I have the pretty classic backstory of playing lots of video games when I was young, plus being forced to read books I didn't want to read in school making me dislike reading.

Until about 2 years ago, I hadn't read a book for pleasure in quite a few years, probably before high school. And even before then, I didn't read that much.

I'm making this post because... when I first got back into reading (2 years ago), I don't think I really understood how fun reading could be. I viewed it as a healthy hobby (which it is of course), and don't get me wrong I did enjoy reading, but it always felt a bit like something I was doing for health reasons instead of really enjoying it. Sorta like a chore that I was forcing myself to do.

If you're in my position... Just keep trying different authors, different genres, different series. I think I accepted reading as being only a slightly enjoyable thing because that's just what I thought it was.

6 months ago I finally read a book series my brother had been recommending for a while, and it completely changed my relationship with reading. I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I could. I didn't have to convince myself to read anymore, it was the main thing I wanted to do. I think in one day I read about 250 pages. I was almost too obsessed with it, I nearly cancelled plans with friends because I wanted to read haha.

I'm not trying to advertise this specific book series or anything, but if you're curious it's Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

TL;DR - if you're newer to reading and feel like it's a chore, don't give up hope, keep trying new authors or genres and you might find something you really enjoy. there's almost certainly something out there that's made just for you, and you might have to sift through a couple "okay" books until you find it.

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[–] nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 days ago

It's a judgement call. I've definitely been glad I continued with books that were slow for a while. It's only a certain type of book that's gripping on every page, and sometimes patience is part of the skill set that reading builds. That said, definitely err on the side of keeping it interesting for yourself while you're building the habit.