How I Read 185+ Books a Year

I read a lot, usually around 20 books a month, so I constantly get asked, “How do you read so much?”

Everyone’s reading journey is different, so what works for me may not work for you. The season of life makes a big difference as well. When my boys were younger, there was no way I could’ve read that much, even with all the tips and hacks.

I enjoy keeping track of my reading and while getting to a specific number is fun, it’s not what makes me a reader. Reading 1 book a year or even just thinking of yourself as a reader does that.

If you do want to increase your reading, these are things that work for me.

Read What You Like

I went through a phase when I only read books I felt like I ‘should’ read. These books were the classics, literary darlings, prize winners, etc. Objectively they were mostly all really good books, well written, with important themes and family dynamics, but they just aren’t the books I love to read. Since I felt like I was making myself read them, I struggled to get through them and they took forever to read. Reading felt like a chore instead of a joy.

I now read whatever I want. I take part in a lot of Reading Challenges that help me diversify my reading, which may take me out of my comfort zone, but the books that are a slog to get through are rare.

My preferred genres are:

Romance – of any kind — contemporary, historical, paranormal, fantasy, close door, open door
Fantasy/SciFi – I like my fantasy/scifi with romance, but it isn’t necessary
Memoir – especially celebrity on audiobook with the author reading it

Audiobooks

Yes, audiobooks are reading.

Audiobook play a key factor in how I’m able to read as much as I do. They allow me to read while driving, crafting, puzzling, and even cleaning.

When I first started with audiobooks I could only listen to memoirs and nonfiction books. Then I listened to The Book Thief during my commute and my life changed. The key to listening to fiction is the narrator and the speed. Some old audiobooks have not great narrators and are just kind of cringey. Since audiobooks have become a big deal recently, they are typically better produced with better narration.

Increasing the speed of the audibook is a game changer. Listening at 1x speed feels like listening in slow motion. Bumping it up to 1.25x brings it more in line with normal conversation speed and so the narration sounds more natural, like you are listening to a good storyteller, not just someone reading words. As you get used to the increased speed, you can start playing with it. I listen to most books at about 1.75x. There is the occasional book that I jump it up to 2.0x+ but I tend to start losing more indepth comprehension when I get to that speed and over. If the narrator is using an accent, I may drop it to 1.5x.

They now have full cast, duet, and dual narration in addition to a single narrator. Full cast books are a blast, each character has their own narrator so you really get pulled into the story. In Duet narration, 2 main characters each say their lines, regardless of point of view. Dual narration has the 2 main characters narrating their point of view chapters. A good single narrator can bring the story alive as they voice each character. Audiobooks are so much more than just having the words read aloud.

Some of my favorite audiobooks are:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series – Dramatized Adaptation by Sarah J Maas

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Routine

Building reading into your daily routine may have the biggest impact on your overall reading. Having a reading routine doesn’t mean sitting down every day for 2 hours. It can be 20 min every morning while you have your coffee, 10 min during your car ride to and from work, or 15 min before bed. The amount of time spent each day isn’t the important part, it is the the cumlative nature of doing it every day. A typical 350 page book, reading 20 min a day, would take around 18 days to complete. You could go from reading 0 books a month to 1-2 books, which is an 100% increase!

Read Multiple Books at Once

This one is a bit more advanced, but it really increases the total number of books read. I usually have at least 3 books going at any given time:

A morning non fiction book that I read for 20 min every morning

An audibook that I read while in my car, doing puzzles, completing crafts, etc.

A fiction book that I read in the evenings and on the weekends.

There are times when I have up to 5. This is not my favorite and usually happens when I have a book club pick that I’ve put off until the last minute, all my library holds came through at the same time, or new releases coming out at the same time. Another reason is due to being a bit of a mood reader. When my mood reader brain takes over, I have a hard time deciding on what I want to read so I start multiple books. Sometimes they all end up catching, so I have too many going on.

Make Reading your Main Hobby

Reading is my main hobby. It is what I do when I have a choice of what to do with my time. It is beacuse of this that I am truly able to read as much. I choose it over tv, podcasts, video games, etc. I include it even with other hobbys, such a puzzling or crafting. I listen in my car when driving. It is what Jason and I listen to in the car on camping trips. If you check my purse, you will always find my kindle, which helps me read any time I’m waiting. I still mangage to spend too much time on social media, but try to make a point to pick up a book when I notice I’m doom scrolling or just wasting time.

Utilize the Library

Books can get expensive so to eliminate cost as a hurdle to reading, I utilize my local library, not just for physical books, but also ebooks and audiobooks. I search for libraries that offer free cards for digital offerings, even for those not living locally. I use this browser extension, Library Extension, which pulls up book availability at chosen libraries and retailers when on bookstore pages, Goodreads, etc. When I notice a library that seems to have lower wait times, a good selection of books, and abundant online resources, I will even look into paying for a card, if they don’t offer a free one. At $25 or even $50 a year, that is the cost of only 1-2 books.

Most libraries have Libby (Overdrive) that allows access to ebooks and audiobooks, but it can have extremely long wait times. Other apps your libary may offer for ebooks and audiobooks include: CloudLibrary and Hoopla. Books on Hoopla are always available and CloudLibrary tends to have must shorter wait times, if there is one at all. Houston Public Library (you can get a free card from them) also has Boundless.

Except with some brand new books or indie books, I can usually find the one I want by going through a library.

Keep Track

My final tip would be to keep track. There are multiple websites and apps that can be used to keep track of what you read . Goodreads is a popular choice. The Storygraph is a newer option but offers more stats and ways to display them. Bookly is an app that helps you track what books you read and the amount of time spent on them. I also love a good spreadsheet, so I use AirTable. Making my own spreadsheet gives me the ability to keep track of the stats that matter to me. It also gives me a place to keep track of my physical and digital tbr and what books I own, as well as what I’ve read.

Whether you want to read 20 books a month or just increase the the total amount you are reading, I hope some of these tips help!.