Beginners Guide: How to Read 52 Books in a Year

By Rogers Wanambwa

#UgBloc #DayTen #AugustRush

For many people, reading books always appears on their resolution list every year. “I’ll start reading books like you this year,” my friend Andrew told me at the beginning of 2020. Last month I asked him how many books he had read so far and he honestly told me, “Bro, none!”

Andrew isn’t alone. Many fail to fulfill their desire of acquiring knowledge through reading because of many reasons. Time consuming work, some are parents, some cannot afford to access books, some are illiterate but unfortunately, some are just lazy to.

With all this in mind, there have many improvements in the sources of books. For example, where as back then, you had to get access to hard cover books from physical libraries or buy one from a store, nowadays there are ebooks(electronic books) in soft copy that you can read on practically any gadget.

Also, there are many free public sources of books that if you have a gadget like a phone, PC or e-reader, you are certain to access books.

However, with all this in place, billions of people still do not read regularly which is why I am writing this simple how to.

Let’s begin:

This is geared towards those that want to read a book a week, which translates to 52 books in a year.

As per everything else, you have a make up your mind that you will see this activity through everyday. You can do that by joining a group where by everyone keeps the other on their toes concerning their reading progress.

Another way would be to set a reminder for the time you want to be reading. I suggest this to be after supper for the next two hours or early in the morning for two hours. Two hours is a great concentration span where by you can retain what you have read.

It is important to note down things you believe are crucial from each of your reading spans. That will help you revisit the topics later, discuss them with others and look for similar concepts or topics, including books.

For a beginner, all this sounds great but starting a routine may be difficult. Don’t worry, start with 10 pages for your night read and 10 for the morning. That’s 20 pages everyday and 140 pages every week.

In order to accomplish your one book a week task, you’ll need to read the first three topics, three in the middle and the last three. Essentially, you’ll have gotten the gist from the whole book.

Do not stop your routine for anything because if you stop, getting back on track may take you ages.

Personally, I can read more than 100 pages in one sitting in the time above but that is because I’ve been reading for years. As everything else, reading also requires practice and cheering on.

Write about your reads, follow those groups that talk about books and discuss books within your circles. Cite them and you’ll find that it is no longer a chore but a hobby.

Cheers.