So I know that a lot of you from TikTok joined my Bindery hoping for Deep Reading Tips, and I am finally delivering.

I started a reading journal and I am loving the journey. It allows me to slow down and rate books at my own pace. I also really enjoy the process of decorating and journaling, using different colors and textures in my notebook, and figuring out a layout that feels like me. It's not super aesthetic but it's mine and I feel pride in creating something.

I used to use Goodreads for my reviews and I still will, but having my own catalog of books I’ve read, with my own handwritten thoughts that I can flip through at any time, is just really appealing.

Especially since I’ve also decided that doom scrolling is my new enemy.

Like actually.

I also started verbally annotating in my notes app. Nothing fancy, just my thoughts. Sometimes it is literally, “This book is so boring.” But even that tells me something. Maybe the pacing is slow. Maybe I am not in the mood for this genre. Maybe I just do not connect with the writing.

Other times it is me noticing something small. A repeated image. A line that feels too specific to be random. A moment that feels like it is setting something up. I love catching foreshadowing before it fully happens. It makes me feel like I am actually in conversation with the story instead of just watching it unfold.

The biggest change though is that I let myself pause.

How I deep read and think about books is a little unique to me because of my lived experiences. The connections I make come from that. And the connections you make will be unique to you because of yours. That’s why book clubs are fun. You get to talk about the different things you felt or experienced while reading.

So one last tip for deep reading is to join a book club.

So yeah, this may not be a typical “how to deep read” post. But I hope it helps someone get started and stop worrying about doing things the right way or not feeling smart enough to deep read.

Start with writing down your thoughts.

And make it fun for you.