1. Read something outside of your usual genre

If you’re bored, it might be time to try something completely different. If you usually read fiction, try diving into non-fiction. If you normally read non-fiction, try venturing into fiction. The excitement of exploring a new or rarely-read genre may be the boost you need to return to reading.

If you’re looking for non-fiction recommendations, I adore:

• Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives by Daisy Fancourt
• Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
• Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Money, Medicine, and Mysteries of Blood by Rose George
• 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them by Ashely Alker
• The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer
•  When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery

If you’re looking for fiction recommendations, I also adore:

• Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews (YA horror)
• Introducing Mrs. Collins by Rachel Parris (historical romance)
• Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (Cinderella retelling)
• The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze (speculative fiction + dark academia)
• The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (epic fantasy)
• This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth (YA dark fantasy)

2. Read a short book or short story anthology

A short book is always a wonderful choice when you’re stuck in a reading rut and need a nudge to escape. Short story anthologies are also excellent because they provide a delicious tasting menu of writing styles and plots. 

If you’re looking for recommendations, I love:

• Cape Fever by Nadia Davids (~240 pages)
• Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi (~130 pages)
• The Leaving Room by Amber McBride (~200 pages)
• The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (~240 pages)
• We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune (~180 pages)
• Faeries Never Lie: Tales to Revel In edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (YA fantasy anthology)
• Metamorphosis: Climate Fiction for a Better Future edited by Grist (climate fiction anthology)
• Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (horror anthology)
• The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror edited by Tori Bovalino (YA horror anthology)

3. Listen to audiobooks if you normally read with your eyes

Reading with your ears is a fantastic way to approach storytelling through a refreshing perspective. Audiobook narrators brilliantly imbue their performances with captivating emotion, accents, and energy, presenting listening experiences that feel like you’re right there with the characters. If you’re looking for cozy activities to enhance the relaxing and cinematic experience of an audiobook, I have some recommendations.

For an especially atmospheric audiobook, these productions featuring multiple narrators are must-listens:

• Legendary Frybread Drive-In edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (narrated by Katie Anvil Rich, DeLanna Studi, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Darrell Dennis, Elva Guerra, Erin Tripp & Jordan Waunch)
• Red City by Marie Lu (narrated by André Santana, Eunice Wong, Natalie Naudus, and Sid Sagar)
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, and more)
• The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic and Murder by Kiri Callaghan (narrated by Gail Shalan, Nneka Okoye, and James Meunier, with footnotes read by the author)
• When Among Crows by Veronica Roth (narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell)
• –Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (narrated by Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, and Steve West)

4. Read an old favorite

Sometimes, the comforting warmth of familiarity is the spark you need to rekindle your love of reading. Try cracking open a story you already know you love, whether it’s a childhood favorite or a read from years past. Does the story feel different since the last time you read it? Have you found any themes, quotes, or characters that you don’t recall from your initial read?

5. Read a story inspired by one of your favorites.

If you long for a favorite with a twist, try a retelling! Retellings capture the joy of returning to a place you once loved and the curious thrill of realizing that things have changed. Whether you long to re-explore a myth, classic, fairytale, or play, I have some recommendations for must-read retellings to kickstart your adventure. 

6. Read one of your most-anticipated reads (backlist or upcoming)

The excitement of picking up a story you’ve been eager to read… There’s nothing quite like that feeling. The joy and thrill of finally reading that one book you’ve been eyeing—maybe you saw it in a bookstore four years ago, bought it, and never had the chance to read it, or maybe you’ve been eagerly awaiting its release this year—might be just what you need. 

7. Read an author you love

Returning to the imagination and writing of an author you love often feels like visiting an old friend. If you’ve started a series by an author you admire but haven’t finished it yet, a reading slump is a great reason to return. The comfort of following characters you already know in a familiar world that feels like home is truly magical. (Or give a standalone a try if you’re longing for the satisfaction of a one-book journey!)

8. Ask for recommendations.

If your well of books to read has run dry, turn to a friend or family member who knows your taste. If their recommendations aren’t quite what you’re looking for, booksellers and librarians have you covered. Booksellers and librarians must possess a special kind of bookish magic because their recommendations are always a hit. 

