We asked top readers from past years to share their perspective, advice, and a few reading recommendations! Here's a few highlights from TheRantingGnome, our current leaderboard #3.

If you were a top reader in past years, remember to check your email for an interview invite! If we pick your interview next, you’ll win a voucher for a free small prize.

What advice would you give to someone trying to read more?

Diversify, diversify, diversify! Reading looks different for everyone, and I think it’s easy to get hung up on what should and shouldn’t count as reading. When I read I’ll listen to audiobooks, I’ll read graphic novels, ebooks, poetry, novellas, fiction, or non-fiction. Any reading material that piques a person’s interest is the right reading material.

Do you ever get stuck in a reading rut? How do you get yourself reading again?

Every once in a while I get a little overwhelmed by the enormity of my to-read pile. When that happens I find reading something that feels like a snack rather then a meal is best. By choosing faster reads like graphic novels, short stories, novellas and poetry my progress becomes more obvious, and I am released from the rut that slowed my reading progress.

What are your favorite genres?

Speculative fiction has been my favorite genre for most of my life, with my current favorite subgenres being cozy fantasy and solarpunk.

Have you ever read something outside your usual genre that you loved? What was it? What did you love about it?

In recent years I’ve been reading more non-fiction. Last year I read “Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller“, and I realized that I love books about books. I’ve been steadily compiling a list of non-fiction books about booksellers, librarians, reading classics and many, many more. My new favorite of the year is Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books.

What’s your “comfort read” or a book you like to re-read?

My go to comfort reads are Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket, The Cupcake Witch by Melanie Karsak, and Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor. I re-read each of these about once per year.

Please recommend a few of your favorite books or authors!

Currently my Favorite authors are Erin Morgenstern and Hwang Bo-Reum. My top recommendation are The River has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo, and Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu.