Those people sound insufferable. I have friends who enjoy books that I think are terrible, but I’m not going to tell them not to read something they like just because I have a different opinion.

If you feel overwhelmed about what to read next, maybe try putting all your options in a randomiser and let the computer decide what you should read next. It worked well for me when I had a huge TBR list and didn’t know where to start.

Listen to audiobooks while you game! It’s awesome. You can get them free from the library if you have a library card. There are also some on YouTube.

I mean we’re here to tell you not to give a shit about what they say about YOUR choice of books. But it’s ultimately up to you. So you choose: let people decide what YOU should read and be miserable or read whatever you want and be happy.

Read a little bit each day even if you have to force yourself. Not a lot. Just a few minutes or a chapter. Go through and pick something that stands out to you.

Also join reddit communities like r/lightnovels or r/manga where people who enjoy those books are discussing them and looking for recommendations.

If you’re going to be on Youtube anyway why not look up book/manga/light novel reviews or podcasts?

Being around people who enjoy the same things you do will help give you motivation to read again and confidence that you aren’t alone enjoying it.

Why do you care what people think? Read what you like.

I get it. I know people keep saying just ignore them, but we are human, so don’t beat yourself up over that. And don’t beat yourself up over getting into an endless scroll. These apps are designed to do that.

But I am gonna repeat what someone else said: start slow. You might have been an avid reader then, but sometimes just jumping in can he hard. So find a time when it works best for you, then find a good way to start.

Like set an alarm. Once that alarm goes off, if you’re not busy, then start. If you’re scrolling, no “one more video.” That’s been my biggest weakness. It’s always one more. Then one more. Then one more. Then it’s an hour later and I haven’t started anything. So as soon as it goes off, so does the video.

Then either go by time or pages. If by time, 15 minutes. If pages, 10 pages. Its not much, but the point is to get back into the habit of starting. For most non readers, this can sometimes be mentally enough. Since you have been a reader, maybe you will find you instantly want to keep going. But ti start, remind yourself that you at least need to just do that. Then you can go back to scrolling if you want. I find it easier to convince myself to do it on days when I’m not feeling it as much if I remind myself “I only need to do this much”. Some days I just do that. Some days I do a bit more. But at least on those days I’m getting a little bit.

Everyone experiences slumps of things they enjoy. Don’t worry about forcing yourself to rush back into reading if you’re not feeling it. You’ll get back into it on your own time, and that’s ok.

As for people judging you, it’s a smart move to distance yourself from judgmental people. As you get older, you’ll get better at ignoring it and not caring what others think. As presidential advisor Bernard Baruch once said, “Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.”

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” -G.R.R. Martin

One thing to remember, people who “judged” you for doing what you like are unhappy people. They see you being happy with simple things and they are unable to achieve that level of happiness, so they say things to poison you. Don’t go to their level, the best revenge is to be happy and to show them their opinions does not matter to you.

You are still young and figuring yourself out. One day you will make that revelation yourself, that everyone doesn’t know what they are doing in life. Every adult is stumbling through life and making it up as they go. And the best happiness comes from not giving a crap.

As for reigniting your passion, I would first cut back on social media, especially short videos. YT shorts, IG reels, and Tick Tok are all designed to shorten your attention spans. It gives you short bursts of dopamine but does a lot more harm than good.

Get back on track with light stuff, like webtoons, manga, or light novels. Browse through book stores or libraries if you can. There’s a pleasure and rush physically taking a book home and feeling the excitement to read.

Allot yourself some quiet time. Put away your phone, have your favorite drink and snack and have a bit of you time and read. Play music, light a candle, put on a face mask, wear your favorite PJ’s. Treat it as a form of self care. Let your brain reassociate reading with pleasure. Before you know it, you’ll be addicted again.

In addition to the “ignore what other people say” i would also add that you can decide what to talk about with whom.

Don’t talk about what you read with people who negatively judge your reading habits.

Reading is for fun. Not some weird achievement hunt. I read what i enjoy. If you don’t like it, that is your problem.

Read what you want. But I really would encourage you to try to work more serious books into your routine, especially the classics. Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Brontë, Dickens, Cervantes, Balzac etc etc will enrich your life in amazing ways.

I read all kinds of stuff. Classic literature, poetry, all kinds of books from light-hearted, to dark and heavy, philosophy, medical and psychology research, and manga, from Toilet Bound Hanako Kun, to anything by Junji Ito. I’ve had people try to insult me for reading certain things, but life is such a short thing. You have to find the things that bring you joy. You know what that is, and it’s clearly not these ridiculous people judging and insulting your choices. Like everyone is saying here, you’re going to have to realize for yourself that you need to do what makes you happy. That’s all that matters.

You mention art, I’ll assume you enjoy creating art? Someone I respect very much is really into art, and absolutely loves playing Genshin Impact. She started reading a lot of mythology as it relates so much to the lore used in Genshin, and she draws things inspired by what she reads. My point, and I’m sure it’s the same as most people commenting here, your interests are yours, you can’t use up the precious time in your life not doing the things that make you happy. So sink into the things you want to read, and you’ll see the rude opinions of others fade away.

I must say I don’t really understand your problem, I’m a person that doesn’t really care about other people’s truths and ideas( I can be persuaded if something makes sense tho) so if someone is telling me that my harem litrpg porn book is bad and I shouldn’t read it I say: yeah ? And continue with my harem book :-P… in church ignoring everyone around me (my mother had an accident and she’s a devoted Christian I had to help her but I’m something like “all religion is cancer” guy myself so I took my book to not get bored)

I sometimes set a ten minute timer for reading if I’m struggling to motivate myself and that can help.

You read what you f. want and how you f. want. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. If you want to read Dickens or Manga is solely your decision.

Stop caring what other people think. Read what you want. Someone judging you negatively for reading something you want to read is just immature behaviour. Fuck em.