Reading tips

[Túlio]

Hello! Probably a dumb question here but here we go: lately I'm having trouble to stablish a consistent reading routine. It sounds silly but my main difficulty right now is finding a good reading posture. Every position I try makes me very unconfortable or very sleepy. I would greatly appreciate an advice on the matter!
Also, I honestly can't understand how some of the members here seem to read dozens of books a month. Is there a special technique to read so fast?

[Abigail]

I can’t help you with the fast reading thing, as I am a very slow reader, but I have a really high quality triangular or wedge-shaped pillow, wide and fairly firm, that I lean against (while sitting on a bed). I sink back into it but my lower back is well supported. My neck doesn’t get tired and my back doesn’t get sore. The sleepy thing seems to be more eye fatigue than position, so helping that would probably involve good lighting.

[Shanea]

Where do you read? In a chair, in bed, on the floor? I've read entire books standing up at a counter before, so a comfortable position depends on your body and your location. It's hard to give advice without a bit more particular information.
I usually have a variety of hard copy, audio books, and e-books going at the same time, but I find it easy to balance a lot of information in my head, personally. I only read about ten books a month anymore, because my life is a train wreck, but audiobooks help me "read" more books and not be bored doing necessary but not fun tasks. I live alone, so frequently while putting the dishes away, cleaning this, organizing that, I'm listening to an audio book rather than music, silence, or a family member or friend to talk with. Speed reading I can do, but it can be harmful excessively, and as I don't need to meet many goals and absorb information quickly, I tend not to any more.

If your goal is to set up the habit of reading every day or week. Literally set an alarm for when you are going to read, and when you are going to end, and just read for that time period. Start with 5 minutes a day, or whatever seems achievable, and add thirty seconds until you are at the level you want to be at.
If you want to just read more books, it would be good to find/make a list of ten or so novellas or short story collections that you can keep with you to pick up when you find yourself with an extra five minutes. It can be pretty impressive what you can manage to do in two weeks in the time you used to spend staring at a wall in an office or a line.

[Túlio]

Thanks for the triangle-shape-pillow tip Abigail, I'll definitely look into it!
Shanea, I had a rough time trying to read a long novel (The Brothers Karamazov) using the five-minutes intervals of my typical day. I often lost the thread of the story, forgot the names of the characters and when I reached the end I simply couldn't tell what the book was all about (I eventually had to re-read it).
So, I guess what really works for me is to reserve a couple of hours of my night and use them to read. I can't stand sitting too long in a chair because of my back so I read in my bed. That's where the fatigue of a day of hard-work comes in. Maybe I'll have to choose between work or books lol...
Surprisingly, Kindle has been of great help. Its regulable light and font size really improve my focus. I can hold it and flip the pages with a single hand!
Currently I'm reading an easy non-fiction book, no problem reading it during my breaks. But I think I'll go through hell again to read my next 800-pages novel...

[Carl]

I'm so uncomfortable reading. I forget to relax. I'm super tall though, 6'4, so I'm usually in a distorted, gnashing-of-teeth position.

[Daniel]

I remember laying down on my side reading when I used to read paper books more. If I was reading the left page, I would lie on my right side, then when my eyes moved to the right page, I would flip like a burger and read the other side of the book. Fond memories of a simpler time, when I had more time to read but didn't. Now I have less time to read, but I read more because I realized it actually is very important to me. Now I usually do audio books while I work or bike.

[George P.]

My girlfriend reads in bed lying on her stomach, her back flexed backwards- I could never do that my back would kill me. I usually sit in my desk chair or my ikea fancy chair with a very small pillow behind my back.