How to pick up reading again?

I am currently on this journey.

What I find helps:

• Go for some light and easy reads. Stephan king was a good reintroduction for me.
• I paired reading with other activities, i.e having brunch at a cafe on saturday and get through some pages. It is a nice environment, fewer distractions.
• Setting relaxed targets. So if I have an hour to read, I will aim for x number of pages. No worries if I don't make the target, but if I do, it feels nice and encouraging.

I go against Audiobooks, simply because I find that they're told in a way that doesn't work for me (ADHD = Sensory issues around accepting information audibly)

Make the time at the end of your day. Leave your phone in another room to charge overnight (Get an alarm clock if you need to be up at a specific time), then put a book next to your bedside table. Give it 30 minutes a night at least to unwind with a book you actually want to read.

I know what the depression thing is mate, it's a doozey. But it's about controlling the things you can with this.

I can relate I went through this a few years ago. This is what I've discovered.

This one sounds super obvious but read what you want to read. Many people have this idea that reading should be about bettering yourself, reading the classics, or getting exposed to new ideas and it certainly can be but if what you really like reading is silly horror slashers or scifi romances then read those one persons trash is anothers treasure. Don't care what others think of your reading choices go with what you enjoy and work outwards from there.

Read short books or novellas (under 200 pages). When getting back into reading it's tempting to get lost in some epic mammoth book but reading shorter ones can help especially when depression is a daily battle and I know this very well from experience. It also helps if the books have short snappy chapters so you can read for 10-15 mins per chapter and then if you need to put the book down and come back later for another quick stint. Before you know it the book will be done and you'll get a sense of satisfaction from having actually finished one and then you'll get to look forward to the next. Many will recommend short story collections and this can be great advice it just doesn't work for me personally because all it takes it getting to one story I don't like to make me less willing to pick the book back up and it will sit their gathering dust as I ignore it because it seems like something I'll have to slog through.

Don't read on your phone. This is a biggie; if you have the means to avoid it. Most people look at their phones and expect a constant stream of information and stimulation and books aren't always conducive to that especially if you have notifications interrupting you. It's simply the wrong environment in my opinion especially if you're already having a bit of trouble concentrating. Try to make reading it's own thing, do it before bed or first thing in the morning whenever you feel comfortable and have the time to dedicate to it. I highly recommend an ereader if you can afford one (usually pretty cheap for older ones off ebay) but physical books work just as well.

Don't pressure yourself too much. Dealing with depression is a ballache at the best of times but putting extra stress on yourself trying to force reading is just not going to work @raccoona_nongrata nailed it with the comparison to exercise it takes time to build back the motivation and routine but once you're there it just flows. Don't expect to be reading a book a day immediately start with realistic goals like 1 per month, a 200 page book in a month is about 7 pages a day which is quite manageable and you'll likely exceed that and then yay another little boost.

Don't be afraid to DNF (did not finish) a book, my personal cut off is about 40-50 pages if I'm not enjoying the story or characters by this point I quit and I don't feel bad, if you have access to kindleunlimited or are reading free books this is much easier but if you find yourself forcing yourself to read it'll have a negative effect on the desire to continue, it's not a failure to just stop and move on to something different.

I went literal years where I don't think I read a book at all then over the last couple of years I got to 1 per month and this year my reading absolutely exploded and I'm on book 74 of this year (mostly still reading short books though) I can read an entire novel in a day but some times a week will go by where I don't touch it but I'm definitely happy with the balance I seem to have struck. This is a combination of getting an ereader and discovering new genres that helped me mentally.

I'm hesitant to give any suggestions or recommendations without more info about your tastes so tried to keep advice quite general I hope some of it helps.

I never was much of a reader to begin with, but I picked it up a few years ago when I discovered the Sanderson Cosmere series. It was just so exciting to read without a lot of prose describing every single thing in nature. The plot moved along quick enough to keep my interest piqued at all times and after a few weeks of reading it just became a habit.

I still have periods of months where I don't read, after finishing a book or a series for example. I feel like I'm too lazy to read again, but at some point I just feel like doing it, and it make it a habit again. I continued a book I started what feels like forever ago and it was so pleasant to read again. Playing tons of video games otherwise, it felt refreshing to not have to do a task or a quest or grind some levels to get to the next piece of the story :) So the last few days I read a lot again and in two weeks another book that's ending a series and I've been waiting for for a while, is coming out, so I'm excited for that.

What might also help you, is to register on goodreads (or alternatives) and just 'collect' and browse books, track your status and rate books. For me personally, that's a huge motivator to just check off books and manage my 'want to read' list.

If you're a SciFi fan, you could also watch The Expanse (which you might have already) and there's 2 or 3 more books than the series covered. So you can read the first 7 (?) books as a refresher and then dive into new Expanse content :) The books' pace is very high and they're not super hard/long reads.

