University of Kwazulu-Natal

On Reading More How I Read Over 100 Books In A Year

Bonisiwe Shabane
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on reading more how i read over 100 books in a year

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." 2021 was a pivotal year in my reading career. It was the year I set a challenging reading goal — 100 books. And for the first time, I was committed to achieving it. Most people’s impression of people who hit reading goals like 50, 75, or 100+ books a year is that those people have always been avid readers. That wasn’t true for me.

I read ten books in 2020, the year before my 100 book challenge. And in the years prior, I’d read even less. So, what happened? In 2020, I was already around five years into my career as a freelance writer, primarily writing content for IT and cybersecurity companies. I was writing a lot but barely reading. The thing is, I’d always been decently good at English and English literature, consistently scoring high grades in school despite dedicating little time to reading or diving into those topics in any significant way.

Then, in my early 20s, I secured an apprenticeship in Marketing and Communications, where I developed those skills further (primarily due to colleagues who’d rip apart my work, for which I’m now grateful!). However, my lack of reading (beyond a few books a year) became a significant point of insecurity for me over time. I remember reading Stephen King’s On Writing, where he says, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and… Reading 100 books a year sounds like a fantasy for anyone juggling a 9-to-5 job, family commitments, and a social life. But what if I told you it’s not only possible but achievable without sacrificing sleep or sanity? As someone who went from struggling to finish 10 books a year to consistently hitting the 100-book mark,

I’ve learned that the secret lies in strategy, not speed. This guide shares the exact system I use to read voraciously while keeping my career and personal life intact. Before diving into tactics, it’s crucial to reframe how you think about reading: After reading 100 books in a year, I learned a lot about myself, my reading habits, and why I won’t read that many books in a year again anytime soon. When I first got serious about reading, I was not interested in the process of rating my books. Instead, I decided to use a really simplified version.

If I would recommend the book to the right audience, I would give it a star. If I wouldn’t recommend it, no star. Originally, I was afraid that I would overthink a 5 star rating process, but about halfway through the year, I realized that I craved a more nuanced rating system. I wanted a way to tell a “WOW” book from a “good, but just okay” book. Now that I’ve reached the end of the year, it has been incredibly helpful to see the exact star rating for each book at a glance – especially since I read such a large... I’ve also learned that it isn’t difficult for me to go with my gut instinct on my rating.

I don’t overthink it like I thought that I would. While reading 100 books in a year, I only read 5 books in print – and 2 of those were books I read aloud to my kids. My favorite way to read books is using my Kindle Paperwhite. 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. I’ve talked about this a few times, but I got back into reading in the past twoish years. It’s been really nice to escape into worlds instead of doom-scrolling on social media; however, lately, I’ve been scrolling through Substack versus my Instagram or TikTok. It’s been so fun to discover new and different writers!

I know a lot of you are like, Becca, how is it possible that you read all of these books in one year? Did you process all of them? How did you do it? Can you teach me how to do it? This post is gonna be full of all the hacks you need to hit your reading goals for 2025. Make sure to share and subscribe for more content like this!

For me, listening to audiobooks has been completely life-changing. At least ten or more books that I “read” were audiobooks last year. I just learned how to track audiobooks properly on Storygraph! I have an NYPL card, and I am also a Spotify premium member, so I have access to them. If you do not have a library card, you need to get one! Not only can an NYPL card give me access to books of all formats, but it can also give me access to a lot of NYC landmarks, and that will be another newsletter.

Spotify premium members get 15 free hours of audiobook listening time every single month. Once I realized that was a thing, I started to take advantage of it. A majority of books I’m interested in are 9-11 hours. If you run out of time, you can top off for an additional fee. This is not sponsored by them, however if Spotify sees this, I would love to work with you! Each year I try to read 100 books or more.

I don’t always make my goal — minor life events like pushing a whole human being out of my own body derailed my 2023 progress, for instance — but for the most part, I’m... So, how am I able to avoid the pitfalls of endless Twitter doomscrolls or getting sucked into a TikTok binge? It’s not always easy, I’ll tell you that. But if one of your resolutions in 2025 is to read more books, I’ve found that there are a few (relatively simple) ways to help beef up your reading habits that don’t involve swearing... (Then again, Netflix subscriptions are outrageously expensive these days — your wallet is probably better off with that new thriller your got from the library, instead.) A little disclaimer: the following tricks aren’t rocket science, but then again, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s always easy to consciously prioritize reading in your life if you don’t already.

(Presumably that’s also why you’re reading this blog post.) For me, it helps that 1.) I love reading (love it), and 2.) that I’m a pretty fast reader, and always have been. If that doesn’t sound like you, never fear — I’m here to help whether you want to increase how many books you read this year, or if you simply just want to be more... A post shared by Quinn📖 (@whatisquinnreading) One of the best things about a voracious reading habit is that it’s (mostly) free. You can obviously shell out for new hardcovers the day of their release as often as you please, but getting yourself a library card will open you up to a giant (and most importantly,... Access to the library doesn’t mean you have to hoof it to your local branch whenever you need a new book, either — libraries work in tandem with apps like Libby, which let you...

Simply sign in, link your library card to your account, and voila — you’re well on your way to a growing TBR pile. If you have extra cash to burn, you can also consider a subscription service on top of your library membership — I use Kindle Unlimited myself, and am a former Book of the Month... Check out my complete list of 100 books read in 2018 (including my Top 10 and Bottom 10) At the beginning of 2018, I decided that I was going to read 100 books in a year and post all of the book reviews on my Instagram account. Reading 100 books in a year might sound like an insurmountable challenge at first. You might be picturing endless nights buried in books, sacrificing sleep, and turning down social events just to make it through.

But with the right approach, it’s a goal that’s not only achievable but can be a deeply enriching experience. Let’s dive into the strategies that will help you reach this ambitious target while still enjoying the process. Before you dive into this journey, it’s important to understand your motivation. Why do you want to read 100 books? Maybe you’re looking to expand your knowledge, improve your focus, or simply enjoy more stories. Whatever your reason, keeping it front and center will help you stay motivated.

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