9. Try a new storytelling format or medium

If paragraphs upon paragraphs feel like a bit too much, it could be time to go more visual. Video games and graphic novels are some of my favorite storytelling media to consume when prose or verse feels too heavy. These formats blend the power of storytelling you’ll find in the books you love with images and colors to give your mind the rest and inspiration it needs.

If you’re looking for suggestions, I highly recommend:

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (video game)
• Spiritfarer (video game)
• Teacup (video game)
• Castle Swimmer: Volume 1 by Wendy Martin (graphic novel)
• The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha (graphic novel)
• The Marble Queen written by Anna Kopp and illustrated by Gabrielle Kari (graphic novel)
• You Belong Here by Sara Phoebe Miller (graphic novel)

10. Join a book club or buddy-read

Reading can feel lonely, but having a friend (or friends) to gasp at the plot twists, swoon at the kisses, and scream at the cliffhangers often helps remedy that feeling. Book clubs and buddy-reads capture the joy of reading and the love of the bookish community, and they also provide motivation to read, helping to free you from your slump. If you want to buddy-read, all you need is your buddy and book. If you want to join a book club, there are countless online and in-person ones waiting for you, filled with the best bookish friends and the most delightful conversations. Make sure to check your local indie bookstore’s website for book club meetings!

Be kind to yourself as you explore these tips! You might find your new favorite book along the way (although simply taking a step back from reading for a bit could be your cure). Good luck, and happy reading!

The post 10 Tips To Escape A Reading Slump appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Become A Library Member

Starting with a potentially obvious one here, but it’s surprising the amount of book lovers who don’t have a library membership. Libraries have always been an institution of knowledge for years, providing communities resources for learning, entertainment, and getting together.

It’s easy to imagine libraries remaining those stuffy old buildings you might have experienced in school, however in a world increasingly turning to digital assets, most libraries have been keeping up with the times.

Most libraries have apps you can download to help choose your next physical book, e-book, or even audiobook.
Best thing is, if you choose a digital asset, it automatically returns itself, so you don’t even have to deal with those overdue fees if you slip too far into a fictional world and forget to return them!

A quick search of ‘Libraries Near Me’ will have you halfway to a new membership, with new releases in your hot little hands at no extra cost.

Book Subscription

Whilst it is supremely satisfying to slide your freshly read book onto your bookshelf like a trophy, those physical tomes can be quite expensive, especially if you like reading a lot of books. Book subscriptions are a great way to gain access to thousands of titles at a single monthly cost. Instead of spending $20+ for a single book, you can pay less than that per month and read as many as you like.

Some e-readers offer complimentary service for a fixed time upon purchase as well, so make sure you’re getting the most out of your new device!

Existing Subscriptions

Depending on the type of subscriptions you already have, you may find that they have a book repository. For example, did you know that Spotify has audiobooks? Their current collection boasts over 300,000 books that you can listen to while going around your daily duties.

You might also find that other subscriptions or memberships you already have come with complimentary trials for other related subscriptions.

Street Libraries

Over the past several years, tiny enclosures have been popping up all over neighbourhoods housing a small selection of titles. These adorable literary sanctuaries for pre-loved books aim to provide communities with a hub to share knowledge and interests. They work on an honour-based system where you can take any book that takes your fancy, bring it back, and choose another. They also take donations of any books, so if you decide to Marie Kondo your bookshelves, you know where to drop them off.

A simple search can help you find your nearest community little library, but if you’re one of our Australian based reader, you can find some information here. If you’re one of our American based readers, you can find some information here.

Second-hand Bookstores

Bookstores specialising in pre-loved books can help you find discount gems super easily. They typically hold a treasure trove of high-quality books less than half the price than if you had gotten them brand new.

Sometimes pre-loved bookstores even hold rare out of print pieces you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
Not only can you find some great bargains, but some even have programs where you can bring in some of those books you don’t want anymore and get store credit for them, so you’re essentially swapping your old reads for something new.

Book Friend Swap

Finally, if you’re friends with other book lovers or part of a book club, see if someone is willing to do a book swap. Even if their book preferences don’t exactly match your own, you might find a new favourite or learn something new. If, like me, you’re precious about your books, invest in a book stamp, or some other way to mark which books are yours. That way, you’ll be sure to get them back!

Tightening one’s purse strings is always uncomfortable but with a bit of out of the box thinking, you don’t have to go without the things you love!

