I was asked recently how I can read so many books—I read A LOT! Part of my flippant reply was, “Some guy do sports/watch sports or hunt and other things, I read. Constantly. I don’t sleep much either…” Getting a Kindle recently has also helped me read a lot more faster.
While all this is true, there are some things I’ve found over the years that help me retain an interest in reading. Recently, blogger extraordinaire Tim Challies posted a list about how to read more and be a better reader. I find that his list is nearly exactly what mine would be, but he articulates the points much better than I could. Here’s the framework of his list, but I’d encourage you to click through below and read his entire post. Better yet, add him to your feed reader.
10 Tips to Read More and Read Better
- Read
- Read Widely
- Read Deliberately
- Read Interactively
- Read with Discernment
- Read Heavy Books
- Read Light Books
- Read New Books
- Read Old Books
- Read What Your Heroes Read
I especially agree with his points on reading a wide variety of books. I know that when I tend to focus on one type of book, it gets dry pretty quickly and I get burned out on the genre. In order to keep the juices flowing, I’ve learned to read a wider variety—even on a daily basis if possible. I tend to read ministry related and/or theology books earlier in the day, and then read a lot of frivolous stuff (sci-fi, high fantasy, etc.) later in the evening. It helps keep a balance in my reading.
I think keeping a healthy dose of blogs in my read and magazine on my desk has helped with the variety issue as well.
Read the entire Tim Challies post here
photo credit: wheelo50411.
