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Reading is therapeutic, but it’s also an incredible learning tool; both to enrich our language and gain knowledge on a variety of topics. As a child, I remember my parents reading to me in bed a few nights a week. It was the loveliest moment! Once I learned to read on my own, I lost a bit of interest for books, and only started properly again when I was in fourth grade (10 years old), when I discovered Le Journal d’Aurélie Laflamme. A few years later, my mom recommended Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series to me and I truly fell in love with books, but mostly, I fell in love with chick lit! Since then, my love for literature has grown enormously, and so did my taste. Chick lit isn’t the only genre I’m interested in anymore, I love nonfiction, memoirs, contemporary fiction, classics, etc. And finally, I never spend a day without at least reading a few pages. So today I thought I would guide you through my reading habits…

Where I get my books

When I can, I rent books at my local public library. I’m lucky to have a beautiful one in my neighbourhood and I’ve been going there for more than 10 years now; it’s truly the most wonderful place to be. However, I do love to own physical copies of my favourite books (and my library mostly has French titles). If it’s a book written in English, I will usually buy it on Book Depository because it’s affordable and there are no shipping costs. If it’s a French book, I do my best to support local bookshops. But when I see a Chapters Indigo, I have to go in and look at the books. Finally, I occasionally get new releases sent to me by a publishing house to review on my blog.

When I read

Carrying a book with you in your bag is the best advice I can give you if you want to read more. When I’m waiting for the bus or when I have time between two classes, I will pick up my book and read a few more pages. But mostly, I read before bed, and I do my best to read instead of watching TV. Weekends are the best because I can spend the morning in bed with a book.

How I keep track of my readings

To keep track of my readings, I use both Goodreads (which is the coolest social media app in my opinion), but I also have a spreadsheet with different colour codes, grouped by authors, with dates and other details about each book. I love knowing the number I’ve read at the end of the year.

How I decide on my next reads

This is a question I receive all the time, both in real life and from strangers on Instagram. The answer is that I keep track of new releases on publisher’s websites, I follow authors I love to see when their next book is coming up, I listen to podcasts that mention books (You’re Booked, Sentimental Garbage, The High Low), and I follow Instagram or Twitter accounts that talk about books (@abigailbergstrom, @whatsofieread, @nanawintour, and of course @pandorasykes and @dollyalderton).

What are your reading habits?


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