Mastering the Art of Reading: The Top Lifehacks You Need to Know

A wise saying goes, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

One can easily overlook this literary form, but they remain a building block of society.

A Redditor recently asked for advice on books (including e-books). They said, “I’m starting to get serious about reading books and already have a large number of books waiting to be read. But before I continue, I want to know lifehacks that can help me buy, read, sell or simply handle books.”

Because not everyone can be You‘s Joe Goldberg, fellow, Redditors have shared tips.

1. Ask (And It Shall Be Given)

u/pepperomias shares a library hack:

“If your library doesn’t have a book, you can probably submit a request to your library to buy it! Most libraries have a request or suggestion page on their websites now so it’s very easy for patrons. It’s not guaranteed that they’ll actually buy it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

2. Once You’re Done, Return The E-book

u/kbenneth73 suggests that keeping e-books when you’re done reading isn’t the best option.

“If you finish reading an e-book before the rental period is over, manually return it in the app so that copy of the book is released to the next person in the queue. Don’t leave it sitting in limbo until the rental period expires and the book automatically gets returned.

3. Wi-Fi Cheat

Here’s one that might come in handy. A user says, “If you rent an e-book from your library and are not done reading it before you have to return it, turn your Wi-Fi off until you’re done reading and it won’t leave your inventory. If you turn your Wi-Fi on at all it will automatically update to be removed.”

4. Internet Archive

Someone posts, “If for some reason you can’t use your local library or any other e-libraries available to you, use the Internet Archive.”

Another adds, “Seconding Internet Archive! They also seem to have scans of books that I’ve found very difficult to find – i.e. massively expensive and out of print on Amazon/etc., or the library only has “use in library” copies, which isn’t ideal for novels. Internet Archive is great.”

5. Don’t Punish Yourself

One may fall victim to the idea that they have to finish every book they start because they should never leave things halfway. But according to Reddit, that’s not the best way to go.

“Drop books that you’re not enjoying,” u/jawnbaejaeger advises.

“It’s not an endurance test and there’s no reward for suffering through something you hate. Life’s too short to read s—ty books.”

6. Read Your Favorite Authors’ Recommendations

u/WhimsicallyEerie explains why:

“I have recently noticed that authors seem to exist in constellations. I found myself reading and loving books, in certain circles. So. If an author I loved is the cover quote it was an instant buy. And then, those first couple of pages of review quotes, the more names I recognized, the more I knew I would be into a certain book.

In summary, if you know and love an author, read what they recommend!”

7. Commit New Words to Memory

One of the easiest ways to learn new words is by reading literary works. In a bid to understand the story better, one may be deeply intrigued to uncover a strange word they come across. But it shouldn’t stop there, according to u/temeces.

“You’ve read a new word and derived its likely meaning through context. Great. Now go define it and read the passage one more time. You get to fix a potential mistake and commit the word to a longer memory.”

8. Garage Sales

“Buying books at garage sales or estate sales can save you a lot of money and it is always interesting what you may find,” a user says.

9. Try Graphics

You’ve been on a row and feel like you’re tired of staring at words for hours, still, you do not want to stop just yet. u/belongtotherain shares a helpful tip that helps them:

“Whenever you’re in a reading funk, try to read a comic or graphic novel instead.

I feel like it helps jump start my brain if I’m feeling too burnt out by novels.”

10. Audiobooks Might Help You Sleep Better

“Find a good audiobook and throw it with a sleep timer when you get into bed. They’re also good for those random times when your anxiety flares up at 2am and your brain won’t stop thinking about all the s–t you have to do that day,” someone comments.

11. Use a Hairdryer

A user shares a tip for “people like them” who hate crease marks.

“Don’t use the hottest setting rather use the middle setting. Hold the hairdryer about 30cm away and gently fan the spine up and down for about a minute then slowly open the pages in roughly 50 page chunks (depending on paper thickness) from cover to cover. Be gentle. As the glue softens it’ll become easier to open the book. Repeat the process until you’re questioning your sanity and decision to do this. Your book will keep its suppleness infinitum (some are more stubborn than others and need more encouragement and swear words).”

Read the original post here.

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.