1. Book choices

Choose books that are appropriate for your language level.

Reading an excessively challenging books with too many new words and complex grammar structures can demotivate you right off the bat.

2. Reading volume

When it comes to books, more is more.

However, if your schedule does not allow you to spend hours savouring books everyday, try to make other more achievable goals such as: finishing one chapter or one page each time. This helps you to establish good reading habits in the long run.

3. Comics

If reading too many words is not your cup of tea, going for comic books is not a bad idea. You may think that comics are made for kids, but this is not totally the truth.

The language of comics is more colloquial, which makes them easier to be applied in daily conversation. For example, when asked “How are you?”, you may know other ways to answer apart from “I’m fine, thank you”.

4. Feel free to write on books

It is common sense that voracious readers want to keep their books as clean and tidy as possible.

Nevertheless, be “reckless” enough to jot down notes and highlight main points. What is more important is the percentage of information retained in your memory, not the whiteness of the pages.

5. Summarise what you have read.

It makes no difference if you jot down notes, highlight main points and leave them untouched or revised.

Form the habit of transferring all of your notes, including new vocabulary and advanced sentence structures, to a portable notebook or device.

Remember: Baby steps COUNT.

Cheers to the journey!