While most bookworms get a pretty bad rep, especially during teenage years, it’s a well-known fact that later in life many bullies end up wishing they would have been more like those they once made fun of.
There are many aspects to being a bookworm and the benefits associated with healthy reading habits play a big role in the reasoning behind the growing number of people who are trying to find out how to become a bookworm.
What Is a Bookworm Person?
A bookworm is defined as a person who is dedicated to reading and studying to an extent that puts them above their age group’s average level of involvement in these activities.
Someone might be referred to as a bookworm for example, if they would rather spend a Friday evening reading at home than go to a party with their friends. The term also implies a certain separation from reality in some cases. True bookworms are sometimes more involved in the fantasy worlds they read about than their own lives.
Another characteristic that is commonly associated with bookworms is their lack of interest in human interactions or a certain level of inability to relate, interact and communicate effectively with their peers.
While there are certain downsides associated with being a bookworm, there are also many reasons why being one is a good idea, and the positives certainly outweigh the negatives.
How to Become a Bookworm?
For those of you who are aware of the benefits of being a bookworm and want to embrace this side of your personality, the transition might turn out to be rather confusing without some guidance.
1. Learn About the Benefits of Reading and Get Motivated
The first step in becoming a bookworm is finding your motivation. Why do you want to be a bookworm?
Well, for most people, the reason behind their desire to become a bookworm has a lot to do with the benefits of reading a lot. It’s a well known and documented fact that reading has tons of benefits for your body and mind.
If you want to become a bookworm, it’s important to know why you’re doing it. So you should do some research about the ways reading will improve your life. That should get you motivated to start your journey to becoming a true bookworm.
2. Find the Books/Genre That Gets You Excited About Reading
Now that you know what your motivation is and why you want to become a bookworm, let’s start looking a bit at how you should get started.
It’s important to realize from the start that in order to be successful, you need to find ways to enjoy reading. That is why the first order of business should be finding a genre or an author you like. Try a couple of books that are popular and that have great reviews from other readers.
Don’t limit yourself to a title or author though. Try new things all the time and never be afraid to abandon a book that doesn’t get you excited. Try different genres like fantasy, mystery, thrillers. These are usually the ones that are the hardest to stop reading.
Reading should be a recreational, relaxing, and fun activity, always remember that. If you’re not enjoying it, you’re doing something wrong.
3. Schedule Your Reading Sessions
Being organized is a big part of developing healthy reading habits and bookworms know exactly how important it is to get as much reading done as possible, while also maintaining good levels of comprehension and information retention.
Being a well-organized reader can mean a lot of different things, but one of the most important things you will need to do if you truly want to become a bookworm is learn how to dedicate more time to this amazing activity.
Since most bookworms are dreamers, we know that scheduling and being organized isn’t really your thing. Having a chaotic reading schedule may work for some, but we all know that having a clear structure in any activity brings better results. Luckily, there are things you can do to change that.
How Can Basmo Help?
Among other things, Basmo allows you to set yourself a reading schedule. You can easily select the days you want to read in and even different times in each day when you want to schedule your sessions. Not only that, but you will also receive notifications on your device to ensure that you never forget about and skip a reading session.
4. Setting Reading Goals
Becoming a bookworm means learning to find and channel your inner powers to stay motivated to read more. One of the best ways to keep your motivation high is to simply set yourself up for success with clear goals. Sometimes even doing something you love can turn out to involve some work and that is challenging, especially in the fast-paced lives we lead nowadays.
While a common goal for most of us is to simply read more, a healthier and more effective approach to improving our reading habits is to set clear goals.
How Can Basmo Help?
Basmo gives you the option to set goals for yourself. You can choose daily reading goals for the time you spend reading every day or yearly goals for the number of books you read throughout the year. Not only that, but Basmo will allow you to track your progress towards your goals through comprehensible statistics and animations.
5. Create Reading Lists and Stick To Them
Having a rich TBR is one of the proudest achievements for a bookworm. Not only that but having reading lists has several positive effects on your reading habits, making you waste less time between books and allowing you to be better organized in your reading endeavors.
While most people spend quite a lot of time in between books, thinking of what they should read next, a true bookworm always has at least a couple of books lined up in a queue. That is why using reading lists is essential.
How Can Basmo Help?
Whenever you hear about a book that you think you might enjoy reading, use Basmo and add it to your to-read list. Basmo allows you to either use the predefined book collections and also to create your own personalized lists, which means you can even create the lists separated by genre for example.
6. Have a Book Nearby at All Times
You never know when the mood strikes or when you have a couple of minutes for yourself. That is why it’s important to surround yourself with books. Keep a book in your bag and a book at work at all times.
Our lives are so hectic nowadays and we tend to have so little time that is unaccounted for. It would be a shame to find yourself in a situation where the reason you’re not reading is that you have nothing to read at hand.
7. Join a Book Club or Online Community for Reading
Despite their reputation of being lone wolves, bookworms love surrounding themselves with people who share their interests. There are hundreds of online communities you can join if you want to meet other people who love reading. Obviously, those are great places to get book recommendations, advice on how to read better, and to get support whenever you feel your motivation is fading.
If online communities aren’t your thing, you can always join a classic book club with weekly or bi-weekly in-person meetings. Most of the time, these clubs have predefined reading lists for their members and all of them read the same books between meetings and discuss them when they meet.
Book clubs are great if you don’t want to worry about your next read but come with the downside of limiting your freedom both in terms of titles and in terms of the time you have to finish every book.
8. Create Your Reading Nook
Any self-respecting bookworm out there needs a reading nook that matches their personal taste and style. Whether you just need a simple place where you know distractions are going to be at a minimum or a more complex arrangement, it’s important to dedicate a place of your home to your reading habit.
Being a bookworm means taking your reading sessions seriously, but also focusing on the experience. That involves making sure that each reading session takes place in a place you enjoy but also allows you to properly focus on the pages you’re going over.
For some, this can be a relaxing armchair. For others, it’s an entire room dedicated to books and reading. Your choice and possibilities may differ from what others are doing, but the important thing to remember is that as long as you enjoy each reading session, that is all that matters.
9. Visit Libraries and Bookstores
While bookworms come in many shapes and forms, one thing they all have in common is that a library card is not missing from either one’s wallet. If you truly want to become a bookworm, one thing you simply cannot avoid is becoming a regular customer at your local bookstores and a constant presence at your local libraries.
Bookstores and libraries are magical places for any book lover, and it’s easy to understand why constantly visiting them is a must for any bookworm. And regardless of how dedicated you are to being an avid reader, we must admit that bookstores are always very welcoming and fun places to be.
10. Follow Bookish Blogs and Podcasts
Staying connected to the world of books and reading is an important aspect of being a bookworm. You should always be in touch with the news, you should constantly be on the lookout for new releases or other interesting pieces of information about your favorite books and authors.
There are tons of resources online nowadays you can use to stay informed about the things you are interested in. You can find bookish blogs about any type of genre you can think of and reading-related podcasts on every single niche out there.
They can be an endless source of entertainment and you can use them as a way to always stay up to date. As a bookworm, you definitely need to have a couple of blogs and podcasts you get excited about.
11. Take Part in Reading Challenges
Reading challenges are a great way to stay motivated to keep reading while also enjoying the benefits of having predetermined reading lists and a ticking clock for getting all your reading done within the specified timeframe.
Bookworms are generally big fans of reading events, whether we’re talking about read-a-thons, book fairs, book swaps, or simply reading challenges issued by resounding names from the online community. So, if you want to take advantage of the benefits the bookworm lifestyle comes with, you need to get acquainted with these activities.
12. Read More Books at Once
A bookworm’s love for reading usually results in them reading more than one book at a time. That is generally a good habit to have since it will usually lead you to read a lot more. Also, different locations inspire you to read different types of books, so reading a book at home and a different one on your lunch break at the office will usually mean exploring more genres.
As long as you don’t reach the point where you feel overwhelmed by following separate plot lines and you manage to keep your reading comprehension and retention at manageable levels, reading more books at once is a great thing to do.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Bookworm?
While being a bookworm has a bit of a bad reputation or can come with a series of negative connotations, there is no doubt about the fact that it also comes with a ton of benefits. Reading is, in itself, a very beneficial activity, and loving it to the point where you can proudly call yourself a true bookworm definitely comes with some added value.
Here are some of the most relevant advantages you should expect to enjoy if you become a bookworm:
- Improved general knowledge
- Better vocabulary
- Enhanced critical thinking
- Better empathy
- Improved emotional intelligence
- Less stress
- Better imagination
- Better cultural awareness
- Improved levels of focus and concentration
What Are the Disadvantages of Being a Bookworm?
You should also be prepared to face the backlash of being a bookworm. There are some possible drawbacks you should be aware of. Nothing too serious, but it’s always better to be prepared and informed than to allow negative aspects to surprise you.
Here are some of the most important possible drawbacks you should expect from being a true bookworm:
- Possible eye strain
- Neglecting other activities in favor of reading
- Being a bookworm can be quite expensive
- You could have a hard time staying in the present
- Reading slumps are no joke
- Limited social interaction
How Many Books Does a Bookworm Read?
As much as I would like to give you an exact number, there are too many factors to take into consideration for a precise answer.
But following the logic of the bookworm definition which states that a bookworm is considered anyone who goes above the average when it comes to time spent reading and books read in a specific timeframe, we should be able to find an interesting answer.
Studies have concluded that the average American reads 12 books per year. By definition, a bookworm could be considered anyone who reads more than that. But it’s really not that easy.
There are other things at play and much more statistics about reading should be taken into consideration. Even though the definition places everyone who reads over 12 books per year in the “bookworm family”, where does that leave us compared with Bill Gates, who claims to read up to 50 books in a year?
What Are the Top Ten Signs That You Are a Bookworm?
While there are many signs of having become a true bookworm, with all the associated problems, there are some that stand out from my point of view.
- While planning a night out with friends, you found yourself thinking “I’ll bring a book too, in case I get bored”.
- Your idea of an outdoor activity is reading in a park.
- You develop stronger feelings for the characters in the books you read than for the people around you.
- You can’t stop buying new books.
- You have book hangovers more often than you would like to admit.
- Your to-read list is intimidating, to say the least.
- Your librarian knows you by name.
- You check every friend’s book collection the second you get in their house.
- You read the book before seeing the movie.
- You often find yourself reading at 3 AM even though you have to go to work in the morning.
FAQ
1. What Does It Mean to Be a Bookworm?
Being a bookworm can have several meanings, but the most important aspect all bookworms have in common is a love for reading and books in general. Having a deep appreciation for books, spending more time reading than doing other activities, and loving the thrill of exploring new genres and authors are just a couple of things bookworms all have in common.
2. Is It Good to Be a Bookworm?
Generally, being a bookworm comes with more advantages than drawbacks. Dedicating a lot of time to reading is usually beneficial and improves our lives in many aspects. Being a bookworm will enhance our intellect, make us come more in touch with our emotions, and will allow us to enjoy all the benefits of reading.
3. Does Being a Bookworm Make You Smart?
Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt. A bookworm reads a lot of books, and reading improves many cognitive skills and promotes intellectual growth. From an enriched vocabulary to better analytical thinking, being a bookworm clearly has several positive effects on our intellect.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to be a bookworm and the benefits of being one, we hope you have all the necessary data to make an informed decision about becoming one.
Remember, being a bookworm is not as easy as it first seems and you should take advantage of every kind of help you can get. Luckily, Basmo can make things a lot easier for you. Give it a shot and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
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