Trying to read more? These professional bookworms share their tips

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A paradox of modern life: We’ve never had more to read – or more science about how good the act of reading is for us – yet many of us struggle to actually pick up – and finish – a book.

For some, it’s a lack of time. For others, a rapidly dwindling attention span (thank you, AI-generated reels about animals doing improbable things, endless doomscrolling and reality TV). For most of us, it’s probably a bit of both, spritzed with a bit of “how can I concentrate on anything in times like these?”

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Whatever the reason we aren’t reading as much as we’d like, we could all use some advice for getting back to the page. Here, some of Canada’s most avid readers – and professional bookworms – share how they make time to read in a world filled with so much distraction.

Marie-Andrée Lamontagne, the director of programming for the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal, “easily” spends between six and seven hours a day reading, meaning she averages about three to four books a week.

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It’s quite simple, really; it’s about rejecting distractions and avoiding trivialities. It’s a matter of discipline and mental hygiene. It requires no particular effort on my part and should be easy for everyone, provided they find pleasure in it.

No television in general (I choose the program I want to watch, then switch it off), no endless browsing on the internet (I do the search I need, and that’s it). No subscriptions to streaming platforms offering series and films (for every interesting series or good film, there are 500 that are nonsense). Physical exercise (walking outdoors in particular) really helps to foster a love of reading, which provides mental relaxation after physical exertion.

Above all, there’s the desire. A very strong desire. There’s always a good or interesting book waiting for me on my bedside table that I can’t wait to get back to or start reading.

Identify and eliminate everything that clutters up your days without giving you anything in return. This isn’t about avoiding people but about banishing noise and triviality. Visit the library and bookstores regularly. Be curious. Don’t pay attention to algorithms that suggest similar reads. Throw them off balance by having diverse and unexpected tastes. At home, always have a good book on the go, a book you enjoy. The memory of what you’ve read will make you want to find the time to pick it up again. Never say, “I don’t have time.” Instead, say, “What am I going to read now?”

Courtney Allen is the manager and a bookseller at Four Points Books in Golden, B.C. She reads about two to three books a week - but can “inhale a book a day” during release season – and has read 30 books so far this year.

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Weekdays I normally spend an hour or two either in the morning or right after work and one night a week, three to four hours after supper. On the weekends and on holidays I have been known to read all day, six to eight hours, with snack breaks of course.

I am not big on routines, but reading is my therapy, my solace and the place I rejuvenate so it has a priority in my life. I never, ever force it. Audiobooks have been a miracle to me because I can put one on and relax with my eyes closed or go for a walk and still be inhaling a book. I used to joke that I could read faster than I could listen to one until Grant, owner of Four Points Books Golden, told me I could increase the speed. Now I listen at 1.8 and walk fast!

Know what you love to read and read that. If you’re short on time, pick books that flow, on topics you love. (Ask your local bookseller to recommend books too!)

And then put it on your list of things to do. Sounds silly, but I have one week night where I tell my hubby I’m reading after supper. He knows that I read all day Saturday or Sunday depending on what our plans are. One of my close friends reads every morning for 30 to 40 minutes. Her family knows that is her time. Once you get into a rhythm, you’ll find that it becomes easier to carve out a bit of time here and there. Last bit is to always have your book with you – that way, if you find yourself hanging around or waiting you will have a book to read.

Danielle Roulette – otherwise known on Bookstagram as Thunderbird Woman Reads to her more than 19,000 followers – has days where she reads for four hours, others where she can only grab 10 minutes. She used to read about 10 to 15 books a month, but cancer treatment a few years ago slowed her down to one or two books a month. Now two years cancer-free, she’s finding her rhythm again and averaging five to seven.

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For me, reading works best when it doesn’t feel too structured, otherwise it can start to feel like a chore. I fit reading into my life, rather than structuring my life around it, even though it’s a huge part of who I am.

That said, my relationship to reading did shift after going through cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy affected my focus and stamina, so I had to rebuild my reading habits in a gentler way. During that time, I aimed to read even just 10 minutes a day, giving myself permission to go slowly. Now, as I’ve found more of a rhythm again, I’ve returned to a more intuitive, go-with-the-flow approach, which has made reading feel joyful and natural again.

