a collage of the Book Riot Read Harder Log, a phone showing a Libro.fm subscription, and a neck lamp against a bookstore background

Book Fetish

Trying to Read More in 2023? These Things Can Help.

Clare Barnett Jan 9, 2023

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Clare Barnett

Staff Writer

Clare Barnett lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and daughter. She delves into all genres but has a soft spot for fantasy, mystery, and memoir. When she’s not working her way through her to-read list, she’s reading and writing about bookish things. Twitter: @clarebar. Inquiries: clarerbarnett@gmail.com.

View All posts by Clare Barnett

The new year is a great time to recommit to your reading goals. Whether you’re working through a Goodreads challenge or just trying to make a dent in an ever-growing TBR pile, you’ll need to be strategic about where, when, and how to do all that reading. I speak from experience. I usually average a book a week, which is a manageable-for-me number that balances my love of books with my real world obligations and penchant for prestige TV shows. Still, a book a week, much like a crime, takes means, motive, and opportunity to accomplish. (A lot of those books are murder mysteries, in case you couldn’t tell.)

Here are some tips to read like you’re getting away with something:

Means: Broaden the way you read. Audiobooks make for an excellent storytelling experience and can bring books into everyday activities like chores and commuting. Services like the subscriptions below will keep you stocked with plenty of reading material, and ereaders like a Kindle can keep an entire library at your fingertips.
Motive: Get clear on why you read. Maybe you’re trying to complete your favorite authors’ backlists, or learn something new, or just carve out some-bookish me time. Book journals and habit trackers can help you stick to your goals and track your progress.
Opportunity: While you can’t buy more hours in the day to read, luckily, there are tools, services, and accessories to help us bookworms power through the pages in our precious free time. It’s also key to protect that time once you’ve claimed it for reading. There are always a dozen things competing for attention, but a good book is one of the best excuses to take some time for yourself.

Here are some suggestions to boost your access to books, enhance your reading comfort, and help you double down on your motivation to work through your TBR.

Bookish Subscription Services

TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations

Don’t know what to read? Book Riot’s very own TBR book subscription service pairs you with a professional book nerd who provides tailored book recommendations. Starting at $16 per quarter.

Audible

Read while walking, driving, or doing the dishes with an audiobook subscription. Audible is one of the largest services, where you can buy your audiobooks individually or stream from a large catalogue on Audible Plus. Starting at $14.95 a month.

Get three free audiobooks with a trial to Audiobooks.com. Claim your 3 free audiobooks now!

Libro.FM

Another audiobook subscription service, Libro.FM allows you to support the bookstore of your choice. Starting at $14.99 a month.

Kindle Unlimited

kindle press image of a kindle laying next to a breakfast scene

On Kindle Unlimited, one monthly fee gets you access to millions of ebooks on Kindle. Bestsellers, classics, and new discoveries rotate on the service. Starting at $9.99 a month.

Bookish Gear

Annotation Kits

Bundled together in a cute pouch, this kit will help you tab, highlight and flag your way through your TBR. $22

Reading Journals

Keep track of your reading journey with a book journal. This one has prompts and and detailed rating rubric. $30

a photo of an open Read Harder Reading Log, showing a list of books originally published in languages other than English, as well as a page to fill out for a book you've read

Book Riot also has our own Read Harder Reading Log! Along with room to track your reading, there are also challenges inspired by different years of the Read Harder Challenge. $17

Ereader

An ereader like Kindle can store thousands of books. Bonus: the phone app makes it easy to pick up your book where you left off when you have a few minutes to scroll your phone. $100

Not sure which ereader to buy? These guides can help: What Is The Best Ereader? and The Best Tablet For Reading.

Reading Lights

If you want to read late at night without disturbing your snoozing partner, this neck lamp will illuminate your book and keep your hands free to turn the pages! $22

For more options, check out The 16 Best Reading Lamps for Your Nighttime Reading Routine.

Reading Pillows

If you’re going to put in the hours reading, you need to be comfortable. This pillow is perfect for reading in bed or lounging on the couch. $39

Here are even more reading pillow options, if this one isn’t your style!

Habit Trackers

The most reliable way to read more? Make it a daily habit. James Clear of Atomic Habits has a nice summary of how of set one up. Try a bullet jo u rnal for the DIY habit tracker ($10) or download a pre-made one like this Habit Tracker on Etsy ($4).

There are so many reading journal and bullet journal options to choose from!

Now that you have the supplies, you might also appreciate this advice on reading more: