by Jaylynn Korrell

Get inspired (& inspire!) with these brilliant quotes about books & reading.

People have loved books for centuries. And I don’t blame them! These things are portals, mind-reading devices, time-traveling phone booths, and information troves. You can fall in and out of love with books throughout your life, but, as long as you don’t live with Montag and Clarisse McClellan, they’ll always be there waiting to blow your mind.

And just as long as books have been around, people have been expressing their love for them. Authors, experts, world leaders, and beyond, people have been using their own love of the written word to inspire others to dive into the deep, wonderful world of them. The more book lovers, the better.

So whether you’re just looking to get inspired, to find new content for your Bookstagram, to include them in your essays for your English class, or to use them for your classroom as an English teacher, you’ve got options with these quotes about reading.

Here are some of our favorite reading quotes!

Quotes About Reading

1. “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” – James Baldwin

2. “What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.” ― Oprah

3. Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know. — Alberto Manguel

4. “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – Descartes

5. “You will learn most things by looking, but reading gives understanding. Reading will make you free.” ― Paul Rand

6. “Read a lot. Expect something big, something exalting or deepening from a book. No book is worth reading that isn’t worth re-reading.” – Susan Sontag

7. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

8. “Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham

9. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” ― Henry David Thoreau

10. “For my whole life, my favorite activity was reading. It’s not the most social pastime.” ― Audrey Hepburn

11. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin 

12. “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

13. “Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” – Malorie Blackman

14. “I guess a big part of serious fiction’s purpose is to give the reader, who like all of us is sort of marooned in her own skull, to give her imaginative access to other selves.” – David Foster Wallace

15. “Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.” – Jean Rhys

16. “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise about the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn

17. “Once you’ve read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.” — Louis L’Amour

18. “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis

19. “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend” — Paul Sweeney

20. “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.”― Voltaire

21. “You get a little moody sometimes but I think that’s because you like to read. People that like to read are always a little fucked up.”― Pat Conroy

22. “The world was hers for the reading.” ― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

23. “My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”— Malcolm X

Guess what? We’ve got a killer list of gifts for English teachers too!

24. “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

25. “Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”― Fernando Pessoa

26. “Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”― John Locke

27. “If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads.”― Francois Mauriac

28. “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”― W. Somerset Maugham

29. “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” =―Mary McLeod Bethune

30. “I love the solitude of reading. I love the deep dive into someone else’s story, the delicious ache of a last page.”―Naomi Shihab Nye

31. “Reading is an active, imaginative act; it takes work.”― Khaled Hosseini

32. “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.”―Lisa Kleypas, A Wallflower Christmas

33. “Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read.”— Raymond Carver

34. “The ability to read awoke inside of me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” ―Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

35. “Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you.”— Harold Bloom

36. “Just because you’re a slow reader doesn’t mean you’re a bad one.” — Joe Walters, founder of Independent Book Review

37. “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

38. “No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.” — Mary Wortley Montagu

39. “Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.”— Mark Haddon

40. “It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.” – S.I. Hayakawa

Quotes About Books

41. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”― Ray Bradbury

42. That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” — Jhumpa Lahiri

43.“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” — Lemony Snicket, Horseradish 

44. “Wear the old coat and buy the new book.” — Austin Phelp

45. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”― Ernest Hemingway

46. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” ― Mortimer J. Adler

47. “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled ‘This could change your life.’”― Helen Exley

48. “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” — J.K. Rowling

49. “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

50. “One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” — Carl Sagan

51. “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” ― Cicero

52. “All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you are finished reading one, you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.” ― Ernest Hemingway 

Don’t forget gifts for librarians this year!

53. “She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” — Annie Dillard

54. “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” — Roald Dahl

55. “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King

56. “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” — Joan Didion

57. “The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.” — George Orwell, 1984

58. “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” — Sir Francis Bacon

59. “Books may well be the only true magic.” — Alice Hoffman, Magic Lessons

60. “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” ― John Green

61. “The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”― Joseph Joubert

62. “Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.” – Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

63. “The problem with books is that they end.”― Caroline Kepnes, You

64. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson

65. “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”― Diane Duane

66. “Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.” ― Voltaire

67. “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.” ― Abraham Lincoln

68. “We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read.” ― Jules Verne

69. “Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.” ― Mark Twain

70. “Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book.”― Stéphane Mallarmé

71. “Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.” ― Toni Morrison

72. “Books have a unique way of stopping time in a particular moment and saying: Let’s not forget this.” ― Dave Eggers

73. “I feel the need of reading. It is a loss to a man not to have grown up among books.” ― Abraham Lincoln

74. “Reality doesn’t always give us the life that we desire, but we can always find what we desire between the pages of books.” ― Adelise M. Cullens

75. “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.” ―Carlos Ruiz Zafón

76. “I love the sound of the pages flicking against my fingers. Print against fingerprints. Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud.” ― Nnedi Okorafor

77. “A thing about books is that they take the same amount of time to read whether you don’t like them at all or if they change your life forever.” — Joe Walters, founder of Independent Book Review

78.  “There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all.” — Jacqueline Kennedy

79. “What kind of life can you have in a house without books?” — Sherman Alexie

80. “I guess there are never enough books.” — John Steinbeck

81. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” — Charles W. Eliot

82. “Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.” — George R.R. Martin

Geared Toward Kids

83. “Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them.“ ― Judy Blume

84. “Reading aloud to your children is a gift that will last a lifetime.” ― Maya Angelou

85. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss

86. “Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” ― Napoléon Bonaparte

87. There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. — May Ellen Chase

88.“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” ― C.S. Lewis

89. “I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” ​​― Maya Angelou

90. “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” — Kate DiCamillo

91. “Children know perfectly well that unicorns aren’t real, but they also know that books about unicorns, if they are good books, are true books.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

92. “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”— Victor Hugo

93. “It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.” — Arthur Conan Doyle

94. “There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.” – Frank Serafini

95. “Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” ― Barack Obama

96. “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”― Maya Angelou

97. “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” ― Walt Disney

98. “Luckily, I always travel with a book, just in case I have to wait in line for Santa, or some such inconvenience.” ― David Levithan

99. “Books break the shackles of time―proof that humans can work magic.” – Carl Sagan

100. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein

Have you heard these quotes about reading before? Some are old favorites, and some are new. What are your favorites?