I ground myself in remembering why I love reading. It gives me space to step away from everything else and immerse myself in a story, in language, in feeling. As an Ojibwe woman who primarily reads Indigenous literature, reading is also a way of being reflected and understood, so it’s not just escape, it’s also connection.

Because of that, making time to read doesn’t feel like a task I have to force. It’s something I’m drawn back to. It’s also something I see as deeply nourishing for my mind and my spirit.

Start by remembering why you want to read in the first place. How does it make you feel? What are you hoping to gain from it?

Even carving out 10 to 20 minutes a day is meaningful. That time is yours – it’s a form of care. In a world that moves so quickly, giving yourself space to slow down with a book is incredibly grounding.

Start small, even if it’s just a few pages before bed. Let it be something that supports you, not something that feels like pressure.

As acquisitions editor at Dundurn Press, Russell Smith spends most of his day reading, either evaluating submissions (often just a few chapters if the writing is “cliched” or “unsophisticated”) or editing books he’s already acquired. This means he reads “fragments of many books a week,” but perhaps just one book a month, savoured over evenings and weekends, for pleasure.

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It’s as hard for me as for anyone else, and I am acutely aware that my concentration is much weaker than it has ever been. I have to really make an effort to put my phone down and pick up a book, especially when I have been reading for my work all day. I try to remind myself that urgent chores are actually no more urgent than feeding my brain is – that if I fail to get the vacuum cleaner repaired because I decide to read instead, I am not failing in some way; my life is just as improved by the reading as it is by the working vacuum cleaner.

Find books that don’t seem a chore. To do this, step away from what is sanctioned. Don’t think you have to read for your moral improvement. This means don’t listen to the recommendations of Canada Reads or the Giller Prize or the Governor-General’s Awards. Those books, increasingly, are chosen because they will be good for you, not because they are any fun. (I call them the Broccoli Awards.) Instead try to make contact with the most erudite, most well-read friend you have and ask for recommendations.

And you can never go wrong with classics – try to remember all the very famous books you realize you have never read and start with those. The literature of the present is often highly praised in the moment and then quickly vanishes to history. (I like to point out that if you look at the bestselling authors of the U.S.A. and the U.K. of 1922, you will not recognize a single name. I pick that year because it is the year in which both Ulysses and The Waste Land were published.)

And when I say “fun” I don’t necessarily mean “light” (although light is fine too). The difficult and complex can be really fun.

I would add advice particularly for male readers, who are more likely to say they have no interest in fiction (and I don’t blame them, when almost all the fiction they are likely to hear about from the mainstream media is currently in the romance genre and targeted at women): Read history! A book about how the Battle of El Alamein was won or how the Apollo 13 mission was saved is going to grip you just as much as any video game is.

Nicholas Freer also works at Dundurn Press, wading through their submissions inbox as an editorial assistant. He clocks about five to seven hours a day of reading, although some days he reads more and others not at all. He tends to have multiple books on the go at once – novels, non-fiction, audiobooks, book club picks – and this staggered pace means he finishes about two to three books a month.

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I read when I want to and, because I love reading, that ends up being a good deal of the time.

As far as habits go, I never lost the practice of writing notes in the margins – unless it’s a hardcover. And it’s not a bad idea to be in the habit of reading somewhere pleasant, a sunny kitchen table, the Don Valley, an old building or library with character.

The truth is, I read more when reading is the most convenient thing to do. That’s done by making the alternatives more inconvenient.

Take my phone for example. It’s on vibrate all the time. I don’t allow any apps to send me notifications. I’ve deleted social media from it. The only game I think it has is chess. What it does have are three different apps on it for reading. If I want to use social media, I have to use my computer; if I want to boot up a video game, I do it on a console. But if I want to read, there’s always something available. I looked for distractions, cut the ones I could, and made the others require intentional effort to access. After that, I found I had more time than I thought.

Take a step back and be an observer of your own day. You’ll notice all kinds of brief, reading-sized moments that get filled with other things: playing music when you’re cooking, checking social media in the bathroom, relaxing with a movie, video game or TV show. None of which are bad things to do. But if your goal is to read more, try swapping out music for an audiobook, social media for an e-book, keep a battered paperback by the bathtub, read at the dinner table.

Really though, the important thing is to find what you like or you’re curious about and read about it. When you find that thing – romantasy, Dostoevsky, the history of cheese, whatever! – that makes the words fall away, where you forget you’re even there, you’ll find yourself filling the gaps with reading naturally.

