conversation, and juicy surprises in your book club by asking the right questions. It doesn’t matter if you’re a host or a member, coming to your meetings with something to talk about can elevate everyone’s night.

But every book club is different. 

Each person in your group is coming with their own experiences, knowledge, and juicy tidbits, so not all the questions work in every group. Some hosts may find that they only need one question to get everyone going, while others need 10+.  Both are great! As long as you all are out there enjoying the benefits of reading (and each other’s company), you’re doing a great job in my eyes.

Here’s my best advice for asking good book club questions as a host:

• Read this entire list.
• Ask open-ended questions. Yes or no questions can be fine sometimes, but you have to be confident that they’ll respond with “Yes, because,” or “No, because.”
• Add the questions you like best into the notes app on your phone or computer.
• Add more questions than you think you’ll need. You should have backups for when certain topics gain more traction than others. (i.e. be prepared with critical questions when people aren’t liking the book).
• Bold the questions you like best. 
• Think of specific members of your group. (i.e. if Aunt Sue only reads romance, but this is a historical thriller, choose a question based on the genre like twists and predicting the ending).
• Let them talk! You want them having fun and interested in coming back. But also keep listening to clues for which questions on your list could be a follow-up to get things back on track.
• Ask both different and similar questions every meeting.
• Talk about the act of reading in addition to talking about the book specifically.
• Personalize the language in the questions so that it matches your group’s vibe.
• Ask broad AND specific questions. Keep the conversation changing!
• Recommend that people underline or use post-its for potential talking points before your first meeting. Or you can just buy them for those interested!
• Be flexible! Structure is great for book clubs, but everyone should be comfortable and fun is the #1 priority, so feel free to adjust and run in new unexpected directions. 

Another thing I invite my group members to do is experiment with different formats, like audiobooks and ebooks. Let them know about the Audible free trial and that nonfiction books can be the best intro to audiobooks. I’m definitely not the only one who enjoyed listening to Braiding Sweetgrass while doing the dishes. 

How can you get your book club talking? How can you get them laughing? 

Pick great books. Play games. Ask good questions. And remember the number one rule: What happens in book club stays in book club.

Here are 50+ book club questions that’ll get your group talking, laughing, and thinking.

1. Rate this book out of ten. (Everybody take a turn and say nothing else! Can also just do index cards to keep to yourself. See if it changes at the end.)

2. What’s the first thing you have to talk about after finishing this book?

3. What did you like about it?

4. What did you dislike?

5. How would you describe it in one sentence?

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6. What is the best scene?

7. Were there any specific sentences or passages that particularly affected you? 

8. Read the first sentence aloud. Why do you think the author chose this as their first sentence? 

9. Read the last sentence aloud. Why do you think they choose the last sentence? 

10. Is there a small moment in the book that you feel could go under-appreciated?

11. How did you feel about the ending?

12. Did your opinion of this book change at a particular point? 

13. What would you say happens to [x character] after the book ends?

Use up your Audible 30-day free trial for your next nonfiction pick!

14. Do you like the cover now that you’ve finished the book? Why or why not? Any alternate ideas for it?

15. Do you think the title fits the book?

16. Do you feel like this is more of a bestselling book or an award-winning book?

17. Who is the best character?

18. If this book could follow a different character, who would you want it to be?

19. What would you say the most important point the author makes in this book?

20. Would you call this book loud, quiet, or in the middle?

21. For memoir & autobiography: Do you think the author was honest completely? Which parts are you not sure about?

22. If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

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28. Why do you think a publisher would choose to publish this book?

Make a fun game out of it! For one meeting, have your members pick from this Tabletopics box!

30. Did you learn any factual information you didn’t know before?

31. Who is a character you’d like to have lunch with? What would you talk about?

32. Will you remember this book a year from now?

33. Would you fall for any of the leads?

34. Would you say the love connection is believable?

35. Would you sleep with any of the characters?

36. How did you feel about the sex scene(s)?

37. What books/movies/shows did this remind you of?

38. Would this make a better movie, tv show, or neither? Why?

39. Would you want to live in the setting in this book? Which character(s) would you be? What would your job be?

40. Who would you recommend this book to?

41. Did any of your personal views change because of the book?

42. Does anybody need a refill?

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43. Where did you read this most often?