You could also start reading with lighter SciFi/Fantasy YA books that don't have 5 timelines and 10 view points of various characters. They can still be very good reads with interesting topics without being too heavy on the things 'around' it.

I think just finding some universe/author that you like a lot helps a ton. Not saying that it is for you, but Sanderson's universe has a huge fan community, so I can decide how much I want to jump into the stuff. Just read the books? Watch his updates/QnAs? Browse the subreddits? Listen to the podcasts? Check out the Wikis for the books? Having a whole community around a book series that you read and theorize/discuss topics with them can also be motivating. But also more than some poeple want out of their books.

Audiobooks. It honestly helped a lot. I used to read a lot up till my late teens and then I got depression and life happened and all that sort of things. When I got better, I wanted to get back into reading, but I kept thinking it was a waste of time when I could be doing something more productive. I was also very critical of anything I read.

I ended up listening to audiobooks while doing other "productive" things instead and it helped a lot. I started enjoying stories again and was less critical of it as I was only half paying attention to it.

And then I slowly moved back to reading text because some books I wanted didn't have audiobook versions. And now I go back and forth between audiobook and text depending on what I'm doing.

Edit: I should add that when I went back to text, I put aside an hour every night for reading. I would read in bed and go to sleep. I slept better somehow and mentally I felt better the next morning. I don't know why.

But also, what made it feel like a chore to you? Why did you fall out of love with reading? Why does it seem bland now?

Part of the reason I stopped reading from depression was because I used to read a lot of Fantasy. And then real life started being terrible enough that I felt worse every time I realised that Fantasy was just that.. fantasy. Then I went to reading non-fantasy, and then I got annoyed at that too and stopped reading altogether.

When I got better, I jumped to science fiction instead as I could tell myself that it's possible, I'd just be dead by then. I started going for more comedic or hopeful things, and now I'm back to reading any genre.

So I think it would help to know why you stopped in the first place.

My story is pretty much the same as yours, except for the university part. I was a avid reader in my young days but that stopped when I also got depressed etc.

I actually picked up reading when I was in a mental hospital lol. At first it felt like chore, like you said, but I just kept the book in my hands, wondered around, read a few lines or chapters here and there. At first it was a slow slog but as I kept at it the easier it got.

I was(/am) very interested in history so I started reading about topics that interested me anyway. At first I read a few general history books, then I started to go into specific topics, the Great War, the Mongol conquests etc. I only read history books for like 8 years until I decided to re-read Lord of the Rings. Since that went well I picked up the small and short Wheel of Time-series. Now I'm on a Star Wars binge.

I've heard many say that reading is like doing a workout. When you start, everything feels heavy and annoying but the more you do it the easier it gets. So I would recommend to get a book that you feel you want to read and then keep the book at hand. Don't start doing any stupid reading challenges, like my cousin who decided to read 52 books in a year. For him that works because he's been reading A LOT for decades. If I put that sort of pressure on myself I would not read at all. Don't force yourself to read, read a little bit here and there, take pauses when you feel like its getting too difficult. Theres no hurry.

Edit: like the other guy said: Audiobooks.

Perhaps start with some short-stories, things you can read start to finish in a short time.

I always saw reading books as kind of analogous to exercise in a lot of ways -- when you haven't exercised in a while it's better to not go try and sprint a marathon right off the bat even though you used to have that capacity, instead you start with lighter activity like takes walks etc. and work your way up.

Lots of people seem to be recommending a bunch of books and ways to approach reading. I may have read into this differently (ha! pun.), but it sounds more to me like you need to get a handle on the depression.

Everything you posted in your OP - "I had no will, interest or strength to pick up a book", "Picking up a book today feels like a chore for me. I find a lot of them bland and have to force myself to read/finish the story," and everything else ... it sounds like you may have clinical depression. Not just "a phase", but an ongoing struggle.

Many others here have chimed in about their experiences with depression, and I too have struggled with it. I continue to struggle with it in fact. But I don't think trying to convince you on what you should read next, or how to read it, is as important as getting a handle on the depression itself.

Have you considered talking with a therapist, or bringing up your depression with your doctor/primary care provider? If you can get a diagnosis, it might go a long way towards you recognizing what's going on in your head - hell, it might not even be depression, but something else. But sometimes, putting a name to what's going on in your head can help tremendously in just ... seeing what's going on, and being able to identify when "that thing" is hijacking your thoughts and feelings.

Just my two cents. I wish you the best.

What helped me resume was stopping to care about the book being good and not caring about finishing it. I used to have this thing where I wouldn't pick up a book if it didn't have good reviews or wasn't a classic and where I would make myself finish a book I wasn't enjoying. This is a mood killer.

