by Jay Donnelly
If you are someone who enjoys reading a good book, there are a number of different ways that you can enhance the experience so that you get more fun and pleasure from your reading experience. With that in mind, in this blog post, we are going to take you through some of the different options that are available to you in terms of improving your reading experience. So, let’s dive right in…
Choose a good book
Let’s start with the obvious, shall we? This is the main factor that is going to determine how enjoyable your reading experience is! Of course, you’re not really going to know how good a book is until you start reading it. However, there are plenty of ways to increase your chances of selecting a good book, which is going to be a pleasure to read. You can look online, reading reviews that have been left by people that have already read the book that you are considering. There are also a lot of great blogs and forums out there for fans of reading, where you will find lots of recommendations and suggestions as well. Or, why not consider joining a book club? This is another great way to get ideas regarding different books to read, and you will be able to share your thoughts with one and another, which only enhances the fun.
Tell someone else about the story
Not everyone likes to read, but most people are interested in hearing about different stories and tales. If you have a friend who would be interested in the story you have just been reading, why not tell them a bit about it? You can relive the story by telling it to someone else, and so this effectively gives you the chance to enjoy the book all over again. We are sure you will have a big smile on your face while you remember different parts of the book and the way that it made you feel at the time.
Engage in an imaginary dialogue with the characters from the book
This is something else that a lot of people like to do in order to get more pleasure from the book that they are reading. In most cases, we love a good book because we feel like we connect with the characters. We become involved in their lives, and we want to know what happens next. It is the characters that really enable us to connect with a good book and give it a deeper sense of meaning for us. Because of this, you can really enhance your reading experience by making your own story up in your mind and engaging with the characters. Think about what you would say to different characters within certain moments in the book if you were able to have a conversation with them. Perhaps you would give them some advice? Maybe you would want to join them on their journey? Or, you could decide to be deliciously wicked in your imagination? It is completely up to you – that’s the beauty of fiction!
Understand what it is that you really enjoy about reading
This is an important one when it comes to getting more enjoyment from your reading experience. Once you truly understand what you love about different books and reading in general, you will be in a position to capitalise on this. You will be able to find books that are more suitable for you. After all, we all have different tastes and we all enjoy different things about books. Some people like certain storytelling styles, for example. There are then people that are interested in the intricacies of the plot or the psychology of the characters. These are all different factors that come into play when it comes to choosing a book to read and getting true pleasure from it. This is why it is a good idea to take a step back and to really think about what matters to you. Once you understand your reading interests in a deeper way, you’re going to be able to choose books that give you a much greater sense of enjoyment.
Purchase good quality reading glasses
If you are someone who needs reading glasses, it is definitely advisable to invest in a quality pair of glasses. Reading glasses can make a big difference because they will ensure that your reading experience is as comfortable as possible. You are not going to need to strain to read certain sentences. Not only is this imperative in terms of your reading experience now, but it is going to make a big difference in terms of your health in the future as well.
Dig further into the book and the different places mentioned within it
Another way that you can take your reading experience to the next level is to find out more about the book and the different places that were mentioned within it. Sometimes the places will be fictional, but often there will be factual places that are referenced within books. You can spend time researching more about these places. You never know; you may even be able to plan a trip to one of them. This will really enable you to immerse yourself in the story!
Write an extra chapter
There is nothing more disappointing than finishing a good book when you just want it to keep going on and on, is there? Yes, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have just read something incredible. However, at the same time, you simply want it to continue! You want to keep reading more and more. If this applies, you could continue the book yourself. Why not write your own chapter to add to the book? This gives you the opportunity to keep the story alive if you are not quite ready to move onto another book just yet. Or, if you would prefer, you could write an alternative ending for the book. Did things pan out differently than you were expecting? Would you have liked a different ending to the story? If so, why not make your own ending instead? This can be a lot of fun and it is a good opportunity for you to practice your storytelling talents.
Join a book group
This is something we touched upon earlier, but it really is worthy of its own section. A book group can give you a lot of fun and pleasure because you will be able to socialise with like-minded people. You can share your thoughts on different books, and you can discuss a story with someone who is going to have the same passion and enthusiasm for reading as you do! Plus, you will discover lots of fun and interesting books in the process, which you may have never come across otherwise.
Keep a reader’s journal
Another way for you to get more enjoyment from your reading experience is to keep a reader’s journal. This is a diary for you to write down all of your thoughts and feelings about any book that you are reading. This is a great way for you to indulge in your hobby and to get more pleasure from it. If there are any parts of the book that you particularly like, whether it is a certain passage or even an entire chapter, you will be able to make note of this so that you can go back to it in the future. You may even decide that you want to start your own reading blog so you can share all of your thoughts and opinions with others. Whether you would prefer to this to be a private journal or a public blog is completely up to you!
Look up the meaning of a word if you do not understand it
There are often times when we can be reading a book and we do not fully understand the paragraph because there is a word that we are unfamiliar with. When this happens, it can be tempting to simply keep reading and forget about it. However, with the advent of ebooks and the dictionaries that are embedded into them, it only takes a few seconds to discover what a word really means. This will deepen your understanding of the story of your reading. Plus, once you know what a word means, you will never have to look it up again! Enhancing your vocabulary in this way can also prove beneficial. You’re going to get way more enjoyment from any story if you understand what you’re reading, right?
So there you have it: some of the different steps that you can take to ensure that your reading experience is as good as it can possibly be. Of course, choosing a good book is always the starting point. However, there are other things that you can do as well to make certain that your ready experience is an amazing one! We hope that the tips that have been provided above will help you with this!
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