44. When did you read this most often?

45. What drink would go with the mood of this book?

46. What song would go with the mood of this book? (Play it in the background while you’re chatting!)

47. Did reading this book put you to sleep or keep you up?

48. What emotions did it evoke in you?

49. Did anybody try a new format (ebook, audiobook, hardcover)? How did it affect you?

50. Did you Google anything while reading?

51. Were you drawn to pick up the book, or did you finish it because there was a deadline?

52. Did you look anything up about the author? What were you curious about? What did you learn?

53. Do you use book marks, dog ear your pages, use the book flap, or remember what page you were on like some kind of memory superhero?

54. Is anyone struggling to make time to read? Feeling like they’re not enjoying the process? Let them talk it out and ask others to give tips. 

Want your members to read after they leave your group? Talk about building reading habits!

55. Would you read any more books by this author?

56. Would you recommend this book? Remember, this is different from “Do you like it?” Some people won’t recommend books because of content warnings, spice levels, etc.

57. Did your rating change after this discussion?

What is the best question you’ve asked in your book club? Let me know in the comments! I’ll add my favorites.

Thank you for reading “50+ Book Club Questions for a Fun & Lively Discussion” by Toni Woodruff! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 50+ Book Club Questions for a Fun & Lively Discussion appeared first on Independent Book Review.

Book reviews are for all of us.

Readers need to know whether books with the best covers are worth the time they’re about to put into it. They find it helpful (and fun!) to check out reviews after reading the books, too, so they can see what other real-life humans had to say about it.

Librarians & booksellers need to hear from trusted sources that the book they are about to buy for their collection has the capability to get picked up & to satisfy. Authors & publishers need to get and use book reviews to build buzz and credibility for their product.

Book review sites have transformed the book-recommending landscape.

We can write reviews on product pages, on social media apps, and some of us, for publications that have been around since before the internet. Book reviewing has changed. But maybe it also hasn’t.

What kind of book review sites are you looking for? Chances are, this list has you covered.

Here are 30+ book review sites to read, write, and bookmark. 

1. Independent Book Review

Does this logo look familiar? (Hint: You’re sitting on it).

IBR, the website you’re on RIGHT NOW, is all about indie books. There are so many books in the world right now, but if you feel like you keep seeing the same ones recommended over and over, start reading indie!

Independent presses & self-published authors are doing some incredible work right now. IBR reviews books, curates lists, does indie bookstore round-ups, and uses starred reviews & best-of-the-year lists to show which books are going to blow your mind.

2. Book Marks

Lit Hub rules. You already knew this.

But do you know about Book Marks? They’re a branch of the Lit Hub network, and they are an excellent way for booksellers and librarians to get shorter recaps from multiple sources and voices.

Their staff peruses book review sites and shares pull-quotes from them in book lists & more. By reading all of these sites, they can give the book a rating based on the average: “Rave, Positive, Mixed, or Pan.”

My favorite book-buying platform, Bookshop, uses Book Marks’ scale for their books’ ratings, and I love getting access to that.

3. Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly has been around since 1872. By now, they’re a review churning machine. They cover so much of the book industry in so many different ways, reviewing nearly 9,000 books per year and providing publication announcements, agency announcements, industry job listings, bestseller lists, industry stats, a self-publishing partner, and more. 

4. Kirkus Reviews

Another one that’s been around since before the internet! 1933 to be exact. Kirkus is a widely recognized publication that book buyers & librarians follow carefully. I dare you to find a bookstore or library that doesn’t have multiple books with Kirkus Reviews plastered on their front and back covers.

5. Booklist

The American Library Association runs Booklist, a platform dedicated to helping libraries, educators, and booksellers choose books. They’ve got a magazine (since 1905!), book reviews, lists, awards, and one of my favorite bookish podcasts out there: Shelf Care.

6. Library Journal & School Library Journal

As you might be able to guess, Library Journal & School Library Journal focus on librarians too! They review a ton of books, and they write often about library-related news, collection management, technology, programs, and more. If you’re an author hoping to land your book in libraries, these are essential targets.

7. BookPage

You may have seen BookPage in your local library or bookstore. Some shops provide it for free so that patrons can look through it to find which books to buy in-store. Their website is clean and intriguing and always full of the most up-to-date releases and bestsellers.

