How to Read 365 Books in 2013

A book a day, every day, from tomorrow to next New Year's Eve: Sounds impossible, right? Well, Jeff Ryan managed it in 2012—without giving up his job or his family duties, he writes in Slate. Of course, he tweaked the rules a little; some days, he wouldn't have time to read, but he'd make up for that by reading multiple books later—often at the same time. By the end of today, he will have read 366 books this year. Want to mimic Ryan's resolution but not sure how to tackle it? It's not just about reading short books (though that helps), he explains.

The key is to avoid "min-maxing": That is, dropping all your other activities to focus on one. Instead, make reading your go-to activity for every free moment: Drop music for audiobooks in the car and while mowing the lawn, and forget about guilty-pleasure movies. But go for guilty-pleasure books (erotica, Star Wars novels) as well as meaty tomes. Still daunted? Consider this: "Right now, you are probably reading a comparable amount to me—but you're reading newspapers, Facebook and Twitter, and the work of the fine folks at Slate." Read more on his quest. (More Jeff Ryan stories.)