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Budget Friendly Ways To Read appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read What You Enjoy

Stop reading what you aren’t enjoying! This might sound obvious, but so many people pick up a book and once they begin, find they put it down and don’t pick it back up again, or any other book for that matter. Life’s too short to read books that you don’t enjoy. Instead of agonising over finishing it or believing you ‘should’ be enjoying it because everyone else says that it’s great, try another one until you find one that draws you in. If you find yourself in a reading slump, go to an old favourite you know you love. You’ll find you’ll breeze through it and get back in the habit at the same time.

Turn Your Commute Into A Reading Session

Now we’re heading back into the office again, it’s likely the dreaded commute has come back into your life. Pop a book (or your e-reader!) in your bag on your way out the door and use the time spent otherwise doom scrolling on your various devices to do some reading. Even put your phone on do not disturb for the trip for some quality ‘me time’. You’ll be finishing books before you know it, and maybe even find the commute isn’t so bad. Just try and keep an eye out for your stop!

Try Audiobooks

Audiobooks may not be for everyone, but they are a great medium to devour books while completing menial tasks and more streaming services are beginning to include these as part of their offerings. Trying to exercise or cook more as part of a different yearly goal? Pop on some headphones and listen to an audio book while you cook or go for a walk. Back to commuting but don’t take public transport? There’s no reason you can’t use your drive as valuable reading time. No guarantees you won’t find yourself sitting in the carpark waiting for the chapter to end before you go inside though.

Download A Reading App

Yes, physical books are beautiful and having them adorn our bookshelves is one of the best feelings, but they can be cumbersome to lug around (looking at you, War and Peace). Sometimes you might not even think to bring a book with you. Downloading a reading app will allow you to steal short moments like waiting in line to read in a quick, compact way. If you favour e-reading, some will even sync with your e-reader so you don’t need to worry about finding where you left off!

Join A Book Club

If you thrive off deadlines, this is the option for you. Most are free, you just bring your own copy of the book, and have different schedules and genre preferences so you’ll be able to find one that ticks all your requirements. Joining a book club will also help if you’re a bit undecisive about what to read next and provide an outlet to talk about it. A quick google search will likely help you find a whole heap of book clubs in your area that you can join. Alternatively, there are plenty of online book clubs that will still give you that structure, but not the pressure to actually leave your house!

Set A Goal

Most people tend to be motivated by some sort of target or goal to feel that sense of accomplishment when they hit it. You might also find that as you see yourself getting closer to the goal and feel good about your progress, you’ll be inspired to do more. There are plenty of book tracking apps, such as goodreads which allow you to indicate how many books you want to read in the year, and track your progress. At the end of the year, some of them even provide a recap of your past year reading-wise! Of course, try and be realistic. If you read a grand total of 2 books last year, then it probably wont be likely you’ll get to 100 this year. Any goal is a good goal.

Reading Challenges

If you don’t have a TBR (to be read) pile impatiently waiting for you to pick them up, and don’t know what to read next, try looking at reading challenges to spark some inspiration. Even if you’re not struggling with reading more, it might push you outside your normal comfort zone and you might find a new, unexpected favourite! Check out the Nerd Daily’s 2023 reading challenge as a start!

However you choose to kick your reading goals this year, remember to have fun. Reading to learn or enrich yourself is great, but there’s nothing wrong with reading for the fun of it.

The post 7 Ways To Read More In 2023 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In the middle of May, I read one of the most popular books by arguably the most popular horror author, Stephen King’s The Shining. And if you now think you accidentally clicked on the wrong article (because The Shining is most definitely not a childhood favourite), I promise that I have a point.

When I put The Shining down, heart racing and nails chewed, I just didn’t see myself diving into anything on my shelves but still had the desire to read. Fearing the onslaught of a reading slump I’d so actively tried to avoid during the first COVID lockdown, I raced downstairs to find an easy fix from my family’s communal bookshelf and it came in the form of Osbert the Avenger by Christopher William Hill. My favourite book when I was eleven years old.

There’s a reason that people revisit their childhood favourites besides having the pants scared off them by Mr King. It’s a form of comfort, similar to the taste of a cheese toastie or the smell of the musty Arctic Monkeys sweatshirt that I really should have thrown away by now. Something about them connotes a sense of safety and security that, every so often, everybody needs.