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 “100 Unforgettable Quotes About Reading” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 100 Unforgettable Quotes About Reading 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 Jaylynn Korrell

Where can you find meaningful gifts for librarians?

Some of my earliest literary memories involve librarians. Whether it was my weekly kindergarten walk to story-time or the exciting day that i was issued my first official library card, I can’t forget the impact librarians had on me. For many, they are the first real introduction to the wonderful world of books.

But finding the best gifts for librarians can feel like a tall order.

Luckily, we’ve got your back.

The best gifts for librarians are ones that they can keep forever, display in their workplace, or just remind them of their love of literature. We’ve found incredibly useful gifts, unique gifts, and even fashionable options that can help you choose the best thing for the special librarian in your life.

And if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you can also find some great gifts for book lovers or gifts for writers here at IBR.

Here are some of the best gifts for librarians you will find.

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

1. Library Card Socks

Can you ever have too many socks? These comfy feet-companions pay tribute to the due date card often seen in the backs on library books, and they’re one of those special, “Guess what I’m wearing,” kind of quiet library surprises that librarians love.

2. Book Tissue Box Cover

Whether they’re looking to spice up their home or their desk area, gifts for librarians like this one are sure to do the trick. Standard disposable tissue boxes fit well underneath this book-themed tissue box cover, and they give a literary feel to any common space.

3. Literary Candle

A candle is a gift that most librarians will find use for, but it’s made even more special with a notable writer’s quote on its surface. This candle is called the library scent and features wise words from Edgar Allan Poe.

4. Library Due Date Card Mug

Librarians love to drink hot beverages throughout the day, and what better mug to drink out of than this library-themed one? This mug resembles a traditional due date card and is one of those gifts for librarians that will get a lot of use.

5. Neck Reading Light

Reading at night can be a difficult task without the right equipment. This handy neck reading light allows people to continue reading without having to hold up a flashlight under the covers. It allows for a seamless handsfree reading experience at any hour.

6. Literary Pins

These fun book pins look great attached to work bags, purses, backpacks, or even clothing. The options are endless, as these pins will elevate any surface they’re attached to.

Does the librarian in your life love poetry? Check out The Best Gifts for Poets & Poetry Lovers!

7. Novel Teas

Tea lovers will rejoice at receiving a gift like this! It’s probably the tastiest option for people who love and read a lot of books.

8. Book Scarf

Librarians can keep cozy with a fashionable infinity scarf such as this. This one in particular features a plethora of books to help them rep their favorite hobby.

9. Reading Journal

Gifts for librarians can be hard to come up with, but this one is something that nearly all librarians will use. This reading journal will give them a designated space to jot down every title they finish and keep a good account of their reading accomplishments.

10. Audible Membership

There isn’t always time to cozy up with a good book, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the words on the page. Audiobooks are the BEST way to make use to the times that you can’t physically read, such as driving to and from work or doing activities that require your hands. I personally love it when doing dishes and cleaning! An audible subscription will make a great gift for librarians who enjoy hearing stories.

Try a 30 day Audible Free Trial to see how you like listening to audio books!

11. Book-Themed Canvas Pouch

This bookish canvas pouch and others like it would make great gifts for librarians who like to keep things their stationary organized. It’s a great option to hold loose pens, pencils, snacks, and other odds and ends.

12. Book Stack Earrings

Looking for something a little quirky to get the librarian in your life? Look no further than these fun book stack earrings. They’re a cute and small token of your appreciation that are more than appropriate for them to wear to work.

13. Shakespeare Mints

If you’re looking to give a small token of your appreciation or filling a gift bag or stocking for a librarian, these cool mints are definitely the way to go. Featuring Shakespeare on the cover, these Shakespearmints are a funny gift your librarian can enjoy and use after too many cups of coffee.

14. Personalized Library Stamp

Help make your librarian’s personal library just a little more memorable with this personalized stamp. This stamp can be customized to say your librarians name and stamped on the back of all of their treasured books.

15. Library Tote Bag

Tote bags are gifts that keep on giving. They can be used to tote around countless things like books, groceries, workout gear, and more. This one in particular features the popular library due date pattern featured on some of the gifts mentioned above, and I’d be hard-pressed to find a librarian who doesn’t use it.

16. Card Catalogue with Notecards

These note cards come with the timeless card catalogue box and can give a vintage feel to any librarian’s desk. You’ll be surprised how often they end up using it.

17. Library Jigsaw Puzzle

A good jigsaw puzzle challenges the mind, which is something many librarians would be interested in. This one in particular features two images (it’s double sided!) making it a great challenge for any library lover.

18. Thoughtful Bookmark

One of the more sentimental gifts on this list is a a special bookmark reminding your librarian of the impact they’ve made on you. This is a great gift to allow your children to give to their school librarian for the holidays or the end of the year.

19. Library Coaster Set

Tea, coffee, and books go hand in hand, which is why this library coaster set is a great gift for librarians. It come with a set of coasters that would complement any mug.

20. Quotation Stud Earrings

These little quotation stud earrings are great gifts for librarians who are a little more subtle. They’re simple, and would pair well with one of the shirts listed below.

21. “Support Your Local Library” T Shirt

There may not be a t-shirt more perfect for librarians than this one here. It sports a meaningful message and is visually appealing, making it great for librarians who like to dress casually. Here are some other book shirts if you want to browse though!

You might find more ideas for great gifts for librarians on some of our other literary gift lists!

22. Personalized Library Kit

It’s a bit of a given to assume that librarians are book lovers, and some of the greatest gifts for book lovers help them organize their own personal libraries. This personal library kit will assist them in lending their own books to friends and families, and ensuring that they get returned.

23. Book-Themed Pencil Holder

If you’re looking to liven up the desk of your local librarian, this book-themed pen and pencil holder will do the trick. It’s a great way to encourage organization and keep with the literary theme of their workplace.

24. Classic Book Handbag

A fashionable librarian will lose their cool after receiving this gift. Featuring the classic Pride and Prejudice book cover, it’s a purse they can be proud to be carrying. A good conversation starter too!

25. “The Reader” T Shirt

What a lovely toned-down t-shirt for librarians who like to keep it light and bookish. It comes in different colors and would make the perfect addition to any librarian’s closet, but I admit–I do love this blue one!

26. Coffee Tumbler

Keeping drinks warm all day won’t be a problem with a good insulated mug by your side. This bookshelf mug would make a great and useful present to give to a librarian.

