6 Ways To Read More Widely

Lots of people want to read more widely.

But, as creatures of habit, we tend to get stuck in one genre, niche, or whatever. Here then are some handy-dandy tips for reading more widely.

I'm here to serve, after all :) (and entertain, and be totally random, and possibly scare you.)

1. Confuse the f**k outta Goodreads.


If you're generally bookish, you will already know of Goodreads.

If not, then welcome to bookishness! Let me take your coat and strap you to the table! (That was a joke - please don't run off.)

Goodreads is basically social-networking for books. It's addictive and demands your soul as a blood-price :) I'm currently about three souls in debt.

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I have generally succeeded in f**king up my Goodreads recs. This was done by a combination of random reading habits, and adding pretty much every major genre to 'favourites.'

As a result, Goodreads now throws me recs for pretty much every book on the planet.

The downside to this, unfortunately, is that there is no rhyme or reason to my recs. This can be irritating and unhelpful sometimes - like, when I'm in a certain mood and none of these books fit that!

But, I have also found some randomly awesome stuff this way.





2. Explore a new genre.


I wasn't a fan of YA contemporary novels, but my fellow book bloggers infected me with their never-ending enthusiasm for the genre, and I'm currently on a bit of a YA contemporary binge.

And you know what? I'm actually enjoying it.

So don't be afraid to leap head-first out of your comfort zone.

If there's a genre that you want to give a try, try looking up lists of recommended titles on Goodreads or do a Google search, and see what catches your eye.

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3. Explore a new author.

You've heard absolutely loads about [insert flavour-of-the-month author here] but you don't think they've written anything you'll enjoy.

Don't force yourself to read something if it patently isn't for you, but also take a look at the author's back-catalogue, and read the synopses of some of their books.

I thought I wouldn't like Rainbow Rowell, but tried out Carry On because it looked most like the sort of stuff I enjoyed. Ditto with Jodi Picoult and Salem Falls.

And you might end up actually finding an author you click with as a result, or at the very least an interesting read.

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4. Browse.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's still worth a shot.

Go into your local library or bookshop and just browse. Pick up books at random and look at their synopses.

Buy/borrow (dependent on whether it's a library or a shop, obviously,) any that aren't too expensive and you like the look of.

Be brave and don't be afraid to give something new a try - you might find a gem.

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5. Indulge your guilty pleasures.


THERE SHOULD BE NO GUILT IN READING.

If you enjoy something - enjoy it. And people who claim to be 'well-read' but poke their noses up at 'lesser' or genre books?

They aren't well-read. They're just jerks :)

I used to feel uber-self-conscious at reading things that were seen as trashy etc. But I've decided I'm not going to feel guilty any more.

I READ VICTORIAN LITERATURE AND GAY WEREWOLF PORN - AND I DON'T CARE!!!!

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6. Take recommendations from a variety of sources.


If you listen to the bookish interweb chatter, or just your friend who's raving about the latest bestseller, you're likely to come across something you haven't heard of before.

And you might just be tempted to give it a whirl ;)





What about you guys? Any tips for reading more widely?



Like this post? Try these:

• Book Nerd on a Mission
• Pleasure, Not Guilt