Used to be an avid reader? How to get back into books
6/9/202611 min
In this distracted age, settling in and actually focusing on a book can feel like a challenge. But retraining your reading muscles is doable. In this episode, tips from writers, readers and researchers to help you accomplish your summer reading goals.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
This message comes from NPR sponsor Raymond James, a firm where wealth management, banking, and capital markets solutions start with the connections between people. That's the power of personal. Disclosures at raymondjames.com.
Marielle Segarra· Host0:14
You're listening to Life Kit [upbeat music] from NPR. Hey, it's Mariel. I have this daydream where I go to the park and read under a tree. The sun is shining. The temperature is not too hot, but not chilly either. The ground beneath me is comfortable. I have snacks on hand, I'm hydrated, and I am captivated by the book in front of me. It doesn't usually pan out like this. In reality, two minutes in, I'm sweating, my butt hurts from sitting on tree roots, I realize I forgot the snacks, and I can't focus. So I close the book, go home, turn on the TV. A lot of us make this mistake when it comes to reading. We think it should feel romantic, like this landmark event in our day.
Kevin Nguyen· Guest0:57
You know, we have this imagination that, like, oh, reading time is, like, this luxurious thing. I'm in my armchair sipping scotch.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:04
Kevin Nguyen is the author of the novels My Documents and New Waves, and in 2017 he wrote an article for GQ called "How to Read a Whole Damn Book Every Week."
Kevin Nguyen· Guest1:14
You have to make it a more regular habit than that, 'cause if you just wait for all those times when you're drinking scotch, hopefully you don't drink that much scotch. Hope you read more [laughs] than you drink scotch. But yeah, if you wait for all those moments, you're never gonna finish a book.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:25
Whether your reading daydreams involve you at the park, in an armchair,