27. “Bookmarks are for Quitters” Mug

There are a million mug and drinkware options you can give as gifts for librarians, but this one is one of the most popular and might have the best phrase on it. If your librarian is known to always have a good book in their hand, they’ll appreciate this gift.

Happy librarian gift giving! Want to pick out a book for them too? Here are the best books we read in 2022!

About the Curator

Jaylynn Korrell writes about books and gifts for Independent Book Review and GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “27 Gifts for Librarians That They’ll Adore” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 27 Gifts for Librarians That They Will Adore appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Jaylynn Korrell

Buying gifts for book lovers ain’t easy.

You’ve already tried to buy the books they like or the best books of the year, but it turns out they have oscillating interests. It’s not easy to cater to another person’s current reading tastes and even availability. So you got them coffee mugs. And then you did it again and again and questioned if there are any good gifts for book lovers left.

Now here you are, ready to go beyond your usual choices and find a unique & awesome bookish gift to buy for them.

I’ve been dating a book lover for over a decade now and can tell you firsthand how difficult it has been to keep coming up with ideas over the years. It may be even harder to find gifts for writers! But I found some absolute winners and have seen how often they went to use.

So, I’m sharing them with you.

Here are 50 of the best gifts for book lovers that the reader in your life will actually love.

(Everything on IBR lists has been independently selected by a very picky group of people. We may earn a commission on items you purchase through our links.)

#1. Literary Candle

Having a candle burning while you’re reading creates the ultimate ambiance, and it’s so much better when the scent is book related. It used to be impossible to recreate the amazing book smell that book lovers can’t get enough of. But now, with this awesome candle, you can have that scent wafting in your room whenever you want.

#2. Novel Teas

Check out these punny book lover tea blends featuring quotes from famous authors! If you’re like most people and have been buying book lovers mugs for all these years, it’d be nice of you to switch it up and buy them something to put in the mug. The perfect drink to read with is tea, and there’s a lot of delicious and creative tea out there.

Snag them a bag of loose leaf with a cute little strainer and they’ll finally be able to put those mugs to work.

#3. A reading journal

Whether they know it or not, the reader in your life could love an opportunity to track the books they read. This one offers readers spaces to fill out their favorite bits about the books they’ve read as well as writing prompts.

#4. Neck Reading Light

One of the benefits of reading is that it can put you to sleep.

Habitual readers love to read in bed at the end of the day. It’s a great way to resist the eternal phone scroll and learn/feel entertained as their eyelids start to flutter. If they read physical books to go to sleep, they have to turn off the light (which risks them waking from such a close slumber!) or creating too much light for a sleeping partner.

They can read in the dark with a flexible book light. They just curve the light to face the pages, illuminating every word they need to see, and they can straight up go to sleep if they want to. Let go of that book and snooze. I love the gifts for book lovers that help them read. This is definitely one of them.

Another way to read in the dark is an ereader, which I’ll talk about soon!

#5. Essential Novel Scratch-Off Poster

Keeping track of the classics you read has never been more fun. This poster features 100 spaces with book titles around them. Each time you read one, you scratch off the space and a unique icon for that book will appear.

#6. A Small Bookshelf

Any book lover will be glad to have more space to put their beloved books. This little bookshelf is a great gift option that they can put on their nightstand or a small side table to help give it some literary flare. And if you love small book cases like this check out our small bookshelf idea blog post!

#7. “The Book Was Better” T-Shirt

Sometimes a good literary t-shirt says exactly what you need it to, and that will be the case for most book lovers when they see this shirt. To often the book is much better than whatever show or movie it gets turned into, and this shirt plainly states that in a stylish way.

#8. Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores

It can be difficult to buy books for book lovers! No doubt.

But…

Buying a book about books is always exciting to open as a reader! And this one? It is an awesome (and even pretty inexpensive!) coffee table book with paintings, stories, and anecdotes from booksellers around the world. As a coffee table book, it means they don’t have to free up their reading schedule to enjoy it! It gives readers a small adventure from the comfort of their living room and can even give them places to visit in the future.

#9. Audible Subscription

Listening to audiobooks is an awesome way to branch out as a reader. I love listening to nonfiction books while doing the dishes or cleaning. It can make getting things done around the house feel not quite as arduou, time-consuming, or temporary.

An audible subscription is a gift for book lovers that will give them access to thousands of audiobooks to enjoy at their leisure. They can even start with a 30 day free trial!

#10. Personal Library Kit

If you know someone who is always willing to lend you a book, we’ve found the perfect gift for them. This personal library kit contains everything they’d need to start lending in a more organized way. It’ll make borrowing their books more fun, and help to ensure they always get them back!

#11. Personalized Bookmark

Everyone who reads needs bookmarks. This is about as close to a fact as I can get. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve started a new book only to realize I’ve lost my old bookmark AGAIN.

Whether it’s an old piece of string or a delicately created work of art, so long as there are books, there will be bookmarks. So why not buy a bookmark with their favorite author on it? Or a cool quote? These can be perfect, inexpensive little gifts for book lovers.

#12. Wooden Page Holder

Book lovers run into this problem all the time—especially with brand new books. How do you read when you’re busy straining to keep the book fully open the whole time?

This tool will help your book lover read with one hand, which they would probably prefer to do.

#13. Bookshop Gift Card

If you haven’t heard of Bookshop yet, you are in for a TREAT.

This bookselling e-commerce store has “a mission to financially support, local independent bookstores.” Since more people wanted to buy books online over the last decade, indie bookstores were hurting to compete with the shipping fees and delivery time that Amazon can work from. So bookstores needed an e-commerce site just to handle fulfillment.

That’s where Bookshop comes in. They are a non-profit that gives back to indie bookstores. You can send the reader in your life a gift card that allows them to choose whichever book they want to read while also supporting the industry they love so much. They can buy from their favorite indie booksellers like Independent Book Review (!), Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books, and A Novel Idea. Pretty cool, right?!

#14. Transparent Book Vase

If the book lover in your life also has a green thumb you may want to consider giving them this transparent book style vase. It’s a great way to showcase their love of books in the home without displaying an actual book (which we’re sure they’ve already done). If they like flowers, you could pair them with some of their favorites too.

If you like this list, you might also like gifts for writers!

#15. Literary Sweatshirt

This literary sweatshirt is a great gift to give the reader in your life that isn’t afraid to rep their favorite hobby through their clothing choices. If you like this shirt you might also like some of the tees on our our best book shirts post!