When I started just looking at the blurbs and reading whatever sounded fun or interesting, I started reading a lot more. I read a lot of middling-at-best romance novels. But they were easy, fun reads, that made me wanna read the next thing. Nowadays I always have a book on the go and I don't stress about it if I don't read for a few days in a row. It's for fun, there shouldn't be any pressure!

Do you also eschew good shows and good movies because you can't join those worlds?

Many, many, many people used to be readers, but are now glued to a screen.

You aren't alone.

I think it is good to set realistic expectations. If you have jogging 5 years ago, you wouldn't expect to go out and job 6 miles. Likewise, don't expect to spend 3 hours an evening lost in a book. Take it a little bit of a time, as you enjoy it, and build up.

I find it is easier to read fiction after a long day. It also helps to think of it as an alternative form of a episode from a show.

Like so many things, start off small and stay consistent.

This is going to sound very silly but: try fanfiction. I’m serious! There are a lot of incredible amateur writers putting out some fantastic stuff in the fanfic spaces. Reading fanfic about characters you care about from other media will take the pressure of “learning about a new world/new characters/setting/premise”. It feels disposable so if you don’t like something, you just hit the back button.

The other option is to try something like comics. There’s something about the visual element of a webcomic that makes it feel like less of a chore for me. I still get the rush of exploring something new. I personally binge on romance isekai webcomics because they’re predictable and silly and sometimes quite poignant. A lot of those plots revolve around someone being reborn into a novel they’ve been reading and how they navigate those worlds, so that may resonate a lot for you right now!

Granted, with both of these options you will wade through a sea of garbage (like, a SEA), but finding the gold makes the trash worth it. And sometimes the trash is just fun.

As others have said audiobooks are a great way to casually "read" a book, but also most of the actual reading I do is when I'm going out of town and bring a book along for the plane/car ride or just some extra downtime. Makes it a lot easier to start when I'm not home for some reason. Beach reading is one of my favorite things ever.

Other have asked it but it's an important question to answer, what do you want to read? What do you like to read? What do your friends read that you'd like to connect with them over?

My reading goes through seasons. I burn through a several books then just don't feel interested anymore. Might not read for a couple months. Then something catches my interest or I decide to see what the hubbub is about something and the cycle starts again. Usually this means changing up genres. Usually something easy to read whets my appetite and I start reading some classics in that vein until I get bored and wait for the next thing to come along.

I think the recommendations for short stories are a good idea, though I don't have much to contribute there. Some strong recommendations to check out:

• Asimov's Foundation very short, not very difficult sci-fi. Inspired by rise and fall of Rome but in a galactic empire.
• Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire technically YA but challenged by perceptions of what YA can be. Fantasy which centers on a unique magic system, with court politics, a god emperor, and an Ocean's 11 feeling heist crew. The story feels a bit predictable and tropey but I had a lot of fun aside from a middle section which slows a bit.
• Corey's Leviathan Wakes First of 9 books but worth a read even if you decide not to continue. Sci fi set in a near future where humanity has expanded through the solar system. Leans towards "realism" where FTL isn't a thing, physics of mass an acceleration play an important role in combat and transportation. Communication is still constrained by time delays. Politics are very similar to modern day. We find something that maybe we aren't prepared to have access to.

I've been currently reading LOTR. I've always loved the movies, but could never finish the books. I would disengage and I also struggle with depression. This is my fourth time, and I'm on the last book, so I'm confident I'm going to finish. Here's what's worked for me:

• Listening to an audio book and drawing scenes/characters/geography/notes on paper. Any time I notice I'm disengaging I would pause the playback and draw a doodle/note. Its also a great feeling to look back at all your notes, and it helps me feel more accomplished. Yes, it takes much longer, but I found this absolutely necessary to retrain and slow my brain back down. Once I started getting close to the end of the first book, I didn't have to do this at all.
• I mix both book and audio and go back and forth for the same book. Sometimes there are multiple characters introduced at the same time, and it's much easier to reference their introductions in book form.
• Cutting down on drinking/substances. I've accepted that if I have a drink, any time during the evening I will likely only finish a sentence or paragraph. If I don't drink, I go pages at a time. Usually I only read before bed.
• Making it a habit. Even if I read a sentence, I'm going to read something before I go to bed. Sometimes I'm just not feeling it. And other times it just takes a little push to read a whole chapter.
• Before I retried Tolkien I was reading a lot of classic sci-fi/pulp authors like Edgar R. Burroughs, and short stories by Philip K. Dick or Asimov. These are a lot easier to commit to and are fast-paced enough to keep faster readers engaged.

