You may have noticed that one of our favorite conversations is about books. In our household, it always has been. We aren’t picky about the books we read. Some books provoke deep thought, some pull you into a world where everything feels new, some are set in a way that feels familiar. To us, there is no wrong answer. Fiction and non-fiction are loved the same. This love for books got us thinking about how we got to this level of emotion towards them. The answer is simple, by reading. The more you read, the easier it becomes, and the more likely you are to find something you enjoy. We aren’t all cut from the same cloth. It’s okay if you don’t like every book you read or have a genre you prefer. Heck, we don’t like every book we read, but it helps guide us to the next one. The question is then, how do you read more. We got you covered.
- Carry a book with you everywhere- This is key. If you don’t have a book with you, you can’t read it.
- Do not worry about finishing a chapter- The hardest trick for us to follow is this one. It takes practice to stop reading in the middle of the chapter, but it’s a must because it allows you to read in shorter bursts. When you must finish a chapter, you are setting a time limit.
- Use a bookmark- If you aren’t finishing a chapter, you need a way to keep your place. There is nothing worse than reading pages over because you forgot where you were or spending five minutes trying to find your place.
- Steal the extra moments for reading- Yes, we mean the school pick-up line and waiting room at the doctor’s office. Because you aren’t committed to finishing a chapter, and you have a bookmark to keep your place, it’s easy to sneak in a couple of extra minutes with your book. We find these stolen moments feel very similar to a stolen afternoon nap, a little moment of bliss.
Those are our four tips. We aren’t going to tell you what to read. We aren’t going to ask you to put it on your schedule. We are just going to encourage you to find the moments that work for you. Replace some of the endless scrolling on social media with a book. It’s not too late to become an avid reader. You don’t need to have this deep love for books at an early age, or even at all. All you need is to pick up a book and start reading. Again, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Summer Reading List
We have a couple of books in our stack that we are looking forward to reading this summer. If you are looking for a book idea, these may work for you.
The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Move the Needle by Shelley Brander
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde
Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner