Reading was a huge part of my life for so many years. Then, I became an adult with a full-time job so reading became what I did all day long at work. When I had free time, reading wasn’t what I wanted to do for fun anymore. Then, I had kids and I had to put my reading habit almost completely on the shelf during the season of newborns and little sleep.
Years passed and I started to really miss my reading habit. A year ago, I decided to be intentional about making reading for fun a priority again. I replaced my nightly social media scrolling with a book and haven’t looked back.
At first, it took a lot of trial and error to find books I wanted to read at this stage of life. Back in high school, I was a Nicholas Sparks girl. Before having kids, I loved a good, extra creepy mystery. But now, as a 35-year-old mom of three, I don’t want to read anything that I know will depress me or keep me up at night. I started with some popular books and authors. I discovered I really don’t like Colleen Hoover (don’t come for me), but I am becoming a Sarah J. Maas fan and I really like most books by Kristin Hannah. The bright side to being out of the reading game for so long is there are soooo many good books to get caught up on.
I’ve given myself permission to NOT finish a book if I hate it or can’t get into it.
I’m not a quitter, but I make an exception when it comes to reading. I realize that if I force myself to complete a book, I ultimately read less because it would take me so long to trudge through it. It took me back to the summers in high school when I had to do required reading. Reading is for pure enjoyment now and as a mom, it’s sometimes a luxury, so I’ve made myself a promise to never waste time on a book I don’t like.
I use technology to help myself read.
I was once a very hardcore “I will only read physical, paper copies of books” person, but I have found that’s just not practical for me, I got a Kindle and it’s the best. I love how all my books are stored in one place and I can instantly download any book to read. I also downloaded the Libby and the Goodreads apps. Libby lets me borrow library books on my Kindle for free, so if I don’t like a book, I haven’t wasted any money on it. Goodreads lets me keep track of what I have read and I can rate the books I read. It offers me reading suggestions based on the books I like (or don’t). And, as a person who loves to work towards a goal, I love the feature where you can set a reading goal for the year. I also follow friends on the app to see what they are reading for even more book suggestions.
I joined my neighborhood book club.
This club has forced me into being a more well-rounded reader. I have read lots of books that I otherwise never would have picked up. There have been some books that were not my favorite, but I love getting to discuss the books I don’t like with the other ladies in the group. I think reading is so much more exciting when it becomes a shared experience. If you don’t know of a book club you can join, start one. I can almost guarantee that there are people in your circle who would happily discuss books with you on a regular basis if you just asked.
Intentional reading! What a novel (pun intended) idea! Great idea to put down the scrolling and pick up the book and discover the joy all over again. When I was a mother of young children I had to put aside reading for pleasure in order to access all the hours a day had to offer. Now that I am a retired grandmother, I sometimes treat myself to a whole day of reading, immersing myself in a good book without guilt, knowing I had banked the time from my earlier years. That day will come – take heart.