Welcome book lovers and lovers of books! One of my favorite activities is to drink hot cocoa and read a good book. I have learned to adapt my approaches to reading during my journey of growth and transition from a single woman to a super busy mother of three little ones. The following are my three approaches that I frequently choose from and often combine as I climb may way back to being the avid reader I was in my youth.
Approach #1: I Love the Way Those Pages Turn
I used to strictly be a book-in-hand reader. There is just something about turning the pages and being able to flip through it to certain parts (possibly the end, because I have zero patience and am always here for spoilers 😂). Of course you can’t forget all of the beautiful bookmarks to mark my place.
Approach #2: Did I Hear That Correctly?
About two years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the world of audiobooks and 1.75x speed. Let me tell you it was a game changer! I went from a terrible book reading hiatus because it was so difficult to juggle two toddlers, a baby and hold a book open to reading 10 books in two months. Audiobooks opened a new world of opportunity to me as a busy reader. I’m still limited because I have to listen in my car as I drive for work, but now I enjoy riding around.
Approach #3: Evolution Can be Surprising
When you combine my new love of audiobooks with my second game changer: the e-reader; we are in business! While it is hard to hold a baby and an entire book open, an e-reader can fit into the palm of your hand, ie your cell phone. Libby and the Kindle e-reader apps are my new best friends! I can check out books from the library anytime of the day or night. And while I endure another episode of Paw Patrol, I can quietly be finishing up a good book without drawing the attention of a toddler who likes to pull the bookmark out of my hard copy books when I am distracted.
So there you have it folks! My master plan for reading books in a home full of kids. So let’s get this show on the road and check out some books. I will be periodically posting reviews of books that I have read for both personal pleasure and as an educator. Hope you enjoy, find something new to read and pass on a reading recommendation to someone who needs it!
Cheers to Books!