At this point, I would like to point out that I’m talking specifically about children’s and middle grade works. As an avid YA reader, I get a little irritated about having things like A Court of Thorns and Roses lumped in with books targeted at younger readers, like the Pages and Co. series. This isn’t because one is better than the other, it’s purely because they’re geared towards different age ranges within ‘childrens’ fiction.

Osbert the Avenger, and the ensuing Tales from Schwartzgarten series is, in my opinion, an underrated book and series. It engages a sense of mild morbidity and humour that is quite unusual in a book for this age group, that I enjoyed both when I was younger and now. The plot and characters are definitely ones that speak to adults as well as children. On one hand, it’s a touching story about love, friendship, and the lengths you go for those closest to you. On the other (albeit, more juvenile) hand, it’s a fairly grim tale about a horrible boarding school and a student killing off all their horrible teachers. I have never heard anyone discuss or even mention a book which thoroughly thrilled me at both nine and nineteen years old.

A more recent childhood classic that I’ve enjoyed has been The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first few chapters, I’ll admit, I found a bit of a slog to get through but I was soon hooked by this heartwarming story about recently orphaned Mary creating her own joy and found family on the Yorkshire Moors. I’ve yet to see the most recent film adaptation, but my seven year old cousin tells me it’s brilliant!

My experience with Alice in Wonderland as an adult was extremely different to my experience with it as a child, though I’m sure this is partly to do with the Disney adaptations. I, rather foolishly, was surprised by the randomness of it all, expecting a more linear plot about Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the setting of Wonderland. The naive Alice’s encounters with a multitude of different creatures range from heartwarming to infuriating to downright bizarre. However, in the grand scheme of things, you find that this doesn’t really matter for two reasons. One, the book is only around 100 pages so the lack of coherent plot is somewhat excusable and two, the story is, as the title suggests, primarily about Alice and the adventures that, ultimately, push her to mature and gather an awareness she hadn’t previously been privy to in her upper-middle class background. Yes, you could argue that Carroll orchestrates this idea of Wonderland as some kind of protest against the classist Victorian England but, even as a quote unquote adult, it’s hard to ignore the charm of this little book.

Children’s books are a special kind of magic, I find. Of course, there is the element of nostalgia which would naturally influence your perspective while reading but you can’t ignore the fact that these books and this entire genre was invented to bring kids a sense of wonder and amazement the real world unfortunately lacks. And, to adults, a sense of comfort and coming home that everybody needs once in a while.

Do you revisit any childhood favourites? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Revisiting Childhood Favourites appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Instant Digital Cards allow residents in a library’s service area to instantly sign up for a library card in just 30 seconds using only their cell phone number. Since the global pandemic closed library buildings and forced readers to find new ways to access their local library, there has been a huge spike in Instant Digital Card signups. As of August 26, more than 500K Instant Digital Cards have been created in 2020, compared to the 142K created in all of 2019. Ebook and audiobook checkouts from readers using an Instant Digital Card have increased over 400 percent year-over-year to nearly 5 million. More than 77 library systems are currently using the Instant Digital Card program, compared to just 36 in 2019.   

“When the pandemic began in earnest in the U.S., the Ohio Digital Library (ODL) enrolled in the Instant Digital Card (IDC) service. ODL has 181 member libraries, many of which did not offer online cards at the time,” said Anne Kennedy, Library Consultant at the State Library of Ohio. “When everyone was scrambling to close their buildings, having IDC allowed our libraries to continue offering services to their patrons. The demand for ebooks and audiobooks has never been higher, and we are proud to have added close to 40,000 new users since March 20th. As of the end of July, the IDC users have checked out over 184,000 titles!” 

Readers are encouraged to sign up for a library card – or an Instant Digital Card at participating libraries through Libby – during National Library Card Sign-up Month in September. Book lovers can also join OverDrive for a day of reading in honour of National Read an Ebook Day on September 18. 

The Libby app is available from approximately 90 percent of public libraries in North America. Through Libby, users can borrow ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, magazines, cookbooks and more from their local library that are free to download with a valid library card.  

To begin borrowing thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your local library, or to sign up for an Instant Digital Card (in participating libraries), download the Libby app from the App Store or Google Play. For more information, visit www.overdrive.com. 

