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    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google You\u2019re reading the Well newsletter. Essential news and guidance to live your healthiest life. The staff at my local library are usually a convivial bunch, but when I asked them about a recent report that fewer people were reading for fun, they grew subdued.Yes, they saw it too, they told me.The study found that the number of Americans who read for pleasure on a given day fell 40 percent over the last two decades. The researchers speculated that the drop could be tied to the rise of digital media, among other things.It\u2019s a shame. Not only is it delicious to immerse yourself in a good book, but it\u2019s also beneficial to your health to read. Research suggests that reading can keep your memory sharp and help you sleep better, and that reading fiction can increase empathy and improve well-being.But it\u2019s hard to stay in the habit. So I asked around for tips on how to read more regularly.Set aside regular timeMy librarians recommended taking a book with you whenever you go out and reading it when you might otherwise reach for your phone \u2014 in a waiting room or on the bus, for example.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAnd look for moments when you can turn reading into a ritual. Lately, I\u2019ve been dipping into a novel for a few minutes right after I wake up, and I find it\u2019s a gentle way to start the day before I plunge into the news.Try choosing a designated reading spot \u2014 your porch or a cozy chair \u2014 and pairing your pages with something else you enjoy, like a cup of tea.Reread something you loveStart with an old favorite if you\u2019re out of practice, said Alan Jacobs, a professor of humanities at Baylor University and the author of \u201cThe Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.\u201d And don\u2019t feel sheepish about it, he added: \u201cRead the same thing three times in a row if that gives you pleasure.\u201dElizabeth A.L. Stine-Morrow, a professor emerita of educational psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said she used to be reluctant to reread books \u2014 \u201cbecause I wasn\u2019t \u2018making progress,\u2019 whatever that was.\u201dBut that was a mistake, she said; it\u2019s often on the second reading that you can really see the big picture of what the book is about.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYour perspective may have changed, too. I used to side with rebellious young characters; now I often sympathize with their parents.Listening countsAudiobooks grow more popular every year, but some of us still wonder if they\u2019re somehow cheating.Forget about that, the experts told me \u2014 listening is just another way to enjoy literature. One study I reviewed found no significant difference in reading comprehension and retention when subjects read physical books and listened to audiobooks.Audiobooks also leave your hands free. Chinelo Okparanta, an associate professor of English literature at Swarthmore College and the author of the novel \u201cHarry Sylvester Bird,\u201d will sometimes go back and forth between an audiobook and a physical copy, so she can keep following a story while she\u2019s washing dishes or driving to the grocery store.This lets her fit more books into her life, she said, adding that a good narrator\u2019s voice can \u201cgive even more character to the world of the story.\u201dFor me, listening to fiction brings back the cozy feeling of childhood, when someone read me a story.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTKnow when to move onYou don\u2019t have to slog through an entire book just because you started it, the experts said. One of my librarians uses the Rule of 50, developed by Nancy Pearl, the author of \u201cBook Lust.\u201dMs. Pearl said that if you\u2019re under 50, you should give every book about 50 pages before you quit. If you\u2019re older than that, subtract your age from 100 to see how many pages to read before setting it aside.\u201cBooks are not to be \u2018gotten through,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Jacobs. \u201cBooks are to be delighted in.\u201dSeek inspiration in different placesIf you need book ideas, the New York Public Library\u2019s blog has inventive recommendations, like the books that inspired the 2025 Emmy nominees. And my colleagues at the Book Review have made this interactive tool to find your next book.Ms. Okparanta follows the longlists for various literary awards for inspiration, like the Booker Prize, the New American Voices Award and the Nigeria Prize for Literature.And browse the shelves of your library \u2014 or ask your librarian. \u201cLibraries are great places to find things that no algorithm would ever suggest to you,\u201d Dr. Jacobs said, adding: \u201cLibraries are serendipity vendors.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTWhen I asked my librarians for advice, they produced six pages of handwritten notes for me. I wanted to call them out by name here to credit them, but they asked me not to. They told me they were just doing this to foster a love of reading. Me, too.Jillian Michaels has become a defining voice of the \u2018Make America Healthy Again\u2019 movement.America\u2019s toughest fitness trainer, made famous on the TV show \u201cThe Biggest Loser,\u201d was once a proud Hollywood liberal. Now she has been called \u201cthe mother of MAHA.\u201dRead the article: How Did Jillian Michaels End Up Here?AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTKombucha is touted for its health benefits. What does the science say?Kombucha, a beverage made from tea, sugar and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, has been promoted on social media as an elixir that can help gut health, aid in weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Experts weigh in.Read the article: Is Kombucha Good for You?The Week in WellHere are some stories you don\u2019t want to miss:A new study shows that the Mediterranean Diet reduces the risk of diabetes. Learn the details.The F.D.A. targets mousse and foam sunscreens. Find out why the agency issued warnings.Are you prepared for a climate disaster? Take our quiz.Can You Still Get the Covid Shot? The F.D.A. has new rules.Let\u2019s keep the conversation going. Follow Well on Instagram, or write to us at well_newsletter@nytimes.com. And check out last week\u2019s newsletter about how to prepare for disasters.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2025-08-29T09:03:39+00:00",
    "author_name": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/jancee-dunn",
    "site_name": "The New York Times",
    "section": "Well",
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    "ai_headline": "How to Read More Regularly",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Experts Share Tips to Read More Regularly",
    "ai_excerpt": "A recent study shows a 40% drop in Americans reading for pleasure. This article offers practical tips from librarians and academics on how to cultivate a regular reading habit, emphasizing the health benefits of reading.",
    "ai_subject_tags": [
        "Reading",
        "Habit Formation",
        "Well-being",
        "Health Benefits",
        "Literature",
        "Audiobooks",
        "Libraries"
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