Speaking of libraries! Have you seen our gifts for librarians?

8. Foreword

Foreword is such an enthusiastic and dedicated champion of indie books, and they’ve been doing it since the 90s! I love how much attention university presses get here too. Their reviews are well-written & thorough, in both print & digital, and I always find something to speed-purchase once the Foreword Indie winners come out.

9. LoveReading

LoveReading is a top book-recommendation website in the UK. They’ve got starred reviews, lists, staff picks, a LitFest, eBooks, and they even donate 25% of the cover price of their books to schools of your choice. It’s reader-friendly and apparent how much they appreciate the wonder of books. 

10. Washington Independent Review of Books

What’s not to love about The Independent?

Back in 2011, a group of writers & editors were frustrated by newspapers dropping book review sections and decided to do something about it. The Washington Independent Review of Books is quite a lovely something! This nonprofit posts every day: from reviews to interviews to essays and podcasts. They host events too!

11. Book Riot

Try being a reader and not finding something you love on Book Riot. Book lists, podcasts, personalized recommendations, newsletters, book deals—this site is a haven.

It doesn’t post solo book reviews like other sites, but they do share mini-reviews in book lists and talk about reading in unique & passionate ways. The Book Riot Podcast is such a winner too! I love listening to Jeff & Rebecca laugh about the latest in books & reading.

12. Electric Lit

From novel excerpts to original short fiction & poetry, they might not only be a book review site,  but they do offer a lot in the world of book recommendations. Their Recommended Reading lit mag features unique staff picks and short, insightful book reviews.

13. The Millions

The writing in The Millions is something to behold. They are an artful source for all things book reviews & recommendations. They write stunning essays about books & reading and long reviews of new and old books. They’ve got some of my favorite Most Anticipated lists too.

What are the biggest benefits of reading?

14. Bookforum

Did you hear? Bookforum is back! This book review magazine announced in December 2022 that they were closing, and my heart sank a little bit. This company means so much to the publishing industry and has for 20+ years, so when I saw (last week!) that they are returning, I did more than a few jumps for joy.

Welcome back, Bookforum! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming for us in book world coverage.

15. BOMB

BOMB is in it for the art. Art, literature, film, music, theater, architecture, and dance. There are reviews and interviews, and the literature section is a real delight. The reviews are like poignant essays, and the author interviews are in-depth and feature some fascinating minds.

16. The Asian Review of Books

The only dedicated pan-Asian book review publication! It’s widely cited and features some of the best in Asian books and art, so booksellers and librarians have a source to trust to stock their collections with high-quality pan-Asian lit.

Have you seen our gifts for book lovers yet?

17. Chicago Review of Books

I love so much of what Chicago Review of Books does. They have a clean & sleek design that features some of the buzziest books as well as plenty of hidden gems from our favorite indie presses. I’m a particularly big fan of the spotlight they put on books in translation.

18. Rain Taxi

I love Rain Taxi’s style! They champion unique books, publish their own fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and put a real emphasis on art for their magazine covers. It’s a beautiful print magazine to subscribe to, but they also share free online editions & digital archives. They even run the Rain Taxi Reading Series & Twin Cities Book Festival if you’re a real-lifer in Minnesota!

19. The Rumpus

Oh, The Rumpus! This mostly volunteer-run online magazine publishes reviews, interviews, essays, fiction, and poetry. The reviews are in-depth and personal and heart-melting, and in addition to the site, they’ve got cool perks like the Poetry Book Club and Letters in the Mail. The book club is where you get a pre-release book and meet the poet via Slack with other club members at the end of the month, and Letters in the Mail are actual postcards sent in the mail to you twice a month from your favorite authors.

20. Book Reporter

The selection in Book Reporter is carefully curated & enticing: hot new releases, forthcoming books, major presses, & indies. And there are plenty of unique ways to learn about them, like video interviews and monthly lists & picks. It launched in 1996 and is in The Book Report Network, which includes Reading Group Guides, a super useful resource for book clubs.

21. BookTrib.

BookTrib does such a great job of making their site browsable. The different ways you can enjoy what they offer—from book lists to giveaways to ebook deals—are difficult to keep your purchase finger off of.

