[vvanpo]

If you browse around on Goodreads, you find a lot of people that hit this milestone. But I don't really understand how. My e-reader tells me that based on the number of books I've read and the hours I've spent reading them, one book per week would be a full-time job. Although I recognize that I'm probably a much slower reader than average.

[eatonphil]

I hit 50+ two years ago but have trended near 45 for the past few years. My basic strategy is to replace the time I spend watching tv or doom scrolling (Twitter, HN, etc.) with reading a book instead. And diversify sufficiently in book style to make this sustainable (i.e. interesting). But I can't give up watching tv or doom scrolling completely, so that's some "efficiency" lost.

There are people who read significantly more than 50 books a year and that's nuts to me. Even hitting 60 would require a lot more effort and slight discomfort than I'm willing to go for.

That said, it's incredible that I've already got a to-read list longer than I could possibly read in my life.

[pugio]

I've been doing 100+ a year for several years now. It's not for everyone, and I don't know if I actually recommend it, but here's how:

- Audiobooks at 2-3x speed. I listen while doing chores, while walking my baby in a stroller, while eating (not socially), going to bed, driving, etc.

- Ebooks, with a text-to-speech reader (I use @Voice aloud on Android). It takes more work to get used to, but I find that I can listen at a faster speed (3-4x) due to the clarity and regularity of the sound. Whereas (for fiction) an audiobook is a performance by a professional actor, this method is much closer to reading a physical book – after a while the voice of the machine fades and your own brain adds the richness of voice and tone (like you do with a physical book).

For both options, it takes practice to reach the levels I'm at. I think it's worth doing so, as it's a skill which pays large dividends over time. I should also note that more than 50% of these "100+" books are heavy-plot fiction. I slow down the playback speed for non-fiction I need to think about more carefully, or types of fiction where the quality and subtly of the prose is a major feature.