Autumn is my favourite season for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I associate it with chilly nights sitting by the fire with a blanket, a cup of tea, and a good book. Secondly, it’s when I do my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Gilmore Girls, it follows our protagonists Lorelai, an enthusiastic, thirty-something-year-old coffee addict and her daughter Rory, an introverted bookworm. For the majority of the show’s seven seasons, Rory is seen stuffing a number of books in her backpack, reading on the bus to school, and sorting through her bookshelves. This may sound familiar to the average bibliophile but let me assure you that Rory Gilmore is far from being your average bibliophile.
Image source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/all-339-books-referenced-in-gilmore-girls [accessed 28/10/2021] Warner Bros. Television / Via lessonstobelearned462.wordpress.com
In 2014, Buzzfeed compiled a list of the 339 books referenced in Gilmore Girls. The list is so exhaustive that book lovers have created reading challenges inspired by it, such as ‘The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge,’ where readers attempt to read all the books referenced in the show. If you would like to participate in this challenge or find out how many books you and Rory have in common, click here. In this post, I am going to give you 10 tips on how you can read like Rory Gilmore. I can’t promise that you will be reading as many books as Rory by the end, but I do hope to give you some useful tips to help you to tackle your endless TBR.
Note: Before I head on to the tips, it is important to stress that you should only read on if you are wanting to read more for pleasure. You should never feel pressured to read more.
1.Set Daily Reading Goals
Set yourself a daily reading goal! This could be anything from 20 pages a day to 100 - whatever you feel is realistic. It’s a great way to hold yourself accountable.
2. Reading into your Daily Schedule
Make sure you set time aside for reading in your daily schedule. This could be half an hour in the morning or an hour at night, whatever suits. I personally like to read in the morning while eating my breakfast, and also for around an hour or two at night.
3.Set a Monthly TBR (To-Be-Read)
Pick which books you would like to read each month! You could make this more creative by creating your own prompts and finding books that fit these. For example, you might pick a book you’ve had on your TBR for a long time or a book from your favourite author. I am aware that monthly TBR’s won’t work for everyone. If you are more of a mood reader, setting a TBR might actually send you into a dreaded reading slump*. But you never know, give it a try for one month and see how it goes!
* Reading slump: when a reader feels that they have lost focus and interest in the books they are currently reading or are trying to read.
4. Participate in Group Reads
Participating in group reads will not only help you to make friends with similar interests to you, but also motivate you to read more. This could be in the form of buddy reads or book clubs. Book Clubs are groups of readers who decide on a book, usually monthly, to read and discuss together. Similarly, buddy reads are when two people or a group of people agree to read a book at the same time and discuss it together. Reading can be a very isolating hobby at times, and so the shared experience of reading and discussing a book with other people can feel very exciting and new. 5. Participate in Reading Sprints or Readathons
BookTubers (bookish content creators on YouTube) sometimes host reading sprints on their channels. The host of the reading sprints will set a timer for a period of time (usually ranging from 20 to 45 minutes) in which they and the participants read together. These are then followed by chatty intervals between each sprint.
You can also participate in readathons, which are events, usually with a time limit, where organisers will set specific reading prompts to help you to tackle your TBR. There are many readathons organised by the book community on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, especially around the holiday seasons, so make sure to keep an eye out for these!
6. Put Videos or Music on in the Background
I always find that putting ambience videos on in the background while I’m reading motivates and relaxes me. You can find free ambient videos on YouTube, ranging from fireplace crackling videos to dark academia inspired videos! 7. Listen to Audiobooks
Audiobooks are a fantastic way of helping you to get some reading in when you’re too busy to sit down with a physical book. You can listen to audiobooks whilst doing your daily tasks such as walking, cooking, or doing the laundry. 8. Read eBooks
I have definitely read more since getting my Kindle. I find that I read faster and that I am more motivated to read, as I am always working towards hitting the next 10% of my book! You can also read eBooks on your phone, which means that you can read on the go or whenever you have a minute or two to spare. 9. Create a Goodreads or The Storygraph Account
Platforms such as Goodreads and The Storygraph allow you to set annual reading goals and to update your followers on the books you’re currently reading. You can also rate your books and see what other people are reading! 10. Create a Bookstagram or BookTok Account!
Last but definitely not least, create a Bookstagram or BookTok account! For me, Bookstagram is single handedly responsible for reigniting my love for reading. On these platforms, you can see what other people are reading and recommending as well as share your own reviews. This is also a great way to find out about new releases and bookish events. There you have it, 10 tips which will help you to read like Rory Gilmore! These tips will hopefully motivate you to read more as well as helping you to find ways to fit reading into your schedule. If at any point you start to feel like you are pushing yourself to read, then don’t feel guilty about taking a step back. Reading should be a hobby, not a chore. Do you have any tips for reading more that I might have missed out? Feel free to share them with us @prosebefore! Mairead Prose Before Writer
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