University of Kwazulu-Natal

12 Ways To Read 100 Books A Year Beacon

Bonisiwe Shabane
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12 ways to read 100 books a year beacon

“If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate” Somebody once asked Warren Buffett about his secret to success. Buffett simply pointed to a stack of books and said: “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.

All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.” Early in his career, Buffett would actually read 800 pages a day, not 500. Even now, he still reads for about 8 hours a day. How does he do it? Easy. He makes reading a priority in his life.

And you know what? He’s not the only one. This article was co-authored by Grant Faulkner, MA. Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A.

in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. This article has been viewed 65,434 times. One hundred books in a year may seem like an impossible accomplishment. Where will you find the time? If you really examine your daily life and your schedule, you’ll probably find that you actually have quite a bit of time that is spent on activities that can easily be turned into reading... If you truly have a passion for reading and want to achieve the goal of at least 100 books in a year, you can definitely do it.

"Audiobooks are a great option if you want to read more classics. Shakespeare’s plays, for example, are meant to be performed or read aloud, so audiobooks truly enhance the experience. Hearing the narrator’s tone of voice and emotional performance also makes the language easier to comprehend and more accessible for a modern audience." Prolific reading is a habit practised by many of the most influential leaders of our time. This includes Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet. Consistent reading doesn’t have to be hard.

I’m sharing how I went from being “not a reader” to reading 100 books a year. Last year, I shared how I read 60 books a year. I’ve been reading at least a book a week for years now. What I didn’t share at the time was, that in 2023 I had a new goal. To read 100 books in the year. I’ll preface this blog too by saying that the number is purely a vanity metric.

Don’t get caught up on yours. The reason I made the significant leap was that I noticed something shift. Reading has brought me peace and insights I wouldn’t otherwise have for many years now. But, it didn’t necessarily always come easy. Despite my best intention, time and focus were nearly always a challenge. After reading consistently for many years, I eventually found the habit started to become easier and easier.

So, in this blog, I’m sharing my top tips not so you can also read 100 books. But, to share how I made the reading habit come more easily. I believe storytelling is your greatest opportunity to learn from those who have gone before you. Those who felt a duty to help pave the way for those to come. I won’t be able to teach you how to speed read. I won’t be able to do that because I don’t know how.

What I do know how to do is read 100 books in a year, so that’s what we’re going to talk about. You’ve got a lot of fun reading to do, so let’s not beat around the bush. Step 1: Expand your definition of what counts. As the end of the year approaches, many of us begin writing down our New Year’s resolutions. Among these goals, reading more books often makes the list—but it’s also one of the hardest to accomplish. Why do so many people struggle to reach their reading targets?

Let’s break it down and discover practical strategies to help you read over 100 books in just one year. The first reason we fail to meet our reading goals is that the goal itself can feel overwhelming. For my 2024 resolution, I ambitiously decided to read 100 books. It sounded impossible at first, but I made it happen by breaking the goal into smaller steps. I began by setting a much smaller target: just 10 books. Achieving this felt manageable and gave me the motivation to set another goal of 10 books—and then another.

By focusing on incremental progress instead of the big picture, I was able to maintain my momentum and end the year with over 100 books under my belt. A common mistake when setting a reading goal is sticking to one genre, author, or type of book. To keep things exciting and avoid burnout, explore different genres and styles. Don’t limit yourself to bestsellers or the works of a single writer—give lesser-known books a chance, too. You’d be surprised how much variety can make reading feel like an adventure rather than a chore. Somebody once asked Warren Buffett about his secret to success.

Buffett simply pointed to a stack of books and said: “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.” Early in his career, Buffett would actually read 800 pages a day, not 500.

Even now, he still reads for about 8 hours a day. How does he do it? Easy. He makes reading a priority in his life. And you know what? He’s not the only one.

I’ll be honest, I used to think reading 100 books a year was only possible for people who had endless free time, no jobs, and definitely no Netflix account. But a few years ago, I challenged myself to try, and surprisingly, I actually managed to pull it off. It wasn’t about speed reading or skipping sleep, it was about building smart habits, staying consistent, and knowing how to enjoy the process. If you’ve ever dreamed of hitting that magical number, here’s exactly how to do it without burning out. Before diving into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” For me, it wasn’t about bragging rights, it was about growth. Reading this much changed the way I thought, expanded my vocabulary, gave me new perspectives, and honestly, made me more creative.

And let’s face it, if you read 100 books, you’re basically carrying a mini-university in your head. When I first saw “100 books a year,” it felt impossible. But then I did the math: That’s it. Suddenly, it didn’t feel so scary. It’s not about racing, it’s about steady progress.

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“If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate” Somebody once asked Warren Buffett about his secret to success. Buffett simply pointed to a stack of books and said: “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.

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And You Know What? He’s Not The Only One. This

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