How to Create a Reading List
If youre looking to develop a habit of daily reading, a great idea would be to create a reading list. A reading list will help you organize your reading and help you achieve your reading goals by making it more likely that youll read everything you want. It will also help you to prioritize certain books over others according to your specific goals. Before creating your list, you need to decide what kind of list it is going to be.
What kind of list are you creating?
You should decide what kind of list youre creating and set a goal for your list. Are you creating a list of books to help you learn a new skill? Or are you trying to familiarize yourself with a particular genre, author, or writing style? Are you simply creating a bucket list of all the books youve ever wanted to read?
Write it down
After deciding what kind of list you are going to create, start filling your list with books youd like to read. You can use a notebook, a website, or your smartphone to create your reading list. I personally like to write my reading list down on paper. If you think you might lose your list after writing it down on paper, you can use a website such as Goodreads to create your list. Other options include writing the list in an app on your smartphone or creating a simple Word or Notepad document on your computer.
While creating the list, write down anything you think might be useful apart from the name of the book and the author. You might want to note the genre of the book or where you can find it [the library, Amazon, your local bookstore, your bookshelf].
If you are having trouble coming up with books to add to the list, check out the suggestions below.
Add books youve always wanted to read but never got around to
This first one is obvious, add all those books that youve been meaning to read forever but never got the chance. School reading assignments youve missed, popular or best-selling novels you never got around to reading etc.
Add books youd like to reread
You can also add books youd like to reread to your reading list. Some books that I reread almost every year include the Harry Potter series, Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises, and Christopher Hitchenss Letters to a Young Contrarian.
Add books related to your interests and hobbies
Add books related to your interests and hobbies, or things youd like to learn. Are you interested in meditation, improving your writing or cooking skills? Find books related to those topics and add them to your list.
Add a few classics
You can never go wrong with classic novels. Add some Dickens, Austen or Hemingway to your list.
Ask family and friends for recommendations
Your family and friends most likely have similar interests as you do so asking them for recommendations would probably yield some books youd find interesting.
Take a look at your bookshelf
Take a look at your bookshelf and see if there any books on there that you havent read yet. I myself have been guilty of purchasing books and then not reading them before buying yet more books. If this is something you find yourself doing as well, this might be a great time to finally read some of those books that have been collecting dust on your shelf for ages.
Ask your friendly local librarian for recommendations
You can always ask the librarian at your local library for book recommendations. To make their job easier, tell them your favorite books, authors, or genres and they will provide you with plenty of books to add to your list.
Browse bookstores
Visit your local bookstore and just browse the shelves until you find a few books that seem interesting.
Add books that help your personal growth
Add books that help your personal growth by teaching you new skills such as cooking or dancing.
Add books from your favorite genre
Are you a fan of science fiction? Or do you prefer detective novels? Add some books from your favorite genre that you havent read yet.
Add books that help you advance in your career
You can also add books that help you advance in your career by providing you with knowledge or teaching you new skills related to your job. Developing new skills can lead to a new job and a better salary which you can then use to buy even more books.
Embrace variety
Add both fiction and non-fiction books to your list to make it more interesting as well as easier for you to switch between books when you get bored.
Use popular lists for inspiration
Check out some popular book lists such as Modern Librarys 100 Best Novels or Le Mondes 100 Books of the Century to find books to add to your reading list.
Research the books on your list
It would be a good idea to research the books that you want to add to your list to make sure that these really are books that you want to read and that you will actually benefit from them instead of wasting your time. I suggest going online and reading reviews of the books from your list.
Organize it
Organize the books on your list by genre, topic or anything else you think might be useful.
Keep it updated
Finally, make sure to always keep your list updated by taking off books you have read, books you change your mind about reading, as well as by regularly adding new books.