#16. Bedside Wooden Book Stand

If your reader loves to read in bed, this beauty could come in handy! They can keep their page without having to dog-ear it or even always have a bookmark around. Not only does it have a place for their coffee/tea and reading glasses, it’s a classy good-looking bookish piece to have around.

#17. Book Pillow Stand

Free up your hands with this comfy book stand! It’s so soft that it even doubles as a travel pillow, but I like it most as a hands-free page holder. Imagine plopping this comfy thing down on your lap and not having to prop the book open the whole time you read two pages and then the next two pages and the next. Cozy gifts for readers are good gifts indeed.

#18. Literary Tote Bag

Most literary people have a small obsession with buying books. And that’s fine! It makes useful gifts for book lovers like this all the more exciting to receive! They’ll be glad to have a new bag to accompany them to their favorite indie bookstore!

#19. Creative bookends

This is a great gift for book lovers who enjoy adding to their bookshelves. (As if that even needs to be said). If the reader in your life feels this way, giving them a cool bookend can give their shelf a more polished look. It even helps the books avoid damage due to excessive leaning.

Bookends come in all shapes and sizes, and they can serve a good purpose. I’ve seen bookends in the shape of cats, people, cool objects, and even abstract art.

#20. Noise Cancelling Earbuds

Though some people can read no matter where they are, others are more easily distracted by the sound of others. Luckily, this no longer means you have to read alone in a room. Noise cancelling headphones can give readers the flexibility to read wherever they please, while avoiding having to hear the noisiness of their surroundings. 

#21. Miniature Book Hair Clip

Spice up your book lover’s hair styles with this vintage inspired miniature book hair clip. It looks like something one of the Bronte sisters would make to wear, or one of the characters from Little Women. We love how unique it is and how it’s a cool nod to the hobby we all enjoy!

#22. Eyeglass Holder

It’s no fun to be ready to dive into a book and not be able to find your reading glasses. Neat eyeglass holders are great gifts for book lovers who are known to misplace their reading glasses from time to time. 

#23. Book Tissue Dispenser

Liven up a common space with your love of great literature! This book tissue dispenser is a fun way to bring a literary element into an uncommon area of your home. 

#24. Library Card Socks

Can you ever have too many socks? These comfy feet-companions pay tribute to the due date card often seen in the backs on library books, and they’re one of those special, “Guess what I’m wearing,” kind of quiet library surprises that book lovers love. They’d also make great gifts for librarians.

#25. Kindle Paperwhite

I LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite. I still love and adore holding a physical book, but I can’t always do it at night or on the road.

With this gift, book lovers can gain immediate access to thousands of books on one device, AND they’re often much cheaper than physical books. It even gives them the option to join subscription services like Kindle Unlimited and/or BookBub to make sure they don’t pay full price for a great new book ever again.

No blue light either, so it’s easy on the eyes!

#26. Kindle Unlimited Gift Subscription

Does your book lover read with a Kindle?

Give them thousands of books! Kindle Unlimited is a massive digital library where book lovers can download books, try them out, stop reading, and move on to the next; or they can do massive overhaul research by reading a bunch of free books on the same topic from the comfort of their bed. You can give them six free months, twelve free months, or even 24! A LOT of brand new books enter the library every day.

#27. “My Weekend is All Booked” Tote Bag

It can be difficult to make time for other activities when you’re an avid reader, which is what makes gifts for book lovers like this so great! They tell people you’re too busy to make plans without making you say it out loud. It is also a great way to haul your books to and from the library or bookstore.

#28. Bathtub Caddy for Reading

A bathtub caddy allows book lovers to safely place their book down in the tub and to rest their arms while they’re reading. And what a way to produce some ambiance! Light a candle, pour a glass of wine, and set it all on the bathtub caddy for a perfect night of reading.

#29. Literary Book Letters

Looking to create a more literary inspired space? These gifts for book lovers are a great way to help them add book inspiration to their home or office. Spell out any word you want, but I like it for “Read,” “Love,” or even their name.

#30. Library Candle

While you may not be able to sleep in an actual library, you can definitely help a home to smell more like one. Gifts for book lovers like this library candle can help to bring a similar aroma into their house and make them feel like they’re in one of their favorite places.

#31. Lit Chat: Conversation Starters about Books & Life

This little book holds 50 cards that act as conversation starters for people who love to talk about all things literary. This is also a cool gift for book clubs!

#32. Book Ring

It can be impractical to bring a book with you wherever you go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t always rep your love of reading. This lovely, unique, and quiet book ring both looks good and makes them feel good, reminding them that a book will be there for them.

#33. Literary movie

A movie about books might just be the next best thing to reading them. Luckily there are a ton of literary movies to choose from. You can send them something that’s based off of a book or you can pick a movie that’s about a famous or fictional author. There’s a wide range of movies to pick from, so here are a few of my favorites:

• Paterson – A quiet life in Paterson, New Jersey (a rich literary history here!) featuring Adam Driver as a bus-driving poet.
• The Pieces I Am – Toni Morrison documentary
• The End of the Tour – Journalist (Jesse Eisenberg) interviews David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal) while on tour for Wallace’s Infinite Jest.

#34. Blue Light Blocking Glasses

If the book lover in your life likes to read on their iPad or LED-light tablet, they may be looking at the screen too much. That’s where blue light blocking glasses can be beneficial.  They could help readers turn pages for a far longer time than they currently can because they’re no longer looking away from the screen with a headache.

#35. Literary socks

A book lover will love putting on these literary socks. Features typewriter text of some of the most popular novels ever written, this gift for book lovers is sure to go over well.

#36. Literary Postcards

Most readers can appreciate the art of writing, and what better way to put that to use than by writing to friends! Postcards are a nostalgic way to check in on people, letting them know what you’re up to, so why not make them a little more literary while you’re at it?

#37. Personalized Book Art

Personalized books just have a way of making a person feel special, and this personalized piece of book art is a great way to achieve that. Have a special word or your loved one’s name carved into a book to create a keepsake book that they’ll never get rid of!

#38. Book Themed Cross Body Purse

No matter if you’re a teacher or a coffee shop reader, getting a literary tote bag can be a great way to carry your books, notebooks, pens, and other necessities along with you. And luckily, there’s a design for almost every style, so book lovers who prefer subtle, funny, or eye-catching looks will all have something unique for them. It’s one of many perfect Jane Austen gifts you can choose from!

