Want to read more books and enjoy them more too? Try this

Research shows that reading books provides surprising benefits, including better brain function and a longer life. Plus, reading novels can improve your emotional intelligence and help you relate better to the people you work with. Here’s how to read more books, and have more fun doing it too.

Start by picking the right book

Ideally, you should look forward to reading a book of your choice. Once you get going on the book, if you happily pick reading it over scrolling social media or watching a video—that book is a winner. If you get part way into a book and you find it’s not grabbing you or that you don’t like it, don’t force yourself to keep going in a self-imposed literary forced march. That could make you dread reading books, which is the opposite of what you want. One trick I use is to alternate between books that I think will be good for me or teach me something important and books that I read for pure pleasure (I have a weakness for Agatha Christie mysteries, for example). Read what makes you happy.

Figure out how to fit it into your schedule

If you’re very busy, you may be wondering how you’ll find the time to add reading books to your already crowded schedule. While there are no easy answers to that question, some tactics can help. For example, consider all the different formats that books can come in. Google, Apple, Amazon, Kobo, and many others, make it extremely easy to load e-books onto your phone, which means that wherever you go, you’ll always have your book with you. If you’re stuck waiting for an appointment or a bus, you can pull out your phone and read your book instead of checking social media or playing a game. If you spend a lot of time driving, consider audiobooks.

Find others to read with

One of the best ways to stay on track with reading—and enjoy it more—is to join a book group, either in person or online. Libraries, bookstores, and other venues often have book groups that are open to the public, so you can try out several different options. Your place of worship, trade group, company, or even a local cafe might have a book group as well. Chances are, some of your friends belong to book groups that might welcome you. And book groups can have themes, so you can find a group that fits your tastes, whether it be sci-fi or buisness.