Side quests are fun little missions that help us romanticize everyday life, add a bit of adventure to our routines, and create memorable moments along the way. So let’s do it for reading!
Here are 6 ways we can immerse ourselves even more deeply into our love of reading this summer. Think of these as optional mini adventures for book lovers – no pressure, no strict rules, and definitely no guilt if you don’t complete them all. Pick one that sounds fun, try a few throughout the season, or challenge yourself to do them all.
1. Go for an Audiobook walk
An audiobook walk is simply walking while listening to an audiobook. Go solo if you enjoy quiet time, or join an organized audiobook or walking group if there’s one in your area.
Track how many audiobook walks you went on (of at least 30 minutes) and if you went with a group.
2. Read Outisde
By “outside” we mean get out of your house or apartment, and read in a differnt locale. So take your book to the beach, poolside, settle in on a park bench, or have a picnic. And if the summer temperatures are too intense, go to a cafe.
Track how many different locations you read for at least 30 mins.
3. Visit the library … in person
I love the digital features of the library and use them all the time – most of the books I read are borrowed from the library this way (audiobooks and eBooks), but this summer, let’s also show up in person at our local library. Go there to read for a while, or pick a random book and borrow it.
Bonus Quest: Ask the librarian for a recommendation and then actually read it.
4. 5 Minute Non-fiction Mornings
Let’s spend just 5 minutes in the mornings reading something non-fiction: an essay, a magazine article, or a chapter in a non-fiction book, or even a long-form piece on a topic that you want to learn more about. It doesn’t have to be every morning – it could be 1 morning a week, or 1 morning a month, or on the weekends.
Track the topics you read about.
5. Have a “Do Nothing” Day (or Morning or Afternoon)
This is such a luxury, but you can’t tell me this doesn’t reset your brain in the best way. Set aside a morning, afternoon or evening where your only plan is to do nothing but read and/or watch a movie or tv show based on a book. At least 3 hours.
6. Bake Reading Snacks
Let’s bake ourselves something to eat while we read. Cookies, browines, muffins or even a cake … whatever you desire! The recipe doesn’t have to be complicated, but let’s enjoy something we created, while doing something we love.
Enjoy questing this summer!