#39. Book Enamel Pins

Book pins are a great way to decorate a bags and clothing for all ages. They’re a small gift that will fit well into a stocking stuffer or go great when paired with a few more gifts from this list for an awesome literary gift basket! 

#40. Book Shirt / Game of Thrones Fans

Who doesn’t love a good literary t-shirt to add to their wardrobe? This one is a play on words from a famous Game of Thrones quote, but we think it works perfectly when talking about book lovers!

#41. “Booksmarks are for Quitters” mug

Every reader enjoys having a beverage to go with their book. This cool literary mug is one of the more popular gifts for book lovers, and a safe choice with a good vibe.

#42. Mug Warmer

A good cup of tea or coffee goes great with your favorite book, but it often doesn’t keep warm for the length of your reading experience. For this reason, mug warmers make great gifts for book lovers. It allows them to keep their hot beverage warm long after it would be naturally, and give them more time to enjoy it while diving into a good story. 

#43. “Just one more chapter” Throw Pillow

Casual book decor can be hard to come by, but this subtle throw pillow would make a great gift for someone looking to add some literary flare to their home. It’d look great on a bed or on a couch!

#44.  Bookcase Ornament 

The perfect gift for readers during the holiday season can be something as simple as an ornament. You can mark the year for your reader with a cute bookcase ornament to hang on the tree this Christmas. 

#45. Bedside Book Lamp

Reading should be attainable at any time of the day, and a bedside table lamp helps to make that possible. This one is shaped just like a book and opens and shuts like the real thing!

#46. Book Themed Wine Glass

If your book lover has a good sense of humor they’ll likely enjoy this funny gift for book lovers!

Find more great gifts for kids who love to read!

#47. Jane Austen Jigsaw Puzzle

Few things challenge the mind like a jigsaw puzzle. This one in particular would be a fun choice for all those Jane Austen stans in your life. They’d also probably like something over at our Jane Austen gifts blog post!

#48. Floating Bookshelves

There are all sorts of different ways you can display your books. From book stands to traditional shelves to the IBR style of wooden crates, I thought I understood it all. But then I remembered…floating bookshelves! And, voila, this gifts for book lovers blog post was born.

I mean, just take a look at that picture. The reader in your life could use these floating bookshelves all throughout their house. But it’s not only about decoration. They’re also great for storing your books when you’re done reading them in bed. Here are some cheap bookshelves if we’ve got your brain churning.

#49. Literary Genius Playing Cards

A good deck of cards should be a staple in every home, and these ones will make perfect gifs for book lovers. They feature some of the most notable writers in history.

#50. Glass Cup

These cups have been all the rage lately, so we were pleasantly surprised to find one with such a funnily relevant book quote on them. Buy this for the book lover in your life so they can enjoy their favorite iced beverage while devouring their next novel.

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell writes here and for GoodGiftLists.com . 

Thank you for reading “50 Best Gifts for Book Lovers” by Jaylynn Korrell! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 50 Best Gifts for Book Lovers appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Usman Raza

Do you feel like you’re not a good reader?

You’re not alone.

Reading requires an active brain, and it’s not always easy to get there. Endless distractions, confusing sentences and syntax, noise–you name it, people who read have struggled with it.

But you can make it out of the struggle. You can be a reader if you want to be. It is one of the most powerful forms of independent education and an important aspect of human development; there are so many benefits of reading. Reading can open your eyes to new cultures, ideas, and ways of life. Reading as a habit can make you smarter, happier, and healthier.

But reading does take time, no matter how good you get at it. Still, you can make that time relaxing and enjoyable. So let’s transcend the reading frustration and get you to where you want to be.

Here are my recommendations for how to become a better reader.

1. Take notes as you read

I know, I know, I hear you. Reading is supposed to be relaxing, not homework.

But be patient. That part is coming.

Whether it’s for class, for work, or just for yourself, taking good notes when reading can actually go a long way in helping you remember what happened in the book and what’s important. You’ll start to recognize that you’re writing down the details that matter, and in that process, actually learning the details that matter–whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

Take in all the information you possibly can. Write down the details of what happened, when it happened, and what was said. Write it all down, however you do it. Whether that means using a pen and paper, a digital notebook, or your phone. Then, before your next class or the next time you pick the book up, revisit your notes.

Taking the time to summarize key ideas can help you build on your knowledge, making for a richer learning experience. And I’m confident that you’ll be able to retain more when you’ve taken the time to take good notes.

And then, after a few books like this, maybe you won’t need to take notes anymore. Maybe you can just curl up next to the fire, enjoy yourself, and comprehend the important parts of what happened. But the only way you’ll get better is if you work at it–and those notes can go a long way in helping you get there.

#2. Schedule Time to Read

Even if it doesn’t feel like it now, reading can be one of the best ways to de-stress and unwind. Once you get into the groove of reading regularly–and really, all it takes to be a reader is to read–you’ll start to notice that you are spending less time away from stressful emails and more time in the pages of a book that could help you learn, escape, and think.

But reading can be hard to fit in your schedule. That’s why it’s important to put it in your schedule in advance.

Reading is good for you. It can have a positive effect on your mind and your mental health. But, like exercise, it could feel low on your priority list.

Once you start thinking of reading as less of a task and more of a way to unwind and unplug, you may start to notice the available minutes to read are piling up.

So, yes, you can schedule the time in stringently--“from 8 PM to 8:20 PM, I will read my book”–or just put in your schedule that you want to do it for twenty minutes. Then, throughout the day, when you feel tempted to pick that phone up, pick your book up instead. You’ll be glad you put it into your daily routine.

3. Monitor your comprehension

Reading comprehension refers to the ability to understand various words, phrases, and ideas in what you are reading. 

A lot goes into exercising your comprehension skills, but the most important element is practice.

Practicing your comprehension skills daily will help make you a better reader. But how do you do it?

Well, as you read, just make sure you actually understand what’s going on. If you don’t, find the cause of the confusion in each sentence. Is it a word you don’t understand? A phrase? Look it up. Context clues are great and all, but nothing helps comprehension the way actual definitions do.

Note-taking is helpful in monitoring comprehension too. It’s easy as a beginning reader to just want to get the pages done (especially if you have a limited amount of time to do it), but if you don’t understand what you’ve read, you may as well have not read it at all.