Sarah-Ann Shearer, community and programming librarian at the Burlington Public Library in Ontario, reads for one or two hours each day, usually splitting that up between an audiobook on her commute to work and 20 minutes before bed. This means she gets through a few books a week, depending on length and format.

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I make a conscious effort to prioritize reading. While reading is connected to the work I do, it’s also something I genuinely enjoy. I carve out time for it each day, even if it’s only a few minutes. I also leave my phone in another room when reading so I’m not tempted to scroll.

I also joined a few book clubs. Having a scheduled meet-up helps keep me accountable and I’m more likely to choose reading over scrolling or watching TV. Being able to contribute to the discussion makes the experience enjoyable for me, so I make sure to finish the book.

I don’t have a strict reading routine, but I do listen to audiobooks during my commute to and from work, and sometimes while walking my dog. When it comes to physical books, I have a comfy chair in the corner of my room that I use specifically for reading. It has good lighting, cozy blankets and a small table where I keep my book. Having the book visible serves as a reminder to read a few pages before going to sleep.

Don’t be afraid to stop a book! If a book doesn’t live up to your expectations, or you aren’t in the mood for it, that’s okay. Rather than pushing through and having it feel like a chore, try something else.

Lalaa Comrie, literacy advocate and founder of This Black Girl Reads, gets about two to five hours of reading a day done in pockets: audiobooks while at the gym or cooking, a few minutes on her Kindle while she’s waiting during her kids’ activities. Added together, it means she reads about five to 10 books a month.

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I try not to wait for perfect, uninterrupted time because that almost never comes. I read in small, intentional pockets and I protect that time. I also remind myself that reading is not something extra, it’s something that nourishes me. Especially as a Black woman, I think of reading as a form of rest and resistance, a way to step outside the noise and intentionally choose what enters my mind and spirit.

My personal and professional reading lives are deeply intertwined, so I’m intentional about choosing books that genuinely matter to me. Through This Black Girl Reads, I’ve built a reading life rooted in community, joy and curiosity. Reading for myself means returning to stories that reflect our lives, challenge dominant narratives and help decolonize our bookshelves.

That’s what keeps reading personal, meaningful and alive.

Start small and let go of the pressure to read perfectly. A few pages a day counts. Ten minutes counts. Reading on your phone counts, and an audiobook counts, too. Keep a book close, read what genuinely interests you, if you’re not enjoying it stop reading it.

It’s not homework. It can be pleasure. It can be comfort. It can be a way of seeing yourself more clearly. For many of us, especially in a world that constantly competes for our attention, reading can also be a quiet form of resistance, a way to slow down, think deeply and choose what nourishes us. And in community, like in a book club, it can feel a lot less lonely.

When she’s not going to bat for It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard as one of this year’s Canada Reads champions, Morgann Book is sharing her love of books with a combined 2.7 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. Some days she reads for 15 minutes, others three hours. Likewise, some months are more bookish than others: In January, she read 11 books, but in February that number was four. She aims for about two a week.

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Reading tends to keep me awake, so while many readers love to read before bed, I prefer to read first thing in the morning to start my day. I’m also not a huge coffee person, so I’ll usually have a smoothie beside me instead. Throughout the day, I always make sure to bring my e-reader with me – my Kobo and I are practically attached at the hip. This pushes me to pull out my Kobo when I’m waiting in line or feeling bored, instead of doomscrolling on my phone.

As a type-A person, I tend to schedule reading on my calendar or pencil it into my to-do list. To avoid the social-media pull, I also set time limits so that I can only access TikTok and Instagram between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. This significantly reduces distractions in the morning and nighttime hours. The added benefit of reading on an e-reader means getting to read on a device with zero chance of notifications. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones can also work wonders in a busy house – trust me!

Make time for the things that matter. Be intentional about what books you’re picking up.

#BookTok and the New York Times bestsellers list exist for a reason, and the books on them are there for a reason. Many new readers lean toward non-fiction and self-help books because they think they’re going to change their life, and they could … but fiction can, too.

Try out different authors and genres to find what books you enjoy. After that, it won’t be hard to find time to read a book you can’t seem to put down. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez and The Only One Left by Riley Sager are often my top picks to fall in love with reading.

These interviews have been edited and condensed.