Have you used OverDrive? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Bookworms Are Loving Ebooks, According To OverDrive Statistics appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Ever been in a reading slump? It’s a terrible feeling. It leads to frustration, anxiety, and lack of desire for reading. Readers are always looking for ways to overcome it, but what they should really be trying to do is find the reason as to why they go into these slumps and avoid the things that might cause it. I believe the source of everything resides in unhealthy reading habits that are so easy to get read of and replace for healthier ones that can lead to a better, faster reading process. Keep reading to find out what are my five tips to a healthy reading life!

1. Read Only What Makes You Happy

Don’t feel obliged to read a book just because it’s “what’s hot” at the moment, because you bought it but then changed your mind, or because of the pressure that sometimes social media puts on the shoulders of the readers to read a certain book. If you’re a reviewer and like to request Advance Reader Copies, please just request those you’re really sure you want to read. Reading should be a fulfilling activity and a source of happiness for those who practice it, don’t settle for less.

2. DNF A Book If You’re Struggling To Keep Reading

Life is too short to waste time reading books that don’t speak to you, that don’t make you learn anything, and don’t bring a smile to your face or just a positive feeling to brighten up your day. If you can’t be bothered by the events of the book, by its characters, and you’re struggling to get to the end, just leave it. It’s okay. Go pick something you’re excited to read instead.

3. Don’t Make Reading The Only Thing You Do All Day, Every Day

Yes, reading is a wonderful hobby and I spend plenty of time doing it. Spending a whole day reading is something you can do every now and then, and it’d still be healthy because it wouldn’t interfere with other things in your life. But spending all your days reading (and reading only) and not taking time to practice other fulfilling activities can cause you to have migraine, disconnect from real life to an unhealthy point, and lose quality time with your loved ones. Know how to balance things and know when you could use some fresh air, cooking time, or having a good conversation with friends and family.

4. Track Your Reading

You’re probably wondering: “What does tracking your reading have to do with keeping a healthy reading life?” Well, let’s say you’re a fan of book series but don’t always remember every single one you’ve read, those you haven’t finished reading, and those you want to read in the future. Let’s say you like to keep yourself updated with the new releases but, when the time comes, you don’t remember which books were supposed to come out on a certain day.

Having spreadsheets or using Goodreads to track the books you read, your TBR, book series you’re reading, and more topics alike can save you lots of time and stress. It can also help you discover things like what genre you read the most, which author has been a constant on your bookshelves, and what kind of books you tend to DNF. Overall, it will help you analyse all kinds of stuff regarding your reading life.

5. Don’t Pressure Yourself To Review Every Book You Read

Some people feel better writing down their thoughts on every single book, but for some it can become a source of anxiety and stress. Sure, having a big number of reviews on your blog/Goodreads page can leave a good impression. The publishers and authors sure love it. But if you don’t feel like you have something to say about the book you just read, if it left you with a “meh” kind of feeling or you’re just not in the mood to sit down and write your thoughts, then don’t.

Definitely there’s plenty more that I’ve yet to discover, but the main purpose of this post is to encourage you to get rid of everything that brings feelings of anxiety, stress and pressure, and to never stop in the pursuit of the best reading routine to suit your needs.

Do you have any other tips? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Five Tips To A Healthy Reading Life appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

1. An Old Favourite: Goodreads

Goodreads has a yearly challenge, which is pretty handy if you want to record how many books you have read in a year! There’s no minimum number of books, nor a maximum, so you can tailor it towards what you want to achieve. It even tells you how many books ahead or behind on your goal you are, if you need to see where you are at throughout the year.

2. A Bookstagram Favourite: Monthly View Page Trackers

I’ve seen a lot of these pop up on bookstagram, and often with super pretty backgrounds! It focuses on the amount of pages read each day, rather than how many books. This method is perfect for those who want to share their reading daily/weekly/over the month over social media, or for those who just want to see how many pages they read instead of the amount of books they read.

3. Something Different: Weekly Reading Blog or Vlog Posts

If you’re time poor and can’t update each day (or you’re too afraid to admit that you have read a bunch of books in one day and none in another day), or you don’t want to spam your friends on bookstagram, you could sum up your week’s worth of reading in a blog or vlog! One way you could structure this is the books you finished in that week, books you’ve started in that week, and then page stats (such as pages read and the average amount of pages per day). Another is just wrap up your week’s worth of reading.