23. Lit Reactor

Writers & readers—where bookish people meet! LitReactor’s book reviews are in the magazine portion of their website, and they’ve got plenty of them! Reviews, interviews, lists, introspectives, writing tips, and reading discussions. I’ve found some really unique content on Lit Reactor, like this ranking of literary parents. The website is a haven for writers especially, as there are workshops, writing blog posts, and even a forum to participate in.

24. Crime Fiction Lover

Dark alleys. Stray bullets. Hard-boiled detectives. Runaway thrills. If you’re a mystery-thriller reader, you’ve got to know about Crime Fiction Lover. They’ve got a passionate group of readers and writers talking about the best books in the genre and the ones that are soon to come out too.

25. SF Book Reviews

Speculative fiction fans unite! SF Book Reviews has been reviewing sci-fi and fantasy books since 1999, and while they’re a relatively small staff, they publish regularly, feature books of the month, and work wonders for their fantastical community.

26. Historical Novel Society

For all you historical fiction fans out there, the Historical Novel Society has reviewed more than 20,000 books in its twenty years. This one works like a membership for “writers and readers who love exploring the past.” You get a quarterly print magazine as a member, and if you’re a writer, you can join critique groups and ask for book reviews.

27. The Poetry Question

The Poetry Question writes about poetry published by indie presses and indie authors. They are a small passionate team dedicated to showing the world why indie presses continue to be a leading source for award-winning poetry.

28. Goodreads

Did you know that there are over 125 million members on Goodreads? When users review books, they can have conversations with fellow readers and follow reviewers too. If you’re looking for the biggest community, there’s no doubt Goodreads is the one. I like using sites like this because it helps you catalog books, one of my favorite ways to build a strong reading habit. 

29. The Storygraph

A big community of active users that’s Amazon free! Come review books, use half & quarter stars (!), and complete reading challenges. You got this.

29. Bookwyrm

Bookwyrm is small (around 5,000 members at the time of this writing), but doesn’t that sound kind of nice? There are active members and a genuine collective goal in talking books. Grow with it. I think you’ll be comfy here. There are other communities within the Bookwyrm umbrella too, like Bookrastinating.

30. Reedsy Discovery

I hold a special place in my heart for book review sites dedicated to helping writers! I got into this business as a book marketer, and I experienced first-hand, through hundreds of books, how hard it was to get exposure & validation for small press and self-published authors. 

Reedsy Discovery is a branch of Reedsy (the author resource company) that connects authors & reviewers so that people can read free books, sometimes receive tips for it, and authors can get more reviews in the process. Readers can choose from the latest books as well as the ones that are getting the best reviews.

31. Netgalley

Netgalley is a book review site for pre-released books. Reviewers sign up for a free account, request galleys from publishers and indie authors, and get to read them before they’re published so that they can leave reviews for the book, preferably on Amazon, Goodreads, or their blog. They also run Bookish, the editorial arm of Netgalley, which has book recommendations, interviews, and more.

32. Online Book Club

This review site combines a bunch of cool things! The 4-million member community gives me a lot of Goodreads vibes, especially with the Bookshelves app. But Online Book Club is a place for you to get eBook deals and talk about books in reviews and forums.

What are your favorite book review sites to follow? Let us know in the comments!

Thank you for reading “Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 30+ Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Joe Walters

Reading changes my life all the time.

It’s a way for me to see the world differently and to communicate differently and to kick my feet up and breathe and breathe and breathe all at the same time. Reading takes time. We’ve got to fill ours somehow. This relaxing, enriching, and productive hobby might just change your life too, if you let it.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done it much lately or you never really have. All that matters is that you start and you keep going. If you develop a reading habit, you’ll see that the benefits of reading are plentiful.

Or, you could read this list.

Here are 11 benefits of reading that you’ll reap immediately and in the future.

1. Reading makes you smarter

“Smarter” might seem like a vague umbrella term–and it kind of is–but only when you overcomplicate it.

At a basic level, becoming smarter than your previous self means that you learn something you didn’t previously know. By reading and then continuing to read, you do this over and over. Some things will stick. Some will not. Over time, you’ll rake in new practical information (may I recommend some mushroom books?!) and use it to communicate better and analyze better in real life. Even if you stick strictly to fantasy books, you’re going to get smarter. But of course, if smarter is your goal, nonfiction books are about as practical as they come.

