This is the way. When I was younger I was obsessed with keeping my books looking pristine for some odd reason. Possibly drilled into me when I would frequent the library and was taught to keep those books as if they were my own. My family had a bit of a joke that I would just "peak" into books when reading. Now that I'm wiser I'm much less concerned about this; creases and cracks in the spine show the signs of a well loved book.

I've been a lifelong reader but Ive gone through prolonged lulls where it doesn't interest me as much. I found changing my evening routine to shut things down and devote 15-30 minutes before bed to reading a book. Also helps to focus on subject content you know will hold your attention or at least interest you enough to continue.

I personally don't like audio books. Listening is a passive activity for me and I often find myself then trying to do 1 or 2 other things at the same time, then I'm no longer actually paying attention to the audio book. But whatever works for you.