4. For The Journal Fanatics: A Book Journal

Whether you make an entire bullet journal or just have a plain old diary dedicated to writing down the books or pages you’ve read in your day, this one’s for you! Ideas for journals include the amount of pages read in the month-at-a-glance pages, writing down the books you’ve read in the day-to-day views, and even making a colouring in page for your TBR you’ve been planning to read. You can even write down your monthly reading goals or to-be-reads for the month/year/week, if you’re that way inclined.

5. For The True Stats Nerds: An Excel Sheet

This is a great way to make cool (and maybe super interesting or pretty) graphs and stats about your reading, entering each book or amount of pages read as you go. Ideas for graphs could include genres read, average pages per book, and average ratings. You could even customise it to have daily, weekly, monthly stats, or even yearly. The possibilities are endless: no two excel trackers are the same, and making your own is something satisfying, trust me!

6. The Tried and True: A To-Read List!

If you just want to write a short to-read list of books you want to read in the short (or long) term, go for it! This one can be combined into a lot of the other suggestions here, or standalone. It can also be written and stuck in a place to remind you of what books are next on your TBR pile (which is probably never-ending, if you’re like me!). Also, who doesn’t like the satisfying feel of checking something of a to-do list?!

These are only a few ideas to track your reading, and there are definitely more super creative ways out there! However you like tracking your reading, and no matter how much you read, reading is amazing, it can transport you to many places!

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Six Ways To Keep Track of Your Reading appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

When I first started book blogging, I promised myself that I would read and review every single book that I received. I made the goal to not ever DNF a book. For those of you that are curious, DNF means “Did Not Finish”. The thought of not finishing a book has always bothered me because it feels disappointing, like something is wrong with me for not getting through a story I saw so many others enjoy. Even if I didn’t always like the story, I always made an effort to finish it and give it a good shake. Until I received a book called Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza.

In the past two years that I’ve been writing for The Nerd Daily, I have had the opportunity to read and review so many different titles, many of which I wouldn’t have normally chosen for myself. When I received this book I fully intended on reading it. It’s this atmospheric thriller about a woman who was making a promising career as a police detective, and it all grinds to a halt when her biggest victory turns into her ultimate nightmare. The story has a serial killer, a copycat killer, and the main character Kate is going through an emotional wringer due to all of the trauma she experienced before. It definitely caught my interest. Unfortunately I soon remembered why I don’t really read thrillers, particularly ones that tend to deal with serial killers.

Reading this book was brutal for me, in a lot of ways. I live for books with lots of imagery, and this one had it in abundance. What I wasn’t counting on, was just how my imagination would run away with the scenes that I was reading in this book. In all honesty, I was having nightmares worse than what I was reading in the book. The realistic aspect of this book was really messing with my brain, because much of this story is as gruesome as actual true crime stories.

I’m sure some of you are thinking: “Well of course Nat, what did you expect when you started reading this book, some fluffy happily ever after?”, and I wasn’t necessarily…but it was more than I could handle. Of course, at this point, I should have put the book down, but I was refusing because of my goal. That is, until I got to the middle of the book. It was horrifying. I closed the book and did my best to put it all out of my mind. I wasn’t going to finish this book.

I sat there, mulling over my feelings of regret and self-loathing for letting this book get to me…until I started telling my husband about it. In the midst of our chat, I handed him the book so he could take a look, and he immediately decided he wanted to read it. Every aspect of the book that had really turned me off, was what was calling him to read it. He loves thrillers and true crimes stories. He loved this book. It made for an interesting discussion, because he asked me why I was wanting to finish a book that was clearly causing me such mental anguish.

On top of disappointing myself, I felt like I was letting down the publicist who sent me the book. He encouraged me to write the publicist of the book and explain why I couldn’t finish, and to my surprise, the publicist understood and was delighted that the book had made it into the hands of someone who truly enjoyed it. Of course it’s okay not to finish something, particularly if you don’t like it or it’s causing you stress.

In the end, I’ve made peace with the idea of DNF’ing a book. I honestly look forward to doing it more often, because in doing so, the book might find the audience where it truly belongs.