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t hop into reading and make your brain grow Jimmy Neutron-style right away. Reading and learning takes patience and resilience, but if you build the habit, it will come.

2. Reading is a form of guided meditation

You may experience this benefit immediately.

Something is happening in your body and mind. You are circulating. You are sitting still and breathing and engaging the parts of your brain that require focus and retention. If it feels difficult to read or stay in the same mental space, that’s because it is. Like meditation, it takes practice. Once achieved, it can feel like a continuation of breaths of fresh air.

Some people will tell you that reading reduces stress, but stress sucks and I can’t put pressure on the task of reading like that. But I can confirm that sitting quietly and breathing is a very good thing.

3. Tired of Netflix? Try a brain-movie!

There are so many ways to entertain yourself at home in the year 2023. Some are outside, some are inside, some are on screens, and yet…

We still get bored.

(Or most of us do).

When you read fiction and narrative nonfiction, you are watching a story unfold on the television screen of your imagination. The images are a combination of the things you know and the things the author is conveying to you, and it appears this way in this exact form only to you.

The benefits of reading stories are endless. Get lost in one; you’ll never know what you’ll find until you do.

Some top fiction & nonfiction book recommendations:

• Horror: Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova (Hardcover | eBook)
• Sci-Fi: I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane (Hardcover | eBook)
• Short Stories: Unshod, Cackling, and Naked by Tamika Thompson (Paperback | eBook)
• Romance: Mid-Flight by Lisa Wilkes (Paperback | eBook)
• Memoir: Laugh Cry Rewind by Judy Haveson (Paperback | eBook)

4. It can put you to sleep

Wait! How is a hobby that puts you to sleep anything but boring?

Hear me out…

Sometimes, you want to sleep.

You’re lying in bed and getting stuck in Youtube time-warps until it’s later than you wanted it to be and you have to get up in the morning. Even if you do put the phone down and surrender yourself to the act, it can be hard for your brain to slow down; the blue light from the phone can affect your sleep-wake cycle.

Any 10th grader in an 8 AM English will tell you: Reading can make you sleepy. Regardless of how good a book is, the act of scanning the text and processing what you’re reading is a natural way for your eyelids to start fluttering.

My favorite way to do this is reading nonfiction books (because I can stop midway!) with my Kindle and the bedroom light off. That way, I don’t need to do anything except lower my hand and eyes and I’m off to dreamland.

5. You can listen to books while doing chores & other mindless tasks

I do so many dishes. I live in the kitchen sink. While I’m doing them, I wear headphones. But I’m not always in the same mood. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s basketball podcasts, and sometimes it’s audiobooks.

Ever since starting my Audible free trial, I’ve been hooked on audiobooks. I’ve read biographies while brushing baby bottles, bird books while scrubbing too-large pots. Instead of listening to the 24-hour news cycle concerning how the Sixers will let me down this year, I’m learning and giving myself a fun new hobby of looking in the sky in real life to try to figure out what that bird is.

Quick note: I’ve been listening to audiobooks for a couple years now, and I haven’t read a single fiction book! Nonfiction gives me opportunities to miss out on a paragraph or two while I get spacey, and yet I can still understand what in the world is going on. My recommendation is to dive into nonfiction audiobooks as an option for when you’re cleaning and don’t look back.

Here are some of my favorite indie audiobooks of the last couple years:

• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer
• Negative Space by Lilly Dancyger
• In the Company of Crows and Ravens by John M. Marzluff and Tony Angell

6. Books can give you a more complete picture than Google or social media

Want to learn something new? Google is an obvious place to start. Want to get bombarded with opinions and eye-catching graphics about real or not-real content? May I introduce you to [much of the internet]?

You can definitely learn from both Google and social media, but the best way to see the complete picture is by reading a book about it. Turn to experts for your information; read more books.

7. Reading is time-consuming and inexpensive (or it can be!)

Our lives are made up of time. We have to fill it somehow.

If you find yourself bored with your regular routine, inject 30 minutes of reading time into it, and you could feel productive and rested by the end of it. When you’re retired or on summer break, reading can fill those long empty days with excitement, enrichment, and meditation.

