How I Read Five Books A Month
On striking a reading life balance
If you pay attention to the reading community on social media, you might’ve— like me— seen that there are folks who read WAY more than five books a month, which adds up to hundreds of books a year! I see their little tallies and I am amazed. Because I cannot read that many books.
What I can do is read five books per month, which totals to 60 books a year, which is my reading goal every year. Last year I read more than 60, but that was just a bonus. I didn’t aim for more than 60. I aimed for five books a month, because that’s a comfortable reading life for me. Here’s how it works (for me). But I’d love to hear how it works for you in the comments…
Every month I pick a nonfiction, self-help sort of title. You know the ones— they usually promise some clever way to make your life better in whatever area you feel you’re lacking. (As I feel I am lacking in multiple areas, I am never without choices.)
The nice thing about nonfiction books is that they are generally not super long. The average one runs at about 250 pages. So, if you take that number and divide it by 30, you’re looking at reading about 10 pages a day each day. This takes minimal time/effort and yields the accomplishment of having read book #1 for the month.
For my next book, I select an audiobook. I try to keep the length of these around 5-8 hours— any longer and then you’re committing large amounts of time to listening. I don’t have that much time to listen to audiobooks, nor do I want to. I like to also listen to You Tube videos, podcasts, and, most important, music. So I choose a book that I can listen to in about 15-20 minutes a day, usually while I’m eating lunch or running an errand or doing some sort of mindless task. So that’s book #1 and book #2 handled.
The other three are novels, which I don’t have any sort of method for, other than to read them when I feel like reading. In truth, I can usually read a novel a week, which would make this a post about reading 6 books a month. But I want to give myself room for the days when I’d rather watch a show or movie than read, or when I want to choose a novel that’s longer than my average choices. I want the flexibility to read what I want, at a pace I feel is comfortable. And that’s how I get to five books a month.
I realize none of this is rocket science. And it’s likely something you already do or have thought of. But this mindset has helped me to lay claim to a gratifying reading life. I love to read, but I also love to do other things. I feel like reading 60 books a year qualifies me as a genuine, dedicated reader. But it doesn’t stress me out. Because reading shouldn’t be a competitive sport. It should be fun, relaxing, and enjoyable.
So find your formula, your pace, and your approach. Then do what works for you. And if you’ve got your own formula or found your own sweet spot to reading, please let us know what works for you in the comments. You never know— you just might help someone else find a way to strike a reading life balance! The thing that matters most is that you’re reading.
*NOTE*: In regards to affording five books a month— I urge you to find free/low cost options. Find the little free libraries in your area, join an audiobook site that lets you listen for free like Libby, consider joining a subscription club like Book of the Month where you can get the latest hardcovers for a discount price, shop thrift stores for books/find a used bookstore in your area, trade books with friends/family, and don’t forget your local library!
Books shown on our reading list above:
The Maid by Nita Prose
The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock (on sale 10.01.24)
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
North Woods by Daniel Mason
I enjoyed this article!
I think reading 6 is reasonable, utilizing audio, and managing pages of novels