4. Find your own reading strategy & style–and stick to it.

Every one reads differently. Their schedules are different, their preferences are different, their formats are different–it doesn’t matter. As long as you put the time in to read, you are a reader.

But remember: good readers don’t just read; they read actively. They decode for understanding, not to just get to the next page.

So don’t let book jerks get to you. Find the strategy that works best for you. Take notes, set yourself up in the most comfortable spot in the house, put wordless jazz on in the background, set a timer. Go paperback, eBook, audio–it doesn’t matter. Just choose to make reading a habit and start doing it.

If your goal is to improve your ability to read—and succeed academically—you will need to use a reading strategy that works best for you. Then you can focus on consuming the content you need when you need it–not how to get it done.

Happy reading to you! What stands in your way of becoming a better reader? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

Usman Raza is a CEO and the co-founder of Faith-Based Advertising Company and a content marketing specialist at Church Marketing Agency, The Glory Candle, and Christian Store, Paradise Altar Church. He is devoted to helping small businesses bridge success gaps by providing in-depth, actionable advice on digital marketing, SEO, and small business growth. Follow him on Twitter @usmanintrotech.

Thank you for reading “How Do You Become a Better Reader?” by Usman Raza! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post How Can I Become a Better Reader? appeared first on Independent Book Review.

by Joe Walters

Is it too late for you to make a habit out of reading?

Maybe you haven’t cracked open a book in a while. Maybe you just can’t seem to finish the one you started. Maybe you feel so bogged down by how the heavy the world is that it feels like too much work to pick one up.

But you’ve made it to this blog post, so I’m thinking you’d like to make a change.

And good news: that’s the first step.

If you want to make a habit out of reading, you are not too late to get started.

Let’s take a look at the reality of 2021’s attention landscape, or, in other words, your available sea of distractions:

• Your phone
• Your computer
• Your TV
• Your kids
• Your housekeeping
• Your spouse
• Your things
• Your things
• Your things

So, how do you really make the time to become a reader?

Well…

I was asked recently to contribute to a blog post called, “Top Tips for Book Lovers Q & A: Advice from the Experts.” (Check out that blog post if you haven’t clicked it yet. There’s all sorts of great advice in there.) The question they asked me was this: 

“How do you create a reading habit at home?”

And. It. Was. TOUGH.

I obviously want everybody to read more. Reading has transformed my life in an insane number of ways, and I couldn’t be more thankful that it’s a thing I’ve made a habit of doing.

But every situation is different. Every life is different. Every reading mind is different. I could tell you to throw your phone out the window (which I will) and tell you to read different genres at once because your tastes/times will differ from moment to moment (which I will), but damn, man—reading is about gifting yourself time and that’s pretty much it.

A thing about free time is that it’s yours to do what you want with it. And you won’t always have a lot of it. So all I’m proposing here is for you to make reading an option.

(If you want to.)

Let’s get started.

Here are 5 tips for how to develop a reading habit at home: 

#1. Separate yourself from your phone

I don’t know your lifestyle, but I do know that most of you have access to instant gratification that you can choose over reading.

Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. YouTube. Reddit. Netflix. It’s difficult to stay away when we feel like we might miss something.

I’m NOT telling you to stop that.

It’s pretty damn hard, and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t do as well as I’d like to. But for reading time, I have learned to do a much better job of leaving the internet behind.

When cracking open a book, I implore you to separate yourself from the internet. Leave it on the other side of the room. Go outside and don’t bring the phone with you. Go in a different room.

When it’s away from you, it requires an extra walk-of-shame-style task for you to give yourself that brain break you tell yourself you need at the end of another paragraph, section, or chapter break. If you need the dictionary, get your phone (or a dictionary, obviously) and just promise me you’ll be back as soon as you can.

But separating yourself from the internet is easier said than done.

For me, I gave myself scroll breaks all the time even though I kinda-sorta-all-the-way-didn’t-like how social media operated. I did it anyway. I didn’t have any notifications while I was away, or I had ones that I didn’t need to know immediately. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, but most days, whatever it is that happened on your phone, social media account, or email (if anything at all) while you were reading, could most likely wait for you to finish that chapter.

You’d be amazed at how much you can move forward in a book when you keep reading the words in front of you instead of the ones on your screen.

#2. Read a variety of different types of books at the same time

This one may sound a little loopy if you’re not already a “reader,” but trust me, you’re not always going to want to dive into a big meaty chapter if you don’t have the time for it.

Sometimes, you’re going to want to dip your toe in regardless of if you’re able to finish the chapter or not.

This is where nonfiction comes in handy for me. It’s often easy to dive into nonfiction books without the commitment of a full chapter. It’s also easier to stop in the middle of a paragraph and resume it without having to reread too much the next time I pick it up.

Because of this, I like to have a slew of different style books at the ready.

Here’s a little list of the books that I was reading on the day I started this blog post:

• What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy – Literary Fiction – Novel. This one has big meaty paragraphs of artful prose and big content about an earthquake in Haiti. It’s excellent and I’m really in awe of Chancy’s prose, but it’s also not something that I dive into when I have a small window. This is my longer stretch of free time book.
• Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell – Nonfiction – Publishing/Writing. This is my pick up and read during a short window book. I read a lot in my field of writing/publishing. You may or may not be in that field with me. Regardless, this one works almost like self-help & educational books, with short sections within sections, headers, subheadings, and easy-to-read prose. I’m never worried when I pick this up that, if house duty calls in some form or another, I can’t put this book down without having wasted my productive reading time.
• Best Microfiction 2021 edited by Meg Pokrass – Short Fiction Anthology. Is this a great bathroom book because I can finish a few very short stories while sitting on the toilet? Yes. Am I going to talk more about sitting on the toilet? No, goodbye.
• From Book to Bestseller by Penny Sansevieri – Nonfiction – Publishing/Writing. This is my current Kindle before-bed read. I am a book marketer for Sunbury Press, and I’m always on the search for new ways to get books into readers’ hands. And this book has been helpful and smooth so far. And it’s easy to fall asleep with my non-blue-light Kindle. If I tried to read one of my paperbacks/hardcovers at night, I’d have to make the choice to turn the light off, which could wake me up. All I have to do with a Kindle is keep reading until I nod off and it falls on my face.
• Runaways by Michael J. Seidlinger – Humor – Novella. Sometimes I get a short book that I want to read right away but also want to make sure it lasts beyond a couple sessions, so I don’t make it my primary fiction read. This novella is about a writer who struggles with distractions and intersperses funny tweets about the struggles throughout. As you might be able to guess, I vibed with it pretty hard. I’d read a few pages before something else or in exchange of something else, depending on my mood.