You can definitely spend a lot of money on books, but you can also get around that pretty easily. The library can be a generous best friend, and your local thrift store or used bookstore can supply you with hours of entertainment for actual quarters. Kindle Unlimited can be a good deal if you read a lot of eBooks.

8. Better understand other cultures

Reading promotes empathy. Take a walk in another person’s shoes for a while. Get inside the heads of those who aren’t like you. Understand their priorities. Recognize that you aren’t the only person with a history and a community on the planet. And change the way you view our shared world. Documentaries & films are great at helping you see this. Don’t stop watching them. Just add books too.

9. Improve your communication skills

Communication is vital to our relationships, whether fleeting or life-long. If you are a good speaker or writer, you can sustain relationships and achieve many goals along the way.

The more you read, the better you can communicate. I’m not saying you always will– hello, social anxiety!–but I am saying that your vocabulary will increase and you will know more ways to say things with more analogies to convey them. Here’s more on reading to improve communication.

10. Get better at your job & make more money

There are nonfiction books out there to help you with most jobs. Business books can be incredibly rewarding and even easy to grapple with. Language can be straightforward and fun on the way to helping you get promoted and make more money. Don’t sleep on this one if you want to get ahead. It could change your life.

Some book recommendations about money:

• Own a Fraction, Earn a Fortune by (eBook | Audiobook)
• Not Your Job by Pierce Brantley (eBook | Audiobook)
• Host Coach by Cullin & Danielle Tate (eBook | Audiobook)
• Sports Betting Down the Bones by Manuel Angela (eBook | Audiobook)

11. Reading promotes art and imagination

I obviously like reading for a lot of different reasons, but this is among my favorites. Beyond literally supporting authors and their art with book purchases, readers exercise their creativity by imagining words on the page as images in their mind.

If you have kids, you are showing them that reading is cool too, so you’re promoting imagination that way. Never underestimate the power of monkey see, monkey do! Reading also can make you more creative.

Which benefits of reading did I leave off? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

Joe Walters is the editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review and the author of The Truth About Book Reviews. He has been a book marketer for Sunbury Press, Inkwater Press, and Paper Raven Books. When he’s not doing editorial, promoting, or reviewing work, he’s working on his novel, playing with his kids, or reading indie books by Kindle light.

Thank you for reading “11 Benefits of Reading As a Hobby” by Joe Walters! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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by Joe Walters

“How much should I read a day?” is a complicated question.

You have likely heard advice from teachers, parents, librarians, doctors, and know-it-alls over the years telling you that you should spend at least [x amount of time] reading per day. 

I’ve heard so many different opinions on this over my lifetime: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, even 2 from my grade school librarian back when I was a young tike with a basketball to shoot.

And now, a collection of years later, I’m a person who reads, reviews, and works with books for a living. I breathe this stuff. I want everybody to read more so that we can talk about the best books and put our trust in brilliant authors and learn things only available inside of covers.

But it’s not always easy to make the time to read. We have so many things to occupy ourselves nowadays, and they don’t always require us to work hard for the gratification.

And yet, this question still comes up: How much should I read a day?

So here’s my answer:

What do you want out of this?

If you are just trying to get smarter, I’ve got good news for you. Read one chapter in a nonfiction book about a subject you are not yet proficient in. 

Voila: you’re smarter.

If you read more than one chapter, you’re smarter again and then again and then again. 

If you are trying to read [x minutes per day] because you want to build a reading habit, then I like where your head is at! But don’t get caught up in the specific timeframe that your teacher recommended in their minutes-per-day spiel.

Your teacher is not you; you are the only one who can know how much time you have to read.

As long as you read every day, no matter if it’s for five minutes, ten minutes, an hour, or more, you are following through on your habit-building exercise to read more. Just keep doing it, and if you miss a day or two, do not call it a failure and give up. Recognize that all you can do is start it again. And actually do it.

One of my favorite ways to read every day is…

Reading multiple books at a time.

I know this might sound like something of a head-scratcher for all you wanna-start-reading-more friends, but it’s more about practicality than you’d think.

Sometimes you don’t want to read the book you’re reading or you genuinely cannot read it at this moment.

I, for one, don’t want to open a literary novel with big meaty chapters while my almost-toddler is dancing and chanting Bob Marley as loud as she can. But she is fairly occupied, so I believe this is a pocket of time I could read instead of scrolling the internet.

