How to get yourself to read (and finish) a book

For many, the thought of enjoying a book is merely limited to owning a copy of that book and having it on their bookshelf. Reading it, and eventually finishing it, however, feels like a massive undertaking. Which begs the question: Why is getting yourself to read and sticking to that book the difficult part?

There are many tried-and-tested methods of getting oneself to read and also finish books. You only have to figure out which one works for you best.

For most people, the size of a book is what might repel them from picking it up in the first place. In that case, opting for something that's around 200 pages or so will be a good idea. If this also seems too much, go for a book of poems or even a one-shot manga – basically a single volume manga which you can easily finish in one go.

Having a favourite genre also helps here. Reading something from a genre you're fond of can help overcome the fear of having to finish a long book. Of course, you should occasionally venture out and explore other genres as well. However, it is a good idea to do that once you're comfortable with the idea of actually reading a book.

Being curious is another thing that can easily spark your desire to read and finish a book. The most common origin of this curiosity, at least in this day and age, comes from TV shows, movies, and anime.

Perhaps you liked a movie or a series so much so that you wanted to go through its source material just to get a better look at the details that were maybe dropped in the adaptation. Or maybe you're watching an ongoing TV show based on a novel series and don't have the patience to wait for the next season to find out what happens afterward.

A few years back, I saw many people pick up and finish George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series simply because they couldn't wait a year to find out what happened next. I was personally drawn towards different manga series because of the same reason – curiosity to know what happened next.

Now, your curiosity doesn't only have to be contained within the boundaries of your entertainment needs. It can be born out of your general interest to know something, which can draw you towards non-fiction books.

That being said, non-fiction tends to get boring for many, especially if you are not a fan of the genre. If that's the case for you, start with non-fiction books that doesn't feel overwhelming, perhaps with pictures. The presence of visuals can help cut the monotonous nature of these books to a certain extent.

A personal trick that got me into reading and finishing books is buying their original print copies. I call it the "brute-force book-reading technique". The idea here is very simple. Original copies are expensive, and simply buying such a book and not reading it, i.e. not deriving any utility out of it, means you're wasting money. Hence, even if it's just to get your money's worth, you'll end up reading the book.

Financially, it isn't a very clever decision to make. However, it does get the job done, especially if you value the money you spend. Also, if the book actually amuses you, you'll end up finishing it in no time. That way, you can also be happy with the fact that you didn't just read and finish it for the sake of it or to derive utility out of the money you spend.