"How Do You Have Time to Read So Much?" (The Answer!)

So the number one question I always get when I talk to other people about reading is:

"How do you have time to read so much?"

(or one of 128473662 different variations of this question)

And the short answer that I normally give people is that I don't necessarily have all this time to read whenever I want and never go to work or to school or do homework or any of that. Although that really isn't a short answer. It's not easy (at least for me) to study for all these tests and write all these essays and still have time to read and take pictures and write reviews. So, I decided I would compile the long version of my answer to my most frequently received question.

How I Read So Much:

1. I multitask. And by "multitask" I mean I walk into a lot of walls (hang on, I'll get there). I read when I'm eating, I read when I'm brushing my teeth, I read while I'm watching TV, and I read while walking up and down the stairs (don't do this, seriously. I've almost killed myself a couple times because a) I've missed a step or b) my puppy decided that HE wanted the step and then I have 60+ pounds of I'M-NOT-MOVING that I have to sneak around). Some people like to aimlessly stare at the ceiling while in the waiting room, I have my book. If there is ever a break, I'm reading. There are tons of minutes wasted throughout the day that could be spent reading, they are just so small that you don't think about them.
2. I weave it into my schedule. I have a running to-do list that, like my TBR, will never be quite completed or conquered. I try to get in at least half a book to a book per day (depends on the size of the book) and so I make that a box that I need to check off. I HATE leaving boxes unchecked, and so that nasty little voice living inside my head that flips out when boxes are unchecked will remind me throughout the day that I need to keep reading.
3. eBooks. For some reason bringing your phone to an information session is normal but books? Now people are looking at you funny. So I have a tendency to download eBooks from my TBR and keep them on hand just in case I need to go somewhere where it would be weird to have a book but perfectly acceptable to be on my phone. Plus they are much more convenient so that's another plus (but not nearly as fun to read...)
4. I use it as a reward system. Wrote an essay? Have 5 chapters! Studied for that test? Another 5 chapters! By using reading as a reward for completing specific tasks, not only do I get a break in-between mind-numbing boredom and headaches, but I also get to read! The only downside to this tactic is that sometimes I'll get to a super good part and it will have been 8 chapters before everything dies down and at that point I gotta go to 10 chapters because multiples of 10 are important and oh look it's exciting again and this cycle just goes on and on forever...
5. I've learned to be efficient(ish). I have a tendency to work on essays and do to homework at the weirdest times and in the weirdest places so that I can read when I get home. I try and set goals like "I will be done with this essay by 6 pm" so that I don't dawdle on certain tasks and get my stuff done so that I can read. Basically I make reading a priority like writing essays or studying for tests.
6. I put stuff off. 😅 Let's not talk about this one it's embarrassing.
7. I read fast. I've always been a naturally fast reader, but when I get super into something the pages just fly by. This really helps because it takes me a day to read the same book that would take someone else a week, and so I can squish more books in (I'm giving my parents credit for this one for starting me on books before kindergarten.)
8. I can read anywhere. Except maybe the car because motion sickness is a thing. I don't have problems reading in large crowds or in noisy areas because I just tune everybody out... which is great when you want to get reading done but bad when you miss your bus stop or someone has to yell your name 5000 times to get your attention. Also, I miss a lot of conversations because people will have like full-on discussions with me but not get my attention first and then they'll be like "what do you think?" and that's the first clue I've gotten that they were talking to me.

I think a huge part of my reading so much is that I make it a priority. It's something that is important to me, something that I love, and I try and juggle it as best I can with everything else in life. Do I get to read every day, or as much as I would like to? No, but I do my best.

How do you guys fit reading into your schedules?

Things I Wish I Had Known Before Starting a Bookstagram (and a blog)

When I first decided to start a Bookstagram, I thought it would be super easy. Take pictures of pretty books, post, and *boom* hundreds of followers instantly and all that jazz. I've only had mine for a month or two, and now I've realized that it's actually a heck of a lot harder. And then I started a website, with the same idea in mind. Also got a swift reality check. So, without further ado, what I wish I had known before I decided to become a bookstagrammer and review books.

