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21 Ways to Fall In Love with Books - AGAIN
Published 3 days ago • 4 min read
21 Ways to Fall In Love with Books - AGAIN
Hello Reader,
Somewhere along the way, we forgot how to read like children.
Not in skill—but in spirit.
We used to fall into books with abandon. We'd read under blankets, in trees, in the backseat of the car. There was no goal, no pressure, no ego. Just wonder. Just story.
But now? We read for work. For self-improvement. For the next argument. We highlight quotes so we can sound smart on social media. We finish books we don’t even like just to say we did. We read for ego, not for enchantment.
This week on The Read Well Podcast, I want to help you recover what we’ve lost.
📖 21 Tips for Reading Like a Child
These aren’t productivity hacks. They’re invitations to rediscover joy, imagination, and wonder. Try one or two—or all of them—and see what happens to your reading life.
1. Read out loud.
Whisper it, speak it, act it out. It makes the words come alive again.
2. Pick books based on the cover.
Let curiosity—not credentials—guide you.
3. Lie on the floor.
Or curl up in a corner. Ditch the desk and find a cozy spot.
4. Quit if you’re bored.
Kids don’t waste time with books they hate—why should you?
5. Reread your favorites.
The best books are like best friends. Visit them often.
6. Read by flashlight.
Under a blanket. In a tent. Bring back the sense of adventure.
7. Skip the “important” books.
Read what pulls you in, not what “should” be read.
8. Talk to the characters.
Argue. Cheer. Worry for them. Be in the story.
9. Make up the voices.
Give every character a sound. Be dramatic. Be weird.
10. Ask wild questions.
What if this world were real? What would you do there?
11. Bring your book everywhere.
Take it to the café, the couch, or the waiting room.
12. Lose track of time.
Read for joy, not progress.
13. Collect strange words.
Let new words make you laugh, wonder, or say “What is that?!” Add your favorites to a special reading journal.
14. Draw something from the story.
Doodle a scene, a creature, a quote—anything.
15. Read Before Bed.
Let it be the last voice in your head.
16. Read the same sentence three times.
Not for understanding—for savoring.
17. Ignore the page count.
Children never ask how long the book is.
18. Make a ritual of it.
Hot cocoa, a blanket, your favorite chair—whatever brings magic.
19. Read without a goal.
Not for work, not for self-help. Just because.
20. Laugh out loud.
Or cry. Or gasp. Don’t hold back your reactions.
21. Believe again.
Suspend your disbelief. Let the book be true—just for a little while.
We don’t grow out of reading like this—we grow away from it. But the path back is still open.
And if you know someone who needs a nudge back toward the magic of books, forward this email. Or better yet—read something together.
👋 Until next time, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
How to Actually Remember the Books You Read | EP101
Watch the Show
3 books that changed my perspective
Join Us for Book Club
How to Get Started (And Why)
This Week's Book Recommendation
The Books of Earthsea
If you’re trying to remember how to read like a child—read Earthsea.
Not because it’s easy (it isn’t), and not because it’s written for kids (it was, but it isn’t really). Read it because it invites you to believe in magic again—not the kind with wands and sparkle, but the deeper magic of names, silence, balance, and becoming who you are.
Le Guin writes fantasy the way a philosopher dreams. Her sentences are clean as stone, her world ancient and spare. There are dragons here, yes—but also mistakes, silence, and long walks under stars. Her hero, Ged, doesn’t fight monsters so much as becomes human—and somehow, that makes it more epic than any battle.
This isn’t fast food fantasy. It’s a meal you let simmer. It teaches you to slow down. To listen. To grow alongside a character instead of just watching them level up.
If you want to read like a child again—with awe, with stillness, with wide-open eyes—The Books of Earthsea will help you remember how.
How to Actually Remember the Books You Read | EP101
In this episode, I talk about why so many people forget what they read—and how I’ve changed my habits to remember the books that matter. It’s not a trick or a hack. It’s just a way of treating books like relationships. You can’t know someone after one dinner, and you can’t know a book after one reading.
Sometimes the books that change us aren’t loud. They’re quiet, reflective, and a little uncomfortable. In this episode, I talk about three books that did exactly that for me—Steinbeck’s private journal, a haunting novel about loneliness and pride, and a modern take on how language shapes belief. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your thoughts or curious about how people change, these books offer more than just good stories.
Have you been thinking of joining us for book club? It's just $12 a month. Get access to our private community, weekly meetings, reading notes, and more.
"The research the community contributes alongside the reading is priceless."
-Anna Fields
"I love book club. I’m getting so much more out of this book than if I had read it alone."
-Heather Scofield
Hi, I'm Eddy.
How Can I Help?
Feel free to respond to this email. Let me know how I can make your experience in our reading community better, or if you have questions, I'm all ears.
As always, read slowly - take notes - apply the ideas.
-Eddy
Got Questions?
Reply to this email with your questions. I respond to each and sometimes make a podcast or video to answer your bookish questions.
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Subscribe to my newsletter for tips on close reading, detailed note-taking, and applying bookish wisdom to your life. I talk about fiction and non-fiction, interview literary experts, and host The Read Well Podcast. Subscribe today and build better reading habits.