‘Summer reads’ are a sub-genre for a reason; it’s widely acknowledged that we love to delve into a good book over the summer months. My personal go-to is a book at the beach—others in our team prefer a shady nook, a couch with a view, or a reading tree (hello, Rory Gilmore).

It’s easy to settle in when you have hours, not minutes, ahead of you: but when the hustle and bustle of a 9-5, or the school drop-off, or any kind of change in routine that comes with a new year hits, reading can quickly fall to the bottom of the list. It can feel a little too active an activity to be enticing when you finally flop in the door after a long day.

With this in mind, here’s some quick recommendations from us to keep your reading momentum thrumming into the new year.

Take it with you

Find ways to bring reading into your other daily activities. You need to take the bus or train to work, so why not use the time to read? If you’re waiting around for pickups or appointments, a good book will be your finest companion. Find something that’s portable and slots into your bag or pocket, or an e-reader or phone.

Give audiobooks a whirl

We love books for their portability, but even they’re knocked off their perch by the ease and simplicity of listening to a book while on the go. Even if you’re not much of an active listener, find something simple enough that you won’t be deterred by missing a chunk: e.g. we love listening to our favourite celebrities read their memoirs. Combine this tip with the above for maximum efficiency: listen to a book while doing the dishes, hanging the laundry, or gardening!

Consider what hooks you

Reading purely out of compulsion is on the ‘out’ list for 2025. Focus on reading material that genuinely interests and drives you: you’re infinitely more likely to feel the pull to pick it up. And if you’re finding it a hard slog, don’t be ashamed of not finishing a book in favour of finding something else that will feed your soul.

Set a target

We don’t mean this in the sense of relentlessly driving yourself toward a goal, or berating yourself for not reaching one: but a small target can serve as a great motivator. Whether it’s five books for the year or fifty is irrelevant; start with something achievable that you can always push out further.

Focus in

How many of us pick up a book only to be sidelined by a phone notification pinging? Using a timer or app that restricts distractions on your phone can help to maximise the time you do have for reading. We enjoy the reading timer on the Margins app. Alternatively, the more disciplined among us can simply be intentional about setting aside a chunk of time (why not give your phone a break first thing in the morning, or last at night?)

Keep it social

This could be as simple as sharing your reads on Instagram stories, or posting them on a specialised app like StoryGraph, or as complex as joining or starting a book club or going on a group reading retreat. Reading inspires reading, and being able to discuss the books you’ve been inhabiting with other readers is one of the habit’s greatest joys. There’s a plethora of digital and in-person offerings to facilitate this, and they don’t all require a significant time investment.

Do you have more ideas to inspire reading as part of a busy life? Send them to communications@read-nz.org and we’ll share them with other keen readers!