How do you feel about DNF’ing a book? Tell me about in the comments below!

The post An Open Letter To DNF appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

I committed this crime last week. Book buying spontaneously after a hard day when I wasn’t feeling the best and I’m sure you’ve committed this awful crime too before. Whether it was in person at the bookshop, the book smiling prettily at you or online when you saw something so beautiful or that had such a great bargain, you couldn’t resist.

“Eh, I’ll save money next week.”
“I totally deserve this. I did homework today”
“The cover looks so pretty.”
“What if my store runs out of stock?!”
“This pre-order has so many goodies in it!”
“THE DISCOUNT THO.”

It’s an interesting thought I had the other day though; why is it that we feel the need to buy things and books in particular (in our bookworm case) right here and right now? So I did some digging and pulled out them fancy science articles to decode for you and the main reason why people impulse buy (to no surprise) is:

Instant Gratification

Ever heard of retail therapy? I practice it routinely whenever I can, and it involves buying things to make you feel better fast. Why do we feel instant gratification from buying a shiny new book? Well it lies in our psyche of loving all things new since we were young. Conditioned by our very own parents, because who doesn’t love getting a shiny new toy? That moment of happiness ingrains itself in your brain and releases the good healthy kind of drugs that are 100% totally addictive: dopamine.

What’s the other main reason we impulse buy? Well, this reason’s related to that conditioning of getting new things and why this is common:

The Desire to Save & Get That Bang For Your Buck

I know from personal experience that not being super-duper rich means that having new things doesn’t come by often – making impulse buying even sweeter but also more dangerous. What’s also associated with economic history in families is the desire to get as much stuff as you can for as little as possible, and it seriously does not help when my local bookstore has a 3 for 2 deal or 20% all stock waving at me in my peripheral vision. Of course, I’ll get my hands on those three new releases I’ve been eyeing for months when it’s only like $35 for only two of them!

Committing these crimes can also make you feel so guilty afterwards because perhaps you realised that whatever you bought didn’t bring you as much joy as you thought or you realised that you have a lot less money now – but it happens to everybody. Every store in the world uses tactics that shout and scream at your impulse buying senses and it’s how consumerism has ultimately evolved into.

Living a minimalistic lifestyle may help your buying habits because you can actually question whether you’ll really need something in your life rather than want it… unfortunately, not so helpful for some of us who are building a library

Do you have any other theories as to why you impulse buy? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Science Behind Impulse Book Buying appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Being a busy reader can be exhausting because we’re always scrambling for time to just get a good reading session in. So here are some tips on how you can make time to read, no matter how busy you get!

1. Read While Commuting

It might seem like a no brainer, but if you’re taking some kind of public transport to get to work, school, university, or anywhere really, you can usually use that time to read! Reading on the train can be super relaxing because they’re generally pretty quiet and have minimal road noises compared to buses and you can also always read if you are being driven anywhere (unless you get nauseous from that which in that case, we would recommend against reading in the car).

2. Try Audiobooks

If you find yourself getting carsick or getting motion sickness from reading a physical or ebook while commuting, you can also try audiobooks! Perfect for those who can’t read and for drivers themselves who want to listen to a book while driving.

3. Throw Away Distractions

Sometimes we say we are very busy people when we’re really ‘kind of’ busy people who are really good at procrastinating with other things. Do I probably spend half an hour on Reddit or Twitter before I actually start reading? Yes, I probably do. Okay, I definitely do.

Making time to read also means making sure you actually get to the reading part, so putting away or turning off any possible distractions like your phone, laptop, gaming console, or cat is a pretty good first step to getting some reading done.

Maybe put some music on or go to a silent place, whatever gets you in the zone so that when you’re reading, you’re actually reading as much as you can and getting into it rather than flitting in and out and probably reading the same sentence over and over again.

4. Read Before Bed

Turning things off also contributes to this tip – read before you go to sleep! Reading is actually amazing for your health in general but reading before bed can be amazing for your sleeping habits. Not only does it pull you away from bright backlit screens but it helps your brain wind down after a long day. It reduces stress, helps clear your mind, and helps you sleep way better than if you tried sleeping right after watching a Harry Potter marathon (not that I’d judge, I’m guilty as charged).