So…stay flexible! And give yourself an excuse to buy different books and/or grab a few extra books from the library next time you’re in. It might just help you create that habit to have the variety.

#3. Try out different formats (like eBooks & audiobooks)

Book snobs suck. They’ll tell you it’s not reading if you can’t feel the pages, that ebooks & audiobooks don’t count. It is my firm belief that this opinion is a bad one and that these people need a swift kick in the pants. If you don’t feel comfortable kicking them, don’t call me, because I also won’t kick them, but hey, maybe somebody will.

Listen up: You can read however you want. And if you experiment with different formats, you may just find a way where you can finish more books and be smarter because of it.

Let’s tackle eReaders first.

I used to hate on them. I even remember back in college saying the corniest thing I could think of: “Yeah, but you can’t smell the pages on an eReader.” I also said that I couldn’t annotate the books and that I couldn’t share the books I loved with other people. Here’s why I now believe all of those answers suck:

• You can still smell the pages of physical books if you’re into that kind of thing. It just won’t be all of your books. And trust me when I say—you don’t need to smell all of your books, especially the used ones.
• You can absolutely annotate your books in an eReader. I have a Kindle, and I can make notes of sections I love and even search to find those pieces later. It’s a legitimately more efficient way to do it. 
• Do you really like sharing books with other people? How often do you get it back? How often do people actually read it? With how often you hope to give books away, just read it on your eReader first (if that’s what you end up doing), and if you think you want to give it to someone, just get them the physical book or recommend it to them. This shouldn’t stop you from taking advantage of the last bullet point…
• eBooks are cheaper! If you read three books for the price of one hardcover, you go to prove the point that the more books you read, the smarter you become. It’s about the words, not the format.

But probably my favorite thing about eBooks is that I can read them to go to sleep by. They have their own light (and some of them aren’t LED for those whose eyes are sensitive like mine) and instead of scrolling or watching dumb stuff on the internet, you can read something you don’t have to finish in big chunks (like nonfiction) as you’re going to sleep, and it can actually help the ZZZZZs arrive.

And lastly, audiobooks rule, especially for nonfiction. They can be narrated by some really terrific voice actors (sometimes even the authors themselves), and it can feel like a podcast or like you’re sitting there hanging out with them while you’re doing dishes, vacuuming, holding your baby with one hand and patting their butt with the other. 

Again, if you’re getting the vibe at all from this post yet—making a habit is all about making reading easier on yourself. Expanding your format options is a great way to do that.

Fun Fact: Audible offers a free trial if you want to give audiobooks a shot!

#4. Stop reading books that aren’t inspiring you

This is a controversial take and everyone’s opinion is different, so if you see what I’m saying and think, “Joe, kindly kick yourself in the pants,” that’s fine, but hear me out:

A thing about books is that they take the same amount of time to read whether you don’t like it at all or if it changes your life forever.

So give that book you bought a shot. No doubt. Maybe even keep reading on if you still have hope for it moving forward. But when you feel uninterested to return to it, don’t return to it. You could be reading something that actually alters your worldview for the better, and you can always return to that book you gave up on later if you really want to. 

There is one caveat though: you have to finish some books. I’m confident you will if you keep making time for it, but if you are someone whose habit has become reading the first chapter and then abandoning your last ten books, well then maybe you need to finish that next one that you’re digging. You’d be surprised at how awesome books are when you get the chance to see the full picture.

#5. Be patient with yourself

I get paid to read, and I’m still slow at it. Some brains just work that way. And you better believe that when you jump into reading after not having done it in a while, you’re going to move through the pages slowly and you might have to reread some things. 

You know what you should do in that case?

Go slow. 

Recognize that all you can do is read one word after the other.

As long as you aim to understand what’s on the page and not just move through it to get it done, you’re going to exit this reading experience one book stronger than when you came in.

In the end…

You can make reading as romantic as you want (favorite couch, favorite coffee, favorite candle, whatever) or you can pull out your book or Kindle without the romance—to just give yourself the permission to read.

Any way you do it (or don’t do it), books are going to be there when you’re ready for them. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s not part of your routine now or tomorrow or in January. Your time is yours. I want only for you to do whatever you want with it.

What are the biggest distractions that stop you from developing a reading habit at home? Let me know your answers in the comments

About the Author

Joe Walters is the founder and editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review and a book marketing specialist at Sunbury Press. When he’s not doing editorial, promoting, or reviewing work, he’s working on his novel and trusting the process.

Thank you for reading “How Do You Develop a Reading Habit at Home?” by Joe Walters! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Joseph Haeger

A tightly written thriller that has all the lust, revenge, and murder you could hope for in a can’t-put-down novel.

Eye for Eye by J.K. Franko is a twisting narrative that immediately digs its hooks into you and doesn’t let go. The roving point of view shifts between a number of characters as plans for murder and revenge are hatched and executed. The constantly moving POV pulls us to the edge of our seats and keeps us there, turning the pages in hopes that the next perspective will have more answers.

Mysteries blossom as secrets are revealed, and then more questions arise. In reality, a book like this shouldn’t work, with so much going on, but Franko pulls it off. He threads such a tight needle that we’re able to keep it straight, trusting all our questions will be answered by the end.

Roy and Susie lost their daughter in a horrific car accident. Time has passed, but grief still grips them and prevents them from moving forward. The boy who caused the accident—by texting and driving—is in a coma but improving, when he dies under suspicious circumstances. The couple are suspects #1 and 2 until their out-of-town alibi proves solid. Now it’s their turn to enact revenge upon a rapist who gets acquitted. They seemingly have no connection to the man or his victim, and after determining its justifications, Roy begins to plan the perfect murder.

Like a great thriller hitting the silver screen, Eye for Eye immaculately plots this story. We’re given hints of deeper mysteries from the past simmering below the surface, while we watch Roy’s mind unlock the complexities of the tasks at hand. For the A plot, it’s never a question of who did the crime. It’s clear that Roy is the guilty party, but watching him plan and execute the murder is so damn compelling.