Overall, I think I had to retrain my brain to enjoy reading again, and I'm still not back to where I was. Anecdotally, microdosing psychedelics has helped me be more engaged when reading as well, but I think it is because I'm getting the serotonin to alleviate my mild depression where my enjoyment to reading isn't being blocked by my brain chemistry. I think I could find similar results with an antidepressant but I am not cool with all of the side-effects that come with those. It's not necessary for me to enjoy reading but I'd say it increases the enjoyment 5x.

Added later because I forgot I did this and it helped:

-Reading out loud. I would do voices for the characters and try to really hit their lines. This helped me be more engaged and made it more exciting then straight reading in my head. I was surprised, because I used to hate reading aloud, but it forces me to get out of my head the more I can emote the words.

Reading is never fun when you're reading something that you don't like. That you find yourself having to "push through" or "force" yourself to read. That's probably how you stopped reading, you got tired of that kind of thing and went to other activities to fill your time with. Completely normal reaction; why would you do something you dislike?

IMO, and this is an opinion that I've found more than a few people seriously hate (for example /r/books at Reddit is full of such folks), schools are really, really, really bad at making reading fun. At instilling a love of reading. At showcasing reading as a fun hobby for students as they move through the grades and finally leave the school.

Odds are you're in that category. I place the blame on "the classics" that are hammered at students for six to eight years, with teachers who usually laud these books as "the best books, the ones you should read."

And further, these same teachers will often actively dump on books that aren't from The List they approve of; shaming students for wanting to read genre, for reading popular titles. Kids spend years slogging through stuff they don't like, and are shamed for not liking, and unsurprisingly, reading continues to drop in popularity as each generation leaves school grateful to no longer be handed books they don't enjoy and struggle to get through.

So I would encourage you to completely ignore anything that might be lurking in your head from school/college about what you're "supposed" to be reading. About what's "good" or what's "worthy of your time."

Don't go looking for what you're "supposed" to be reading. Go looking for something you want to read. Whatever that is. Whatever kind of story, seriously. You're the one reading it. So it should be something you find interesting and entertaining.

Librarians are trained to help you find books. Not every librarian is going to be a people person. Some of them will be like the teachers. But if you want an in-person guide, start with a library. Talk to a librarian about what fiction you think you might find interesting, about genres or story types, about whatever it is that you think could be fun to read.

Start wherever they recommend, and they might even have specific titles or categories to suggest for you to look at. A good librarian, the right kind you're looking for, will go back-and-forth with you over visits as you return with feedback from the previous wave's suggestions that you tried out.

If you run into one of "those types" of librarians, the ones like the teachers who only push the classics and shit on anything else, just go to a different librarian or library. Unless you live in a small settlement, there are other libraries and other librarians.

A lot of librarians aren't just trained to be good at helping you find books; a lot of them like books. Some of them will read for pleasure, not just as a way to impress with their classical knowledge. So if you run into an unhelpful librarian, ask another. Find a fun librarian, who wants to help you discover the joy of reading. Not one who wants to force you to heel with the duty of only reading "great" books.

Then just look through the books. If you don't like it, stop reading and look at another. Odds are you'll find something that appeals to you. It might be a certain style of storytelling, or a genre (like you might enjoy period mysteries, or modern fairy tales, or whatever).

In today's book market, there are hundreds and hundreds of "genres"; some of them subsets of subsets. Whatever your specific interests as a person are, whatever things that seem really cool and interesting to you, there are probably some storytelling authors working in or very adjacent to those things. Telling stories involving them.

You can also try Google if you have any Google-fu. Start punching in queries and see what comes up. "Stories about time-traveling mechanics with a hero complex who save the girl and nearly destroy the world." Or whatever it is that seems like your bag.

Amazon is also pretty good these days if you're looking to explore. They've gotten very granular about their categories, and offer samples, so you can flip through things that seem interesting. Helping you narrow in on what might be your bag.

Wikipedia has pages, even groups of pages, dedicated to "types" of stories (zombies, apocalypse, time travel, space colony, etc...) that might be helpful for discovery. And a lot of authors are in Wikipedia, so you can easily look through their bibliography. I recently found out the author of one of my favorite books, who had kind of disappeared just before the turn of the century, resumed writing a few years ago when I clicked through to their wiki page while surfing. Suddenly I had three new books to read!

The bottom line is it's your time, and your mind. What you read should light your fires and no one else's. Don't read to impress others, to showcase things like that. Instead, read whatever makes you happy. That's how you develop a reading habit. When you look forward to turning those pages, to finding a new series or author. When that's what's happening, and there's no dread or reluctance, that's how you know you're reading what's going to make you happy.

So read those stories. They're out there. Their authors wrote them to make you happy. The best books are always written for that reason above any other; to delight a reader.