How Do I Get Into Reading as an Adult?
‘I used to love reading’ is one of the saddest sentences in adult life. If you’re asking how do I get into reading as an adult, you’re probably busy, a bit intimidated by the choice, and carrying school-era baggage about what counts as ‘proper’ reading. Let’s fix all of that.
I fell out of reading in my twenties and back in love in my thirties. Here’s what actually worked — no guilt, no homework, just books.
Forget what school taught you
First, unlearn the rules. There is no required reading list. Literary fiction is not morally superior to thrillers, romance, sci-fi, or graphic novels. Reading a ‘trashy’ thriller you can’t put down beats dutifully slogging through a classic you hate — every time. The only good book is a finished book.
Second: abandon books freely. The 50-page rule (or 100 minus your age, if you like formulas) — if you’re not enjoying it by then, stop. Life’s too short and there are too many good books. DNF-ing is not failure; it’s curation.
Find your genre (it’s probably not what you think)
Think about what you already enjoy: true crime podcasts? Try crime fiction. Big Marvel fan? Sci-fi and fantasy. Love a good documentary? Narrative non-fiction. Your taste in other media is the best predictor of your reading taste.
Then get specific recommendations: tell a bookseller or librarian ‘I loved X, what next?’ — they’re brilliant at this. Or use the ‘readers also enjoyed’ rabbit hole on Goodreads/StoryGraph. Start with short books (under 300 pages) and page-turners; early wins build momentum. Novellas and short story collections are criminally underrated starting points.
Make it fit your life
Audiobooks count. Fully. Completely. Anyone who says otherwise is a snob. If your reading happens during commutes, chores, or runs, that’s reading.
E-readers remove friction. A Kindle in your bag means reading in every queue and waiting room. The backlight means reading in bed without disturbing anyone.
Small slots add up. Twenty minutes before bed, fifteen on the train — that’s a book a fortnight without changing your life. Protect one slot daily; consistency beats binges.
Join something. A book club, a reading challenge, a friend you text about books — social accountability works. Even posting what you’re reading online creates gentle pressure to finish.
The first five books
If you want concrete starting points — all page-turners, all under 350 pages, all beloved by reluctant readers: a fast thriller (try Harlan Coben or Lisa Jewell), a funny memoir (Bill Bryson or Dolly Alderton), a gripping non-fiction (something narrative like a heist or survival story), a modern classic that’s actually fun (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), and whatever’s currently all over BookTok in your genre. One of these will hook you. That’s all it takes — one book you can’t put down, and you’re a reader again.
How do I get into reading as an adult? Your questions answered
Do audiobooks really count as reading? Yes — completely, unambiguously yes. The snobbery is baseless: studies show comprehension and retention are comparable, and the stories, ideas, and vocabulary are identical. Anyone who gatekeeps reading is defending a hierarchy that doesn’t exist. Listened books are read books. End of discussion.
What if I keep falling asleep when I read? You’re probably reading in bed when tired — the classic trap. Read earlier (the 20 minutes after dinner, not the 20 before sleep), try more gripping books (sleepiness is often boredom), or switch to audiobooks for bedtime and save print for alert hours. Falling asleep over a book you love is fine; falling asleep over every book means changing the conditions, not abandoning reading.
How do I read more with young kids? Audiobooks during chores and commutes, e-reader in the cracks (feeding times, waiting rooms), and — radically — let them see you read. Children who see parents reading become readers. Even 10 minutes of visible reading beats an hour hidden. And bedtime stories count double: you’re reading and raising a reader simultaneously.
The 12-book year: a realistic reading plan
Forget 52-book challenges — the 12-book year (one a month) is the sustainable goal that actually sticks. Plan it loosely: one book you’re excited about, one recommended by a friend, one outside your comfort zone, one reread of an old favourite — repeat quarterly. Structure without pressure.
Track simply: a notes app list, Goodreads, or StoryGraph. Seeing the finished list grow is quietly thrilling, and reviewing briefly (even one sentence) cements the memory. Join one reading-adjacent community — a book club, an online group, a friend you text — for accountability and recommendations.
At year end, you’ll have read 12 books — 12 more than most adults — and the habit will be self-sustaining. Year two, you won’t need the plan. The 12-book year isn’t a challenge; it’s a doorway. Walk through it and you might not come back.
E-reader vs physical books: the honest comparison
The format war is over — both won. But each suits different readers and situations. Here’s how to choose (or why to use both).
- E-reader (Kindle/Kobo): a library in your pocket, reading in the dark, instant purchases, adjustable text. Perfect for travel, commutes, and big books. The battery lasts weeks. Downsides: the endless scroll of samples, and you can’t lend easily.
- Physical books: the sensory pleasure, the bookshelf as identity, easy lending, charity-shop prices. Better for deep focus — no notifications. Downsides: weight, space, cost new.
- The hybrid approach: e-reader for travel and library loans, physical for favourites and book-club picks. Most committed readers end up here.
- Library ebooks: BorrowBox and Libby lend ebooks free — the e-reader’s killer feature. A £100 e-reader plus a library card is unlimited free books forever. The format debate misses the point: the best format is the one you’ll actually read on.
The takeaway
Getting into reading as an adult means ditching the guilt: read what you enjoy, abandon what you don’t, count audiobooks, and protect small daily slots. Find one unputdownable book in a genre matched to your taste, and the habit builds itself from there.
Keep reading
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