So I am a double English major in Literary Studies and Creative Writing — that means a lot of reading. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and I love the books I get to read, but it does leave little time to read the books on my personal reading list. College is a busy time, and I know that non-bookish majors get to read even less than me. Here are a few tips that help get me reading when I’m low on time and money.
Read Before Bed
I schedule my time like crazy — I even input personal things like showering into my calendar, which means that typically I schedule my reading time as well. If I don’t put in it, I am likely just to not do it. I am pretty susceptible to wasting that time sitting on my phone instead of opening a book if I don’t have it written down, as I believe most of us are. I mark on my calendar that the thirty minutes before going to sleep are for reading, which helps me turn off my screens anyways and get a better night’s sleep. Win-win!
Audiobooks
Nothing is better than putting in your earbuds, laying in bed, and playing a mindless game on your phone — which is what I tend to do a lot to relax. Why not get some reading done at the same time? Got a long walk to class? Finish a chapter. Getting an audiobook subscription service has really changed my life recently — even when I feel too exhausted to hold another book, I can press play on my phone and get some reading done. You’d be surprised how quickly all those extra minutes add up.
Bargain Books
This one might be obvious, but a college book lover has got to be thrifty. Barnes & Noble has some steals — just the other day, I snagged a copy of Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies for five dollars. That’s a $27 hardback, y’all. I also have several ebook deal newsletters that get sent to my inbox every week so I can see when there are deals on already-low ebooks. If you are a Goodreads user, they do a similar email when a book on your to-read shelf is marked down.
Read for Pleasure
I know that I tend to push myself a lot when reading, and I’ll tackle books that I maybe don’t have the brainpower for at the moment. I think that reading during college needs to be relaxing (like watching netflix or listening to music is), and not another tiresome activity in your already-hectic life. Leave Ulysses for the summer (or your literature course), and grab Leigh Bardugo’s latest book instead. Relax, y’all.
That’s it for now. I wish this post could have been longer, but I just started back to class this week, and between getting my schedule sorted, extracurricular meetings, and settling into our apartment, things have been a little crazy. (Yes, I have made time for listening to Educated by Tara Westover on audiobook, if you were wondering.) Still, I think this semester is gonna be a fun one.
See y’all soon,
Bonus Photos from This Week
my roommates may or may not have set off the fire alarm in our building baking these
we’re kind of a hot mess at the moment. send help