The question becomes not if he did it, but whether he’s going to get away with it as different variables come into play. Then, we’re shown the reckoning of the past rushing up and disrupting his present-day plans. It all adds up to tense and satisfying conflicts.

By example, Franko is giving us a master class in tension and how it can build even when we seemingly know all the players and their motivations. It’s incredible how well he juggles all the different narratives and keeps us on the hook for the entire story.

There are moments where we’re inside detectives’ minds. These could be intriguing moments further ratcheting up the tension, but they do seem relatively surface-level. These characters have little flourishes—like how one says the same catch phrase every time he answers the phone—which is great for building better and more rounded images for them, but these moments don’t necessarily add the same amount of depth in comparison to the criminals. They tend to feel two dimensional where everything else in the novel feels fully fleshed out. I want more complex good guys to add another layer to Eye for Eye. Who do we really want to come out on top: the law or the law breakers?

By the end of the novel a lot of answers come out quickly. It feels like the book threatens to come off the rails, but Franko is able to keep it grounded even in moments of extreme coincidence. These are moments that are easy to look past because he sets it up for the sequel so well. If this was a stand-alone book, I’d have some issues with the cliff hanger Eye for Eye ends on, but since I know there’s more coming, I’m thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with these characters.

I read this knowing it was a part of a trilogy, and as the plot unfolded, I didn’t know what a follow up could possibly entail, so it’s masterful how Franko uses the ending to reveal a long-standing question and perfectly set up all the tensions and conflicts to come. This is a cinematic purloined letter, where some of the intricacies are hidden in the nooks and crannies, but the big ones are out in the open, begging us to look at things a little differently.

Paperback: 432 pages

ISBN: 978-1999318802

Thank you for reading “Book Review: Eye for Eye” by Joseph Haeger! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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by Grace Stetson

Are you struggling to stick to your reading goal?

My friends and family have always identified me as a “reader.” Every year, I get some sort of gift specifically for book lovers. When I prepared to move from the Bay Area to Chicago, the first thing I packed was six boxes of books. In my Brooklyn apartment, friends always comment on our bookcase, to which my roommates correct them to say, “It’s mostly Grace’s.” 

It’s true—I love books, I love reading, and I love writing (probably why I have those degrees in English and journalism). Yet, for a long while, I never spent much time reading for pleasure, whether that be because of my commute or my Netflix binges or my consistent hiking or—perhaps—a combination of all of the above. 

For 2019, I set a yearly reading goal after many years of never fulfilling my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal. This year, I was going to read a total of 52 books.

As daunting as my aims were, I succeeded mere hours before the ball dropped in Times Square, which made me feel incredibly accomplished, satisfied and relieved. 

Here are just a few of the lessons I learned to help me stick to my yearly reading goal in 2019, and ones that I will continue to utilize as I keep picking up my next reads.

The library is your best friend

Although I own lots of books, I often strive to read something else (much to the annoyance of my loved ones). In January 2019, I hadn’t fully utilized the library just down the street and, as soon as I was able to figure out their very intuitive and helpful website, I began putting in request after request for book holds.

Because of this, I was able to get more books that I wanted to read in a timely fashion, and use the system to find audiobooks, similar books to those I was checking out, and new releases. Without the continued benefits of my local branch, I wouldn’t have read many of the books I did in 2019, which would have made it much more difficult to stay focused and interested.

Don’t waste your time on books you don’t like

One of the best things I learned from a coworker at Disney Publishing was: If a book doesn’t catch your interest within the first 50 pages, stop reading it. 

As much as it pains me to stop reading a book (can you tell I’m not a quitter?), there truly is no reason to continue reading anything that doesn’t grab you. Although I did read 52 books last year, that doesn’t account for the books that I started and just couldn’t finish. I even made it over 175 pages through a very well-regarded debut novel by a renowned journalist, and just could not finish it.

Remember: You’re not failing for not finishing. Use that time to go find a book that aligns with your needs a bit more — likely to be found at your local library!

Looking for some new books to request at your local library? Look no further than our staff-recommended book reviews here.

Follow your favorite authors online for related book recommendations.

One of the best things about social media is that there is now a way for readers to connect with their favorite authors. I’ve randomly connected with powerhouse writers like Brandon Taylor, Sam Irby, and Blythe Roberson through my continued deep-dives into staying up-to-date with all things literature, and following incredible voices like these help to provide us with context for other book recommendations.

Through authors like these, I was able to discover Lane Moore’s How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don’t, Nikesh Shukla’s The Good Immigrant, and Halle Butler’s “The New Me,” among many, many others.

Don’t stick to just one genre

One of the best books I read in 2019 was a random find during a trip. As I approached the end of 2019, I looked through my bookshelf at home and found Pablo Picasso’s Desire Caught by the Tail, a short farcical play by the painter that I had picked up in Montreal. I had bought the book because, truly, who knew Picasso was a playwright?

While I’m not the biggest fan of plays or the magical realism genre, the play was short and sweet, and proved that not everything I was reading needed to fit into a specific category. Throughout 2019, I not only read lots of contemporary fiction, but also lots of essay compilations, nonfiction think-pieces, and true crime novels. 

Looking to expand the genres you’re interested in? Here’s one of our favorite blog posts, “7 Indie Genre Fiction Publishers to Keep an Eye On.”

Be patient with yourself

Now, as much as I was striving to read one book a week, it didn’t always work out that way, often because of work stress, tiredness, or the like. While I could have been disappointed and used those pauses to give up entirely, it gave me more insight to really re-evaluate my why. Why did I want to complete this challenge? 

In all honesty, it was largely because I love a challenge and I’m not a quitter. However, there are also many amazing books that I wanted to read. Because of that, it was important to give myself the credence to continue, and keep reading great books.

Although I don’t know if I’ll ever complete a goal as unnerving as this again, the lessons I learned throughout the challenge will stick with me forever. I highly recommend challenging yourself to go beyond your typical aims for that reading list and, who knows? Perhaps you’ll be able to surprise yourself before “Aude Lang Syne” plays again.

About the Author

Grace Stetson is a woman of many hats (as her last name would suggest), including a freelance writer, copy editor and researcher for sites like Apartment Therapy, HelloGiggles and NBC News. With all of those responsibilities, she still makes time to read. Read more of her work at her website: gracestetson.com.

Thank you for reading “How to Set a Yearly Reading Goal and Stick To It” by Grace Stetson! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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