1. Light matters. You can't just stick your book down in any random place, take a picture, and have it look like the best thing in all of ever. Outside? Might get washed out. Inside, but not by windows? Too dark. Artificial light? Now all my pictures are yellow. So you have to find the best spot for pictures (which, for me, happens to be my desk. Or my stairs, if the lighting on my desk is bad at that time), and then the best time. Because pictures taken on my desk at 5:00 at night look great, but at 8:00 pm they look awful. Or at 7 am because lighting.
2. Take pictures ahead of time. Because when it decides to rain for 7 days straight you aren't getting any pretty lighting or outdoor shots, and there's only so many different ways you can rotate that book so it won't reflect the light straight back into the camera. So when it's 8 pm at night and you don't have the lighting to do anything, you will have backups and can post away!
3. It will take a while to find a theme. I've seen all of these super pretty pictures with tons of color and flowers (a really good example is @paperfury because her pictures are AMAZING) and I so wanted to do that but I've figured out that, because I have like no props, I'm more of a minimalist-desky person (when the lighting is good. Stupid lighting.). You just have to figure out what works for you with what you have.
4. Library books are a PAIN to photograph. Because I can't afford to buy a new book basically every other day I get A LOT of my books from the library. But those shiny jackets are so hard to take pictures of because GLARE! This has played a large role in the time that I chose to take photos because if the lighting is juuuussst right then you won't get glare.
5. Taking notes helps A LOT for reviews. Instead of just trying to remember everything that you want to say and all of the things that you want to point out, write them down, cry because you can't understand your own writing, and start over! I'm kidding about this (kind of), it really does help, a lot! I just recently started taking notes and I've realized that it makes my life much easier, although a little sad because my notes are ugly.
6. It gets hard when you get busy. Duh, right, but all of a sudden you are trying to read books and write reviews and post every day and sometimes my brain just wants to go *boom* because why are there only 24 hours in a day? Also sleep. I need sleep but I also need to write a review or read a book and priorities get screwed up.
7. Interact with people. I didn't know this when I started and I am SO SORRY to all those nice people who reached out to me in the comments and I didn't respond. I had no clue what I was doing and my life was a little bit of a mess (just a little *laugh/sobs quietly*). If you interact with others it's a heck of a lot more fun and who knows, you may just find some people who like a random book just as much as you do!
8. Don't type your blog post in Pages and then paste it into your blog because then the font gets all funky.
9. Links don't work in Instagram posts 😕. I mean I still post links there because maybe it's helpful (?) but it took someone pointing it out to me for me to realize what was going on. Whoopsies.

I'm sure that in a couple more months I will have even more to add to this list. Although my dreams of becoming some awesome professional photographer have definitely been shattered, I would say that I've (hopefully) improved! And one day I will have photos waiting just in case. One day. Just... not today.

For fellow bookstagrammers/bloggers out there, what were some things that you wish you had known when you started? Anything that you've learned that would be helpful for someone who is awful at taking photographs?

How To Deal With Your TBR

I have decided that, as someone who has added 716 books to their TBR in 2017 alone, that I am somehow qualified to give recommendations about how to deal with that daunting mountain of books that must be read. So, without further ado, this is how I manage my TBR (Do not be like me)

1. Create Your TBR
• I feel like this goes without saying, but if you are struggling on finding books to read I would recommend going on Goodreads and spending exorbitant amounts of time scrolling through lists containing the best books of 2016, 2015, 2014, etc. as well as those handy recommendations on your homepage sidebar. I would recommending getting at least 100 books to start with because who wants to be reasonable?
2. Locate Books
• The library is a great resource, unless you become one of those people who always puts in interlibrary loan requests and then feels slightly judged. Or if you are one of those people who maxes out their hold requests because their library has the 1st and the 3rd book but not the second? Why... eBooks are great, and physical copies are WONDERFUL but expensive and also then you have "too many books" which is ridiculous but anyway...
3. Start Reading
• Because you are a diligent, committed reader who is going to read all those books like planned and nothing is going to get in your-- ooo look recommendations!
4. Add More Books
• That book looks good! So does that one! I really did like that author's other books, I'll add this one too...
5. Retrieve Your TBR Books
• This involves a 20+ minute drive for me (depending on traffic) which means I'll put 10 books on hold (the maximum allowed) and then go pick them all up at once...
6. "Just Look" at the Other Books
• It can't hurt, right?
7. Come Home With 10 More Books Than Planned
• It's fine, your TBR wasn't that long anyway
8. Write a TBR List
9. Lose TBR List
10. Forget You Have a TBR
11. Write a TBR List 
• In a notebook this time. Notebooks are harder to lose!
12. Lose TBR Notebook
13. Find TBR Notebook
14. Read TBR Books
• Preferably in a random, nonsensical and illogical order
15. Repeat Steps 2-14 Endlessly
16. Stress
• About how long your TBR is and how you will read all these books before you die

This post is a joke by the way, I would NOT recommend this approach to reading. I've just seen a lot of posts about TBRs recently and figured I would give some "helpful" advice because my approach has totally worked so far.

How do you approach your TBR?