Getting into the habit to read before sleep can also mean that perhaps every night you’re guaranteed to read, let’s say, 5 pages. So, if you don’t read at all during the day, you’re bound to read at least 5 pages every day.

5. Set A Small Goal

As mentioned above, 5 pages a day might seem small to you but a good way to get more reading done and to make time for it is to set small goals. Whether it’s 5 pages to 50 pages a day, depending on your reading speed of course, if it’s simple and easy to achieve, it’s going to give you a great boost getting that small bit of reading done. And what we do usually want to do once we achieve a reading goal? Read MORE. You can set these goals for reading in the morning, at night before bed, on your way to work or school, you can set 2-3 goals a day for your reading. Set small, achievable goals to suit your lifestyle and watch your pile of books rise like a phoenix from its ashes.

6. Always Have a Book

It can be a little hard to read a lot if you don’t have a book or ebook on you, so this is probably one of the handiest tips in this post. Keep a book on you at all times! If you don’t have the room on the go, maybe invest in getting a few ebooks on your phone for emergencies (make sure they’re books you want to read of course) or having an app at the ready to smash out some comics.

An app I highly recommend for those of you who are budget-bound like myself is Borrowbox! It’s a library but it’s online and lets you borrow and download eBooks and eAudiobooks for a certain amount of time. Most libraries have a subscription so all you need is the app and your library card to log in. This app has been a lifesaver when I’ve been bored out of my mind, somewhere in the wild with nothing to read and plenty of time on my hands. I don’t have the funds to simply go buy an eBook or eAudiobook on the Amazon Kindle app or Audible app so I’ll stick to the good old library which just happens to be online too.

7. Mix In Some Shorter Books

Sometimes reading can feel like a drag simply because you have little time on your hands and you are reading but you’re not finishing as many books as you’d like because the books you are reading happen to be beasts. 400-800 page fantasy beasts full of magic and assassins and crazy witches and, you get the picture.

Everybody loves a good, thick book but to help your reading mood, it’s good to mix in some short books too. Reading big books can make it hard if you have less time to read because it feels like you’re not getting anywhere with that super high page count so reading some shorter books can help give you a small sense of achievement and satisfaction cause hey, good job! You read a whole book (remember that not many do people can do that).

8. Do Some Reading Sprints

Reading sprints are extremely popular on Twitter in the book community and we’ve found that it’s actually a good strategy to read more.

If you’re not sure what reading sprints are, it’s basically a sprint of between 10 to 15 to 40 minutes where you commit to sitting down for that small amount of time and purely just read. It is seriously surprising as to how much you can read during these sprints and also how fast the time went.

Sprint, take a break, sprint, go eat something, sprint, study, sprint – you can incorporate quick reading sprints throughout your day and get a lot of reading done that you might not have thought of. This is probably because many people tend to sit down and read for as long as they can but when you’re low on time, you can’t always do that. Reading sprints can be a cool way for you to get a simple 10 minutes in whenever you can to finish off that awesome novel you’ve been reading.

Remember that there’s no pressure on reading speed, there is no guide anywhere saying you should’ve read this many words, pages, books in this certain amount of time either.

9. Remember That Everything Counts

This is a huge debate that gets many readers like me angry, but it doesn’t matter what you’re reading because everything counts. Physical books, eBooks, Audiobooks, comics, graphic novels, the newspaper, textbooks, manga – it all counts and no one should be telling you otherwise ‘oh that’s not a real book, so you’re not a real reader’.

Don’t ever let yourself be discouraged by your reading prowess because you don’t think you’re really ‘reading’ if it’s not a traditional printed paperback or hardback cover book. Everything counts – and you could be reading a whole lot more than you think in your busy lifestyle.

10. Try NOT To Read

Believe it or not, it doesn’t make you any less of a reader if you’re not reading all the time. It’s okay to not read some days, it’s okay to not read for a week or a month, you are still a reader as long as you love and enjoy reading. There’s no point in forcing yourself to read if you’re too tired, too busy, too unwell or if you just don’t feel like it! Reading is the best kind of hobby there is in my opinion and you should keep it as light and flexible as you want it to be.

What did you think of our tips on how to make time to read on a busy schedule? Are you a super busy reader too?

The post Tips On How To Read More Books appeared first on The Nerd Daily.