Here’s How To Read More This Autumn (& 8 Books To Start With)
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3 weeks ago
Catch up with your reading goal before the end of 2025
There’s abundant evidence that reading is good for you, from boosting mental cognition to improving sleep. One of the largest barriers to sitting down and cracking the spine of a fresh book? Time. (And those pesky social media distractions that suck up all of our spare minutes.) Whether you rarely pick up a book and want to start reading, look back fondly on your halcyon reading days and want to get back into it, or you’re an avid reader but set a bit of an ambitious target for 2025, here are seven tips to read more from our expert book curation friends at Ultimate Library.
How To Get Back Into Reading This Autumn: 7 Tips
Riverstone Living Library: a dedicated library at Riverstone Kensington, filled with books in over 20 genres to entertain and inspire retirement residents. (© Nick Rochowski and Hannah Franklin)
1. Set A Realistic Goal
Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves… If you’re returning to reading after a hiatus, or even if you’re an avid reader already, setting a realistic goal is the first step to accomplishment. Try not to compare yourself to others when you do this, and instead set a goal based on the time you have and the amount you read already. Newbies should start with one book per month – 12 per year – or set a goal based on the number of pages. If you think you can manage more than that, nudge the goal higher.
As the team at Ultimate Library say: ‘Opening a 500-page novel can feel daunting, but remember the saying: “There’s only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.” Break it down and aim to read 30 pages a day. Before you know it, you’ll easily be devouring tomes, like Frank Herbert’s Dune.’
2. Start Small
Speaking of daunting books and pages: start small. ‘Novellas and short stories are perfect for further breaking down your reading goals,’ the Ultimate Library team shares. ‘Often short enough to be enjoyed over a single cup of coffee, the medium stretches the author’s imagination and leads to some of their most potent works. Plus, they’re light so can easily fit in a coat pocket or handbag!’
3. Build A ‘To Be Read’ Pile
Also known as a TBR among bookworms, a ‘to be read’ list is a great way to gather books you’re keen to experience – and always have your next read to hand. ‘Explore your favourite bookstores, get inspired by bookstagram accounts, and write down recommendations from friends and family,’ the Ultimate Library team recommends. ‘Having a TBR list ready ensures that once you finish one book, you’re never stuck in the “just finished the best book ever” blues.’
If a written list or note on your phone doesn’t feel sufficient, try apps like Goodreads and Storygraph, where you can shelve books as TBR, as well as track the books you’ve finished.
4. Don’t Be A Book Snob
Shake off your prejudices as to the type of reader you want to be. ‘Don’t feel pressured to read only “serious” books!’ the Ultimate Library team shares. ‘Whether it’s a Booker Prize contender or a Jilly Cooper novel, read what genuinely entertains you.’
5. Create A Reading Routine
Time to put your reading into practice. The best first step to achieving your reading goal? Finding a routine.
‘Find a time that works best for you, whether it’s the first hour of the day, your commute, or winding down before bed,’ Ultimate Library recommends. ‘Prioritising reading time in your daily routine helps make it a consistent, enjoyable habit.’
6. Drop What Doesn’t Spark Joy
Controversial in the book community, but it’s OK to stop trying with a book that just isn’t capturing your attention. ‘If a book isn’t gripping you, put it down,’ the Ultimate Library team recommends. ‘With millions of books out there, don’t waste time on something that doesn’t click and becomes an obstacle to maintaining your reading streak. Note what you didn’t like and use that insight to choose your next read.’
7. Join A Book Club – Or Start Your Own!
If you’re looking for a community to spur your motivation, pin down a reading group. ‘Whether it’s a wine-filled discussion group or a simple book-themed group chat, it doesn’t need to be a highbrow analysis of form and language, but an opportunity to share your reading journey with others,’ says the Ultimate Library team.
8 Books To Read This Autumn
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Ahead of its 2026 film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling, Andy Weir’s 2021 space opera is back in the BookTok spotlight, with fans praising it specifically as a reading slump cure. Like all of Weir’s books, it’s a page-turning romp perfect for sci-fi newbies and fanatics alike.
Cornerstone, £9.99
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
With many chapters coming in at just one page, Yasmin Zaher‘s award-winning debut The Coin is more akin to a fragmentary series of flash fictions than a linear novel, perfect to dip in and out of. And with this mosaic Zaher paints an absorbing portrait of a descent into madness, backdropped by haute couture.
Footnote Press, £9.99
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pick up any novel by this beloved author, and your reading rut will be cured. But our top pick this cosy season is the life-affirming The Midnight Library which makes an undeniable case for life with a bookish twist.
Canongate Books, £9.99
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Now an Apple TV series, Bonnie Garmus strives for concision in her debut novel – and the result is a zippy page-turner with no words wasted. Set in the 1950s, expect a feminist rewrite of chemistry and TV cooking, featuring chapters told from the perspective of a dog to boot (trust us, it works).
Transworld, £9.99
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
From the mind that brought us When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998) comes a slight romcom that jumps of the page. And with a TV chef protagonist, it’s a moreish read for foodies.
Virago Press, £9.99
Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna
If you are nostalgic for the summer now passed and you are seeking some propulsive escapism, Oisin McKenna’s page-turning debut is the salve. Set over the course of one sweltering weekend in London, four lives collide while a beached whale clogs the Thames.
Fourth Estate, £9.99
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Centring on an affair between two men in 1950s Paris, this story may weigh in at only 150 pages, but it is frequently cited as James Baldwin’s magnum opus.
Penguin Classics, £7.99
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This runaway hit may take its name from a line in Hamlet and may be Shakespearean in scope, but the topic is decidedly modern: video gaming. Specifically that thrilling ’90s zenith of innovation, told from the perspective of two will-they-won’t-they best friends across the course of their adult lives.
Vintage, £9.99