It’s times like these when I like to read nonfiction books (nature reading is my lifeblood lately) because if/when I have to put the book down, I can rest easy knowing that I stopped at or very near the large subheading about the way trees have babies.

Another way to read every day is to read books in different formats.

I do a ton of dishes, so I’ve become an audiobook fanatic. Sometimes I want to listen to music when scrubbing plates, and sometimes I want it to be a podcast about how bad/amazing the Sixers are. But a lot of the time, I want to listen to a book.

This might be just me in the current body I’m in and world I’m in, but again, I am choosing nonfiction for a lot of my audiobook listens. Nature books are obvious favorites for me here, but I also enjoy audiobooks about music like They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us and ones on art & writing like Craft in the Real World.

eReaders have really increased my reading numbers too. I think reading before bed is the most wonderful way in the world to fall asleep, and it works wonders for me in actually zonking out.

Back when I was scrolling my phone too much, I could be using my decompress time before bed for entirely too long and getting swirled around the YouTube recommendations for more prank videos than you can count. Now, I’m stuck on my Kindle. I like that.

I also like it because I can read it in public without attracting too much attention. Most of the time people just think I’m on my phone, but really I’m burrowing between the rhythmic lines of a poetry collection from Ocean Vuong or Jericho Brown.

By reading different books at the same time and reading them in different formats, you are making it more convenient for you to read. This is a huge habit-building technique that you can use to hit your goal of how much you should read in a day.

A very serious readerly FAQ

Should you set yearly reading goals?

I think it’s good to set reading goals but not definitely not as any sort of schedule. I choose them for fun, and maybe you should too. The most important thing in my eyes is that you actively choose reading often–not to hit x books in y amount of hours but to build and develop your reading habit.

How much should you read in a day? (If I HAVE to choose)

Thirty minutes. Split it up or conquer it all at once. If you shoot for this, you’ll give yourself a chance to finish full chapters of many books, giving you a sense of completion each time. That feeling of accomplishment helps keep you going. But also, adjust if it’s too much! Just keep reading.

How much should I read a day in order to finish this three-hundred page book?

Each reader is different, each book is different, each moment you peek inside is different. Who knows how long it will take you to read this specific book.

But if you really, really have to finish a three-hundred page book in a short amount of time, just know that you can do it anywhere between 8 and, say, 20 hours. What you’ll notice about both of these is that they are within a day. You can absolutely read a 300-page book today, even if you are a slow reader. Just go with one word after another, and you’ll get there. There are also a number of fast reading strategies you could implement if you’re really in a crunch.

If I read multiple books at a time, how will I ever finish one?

Slowly! But surely, if you keep resetting the day’s goal over and over and over.

How can I read more in loud spaces?

This is one that used to trip me up a lot. It always seems romantic and sweet to read your book in that cool coffee shop down the street, but if it’s poppin’ in there, you could end up reading the same paragraph over and over.

One of my favorite tricks for this is…to keep trying. Mouth the words as you read so you focus extra specifically on what you’re doing rather than what the randoms are saying. It’s going to be hardest early on, but the more you force yourself to do it, the better you’ll become.

Also, it could be the book’s fault! Try out something a little easier in the beginning. You can be a reader in a loud space, I know you can. (If you want to bring earbuds, that can help too).

Does reading articles on my phone/tablet/laptop count as reading?

Absolutely! I wouldn’t count it on your end of the year reading chart, but if you’re reading, you’re reading. That’s one of the big reasons why I believe that you can increase your book-count this year. You’re most likely reading already.

Can I throw myself a party when I finish reading a book after all the mini-hours I put in trying to finish it?

Umm…duh!

My favorite way to celebrate finishing a book, however simple it is, is to write the title down on my “Books Finished 2023” poster-thing I have hanging in my office. It’s a surreal type of excitement to actually add to the list after all of your quiet moments sitting there reading.

Happy reading, all! How much do you want to read per day?

About the Author

Joe Walters is the founder and editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review. He has been a book marketer for Sunbury Press, Paper Raven Books, and Inkwater Press. When he’s not doing editorial, promoting, or reviewing work, he’s working on his novel and trusting the process. Find him @joewalters13 on Twitter.

Thank you for reading Joe Walters’s blog post “How Much Should I Read a Day?!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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