So apparently, the French culture minister hasn’t read a book in two years. That’s the culture minister BTW, and her name’s Fleur Pellerin, in case you want to write a book about her, which she probably wouldn’t read.
According to Fleur, the reason she hasn’t read a book in two years is down to the issue of time. ‘I admit without any problem that I have had no time to read over the past two years. I read a lot of notes, I read a lot of legislative documents, I read a lot of news, AFP stories… But I read very little.’
Hey, we get it. With the onslaught of binge watchable television, housemates to chat to and nights out to go on, that old tradition of settling down with a book to read before you turn the light out is not always an option. Plus, the old morning commute? Not exactly a Goldfinch-sized book friendly environment, especially when you’re trying to wield your mascara brush with the other hand.
But, the truth is there IS still time for you to read. Here are a few handy hints to help make it happen.
Listen to your books
It might be considered by purists as cheating, but quite frankly, fuck ’em. They don’t know your life. Plus, millions of people download audio books every month, which means you certainly won’t be the only one. By and far the biggest and best service is Audible. For £7.99 a month you get one whole book (most are around the 10-12 hour mark although the Goldfinch weighs in at a whopping 32 hours and 25 minutes), and having the app on your phone means you can easily listen to a book on your commute *and *do your make-up. Because you’re not getting up any earlier than you absolutely have to, gosh darnit.
*Slow-Reading Clubs
Started in New Zealand and just launched over here, slow-reading clubs take heed from the ‘slow movement’ and get attendees to their meetings to practice calming breathing exercises, then advises them on how to focus before allowing them to settle down with a book for an hour. The first one in the UK is in Notting Hill and includes free coffee and toast. Making it part of your schedule means it’ll soon become part of your daily routine, like lunch, the pub, or watching Made in Chelsea.
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Spritz!
I mean, hands down, the cleverest invention that ever did happen. This app will allow to you read at like double, maybe even triple the speed you were already doing it. Obviously, you have to use it on ebooks, but by getting you to focus on the middle of the words that pop up on screen you’re able to train yourself to read at faster and faster speeds.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with Kindles or iBooks but downloading the Spritz-running Read Me! App will allow you to use the funcition on Project Gutenberg, Manybooks, Feedbooks, Open Library and the Internet Archive. You can try it out on their website and it totally works.
Read short books
Sounds stupid but there’s nothing more depressing than finding yourself knee-deep in a 3,000-pager with no hope of finishing the damn thing within the year, thanks to your time constraints. Instead, focus on short books. The gratification you’ll get from finishing a book regularly will spur you on to the next one. Check out our list of the best short books here.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
Significant Life Lessons We’ve Learnt From Lena Dunham’s Book Not That Kind Of Girl
The Best Short Books That Won’t Weigh Down Your Holiday Packing
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.