Today is National Book Lovers Day, and if you know me a little bit, you know I love books. I love reading. If you follow me on IG that’s not news to you. But it may surprise you to know how much I struggled to read in junior high and high school. I often say that my sixteen year old self is so disappointed in who I’ve become.
Now I’m the girl who prefers the book over the movie, and spends her spare minutes gravitating toward a book rather than her phone. Call it an addiction. Call it an obsession. I’m okay with it though. Because some obsessions actually make you a better human. And this one certainly does for me.
Reading connects my heart and mind to the world and needs around me. It teaches my mind how the world works; it teaches my heart how the world feels. It transports me to another time and place, and at the end, I see how the struggles of a hundred years ago are not unlike the struggles of today.
Reading makes me more grateful for those around me and for what I have. It makes me compassionate for those who are trying to find there way despite all the obstacles they face.
There are two questions people often ask me. Have you read any good books lately? and How do you read so much?
1. Have you read any good books lately?
The answer is always yes. And it’s why I started posting my booklist on IG. Often my mind goes blank when asked, and I have to go back and search (because it’s also important to me to recommend good books). I’ve never had a good system for keeping track of books I completed before. Not only does posting help me stop and reflect on what I’ve read (I only post after I completed a book), but it also helps others find book recommendations a little easier.
2. How do you read so much?
The short answer is, I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t feel like I read a lot, and I’m just as surprised myself whenever I get to the end of a book. I’m not a super fast reader- I don’t speed read and I don’t skim, but when I’m looking for information or trying to understand a new concept, I don’t stop until I do. What I am intentional about is what I read and when I read.
At any given time I read three to five books- never more than one fiction at a time. The realist in me struggles to read fiction, but the more I do, the more I experience its benefits. Sometimes I’ll read spiritual growth books in the morning (not every morning and no more than about 30 minutes). I read other non-fiction books in the late afternoon between about 3-5pm when emails are done and my brain can’t write/produce anymore, and my kids are preoccupied. I’m interrupted regularly or up and down doing other stuff, so it’s not “quiet” time. It gets me through the late afternoon lull. I read lighter non-fiction books or fiction at night before bed (usually between 9-10). It helps me mentally wind down and sleep much better.
I don’t read everyday; I don’t force myself to read when I don’t want to. I read to learn new ideas. I read to grow in new ways. I read to empathize with the world around me. It seems to be working.
So far this year I’ve read 35 books. (My goal is to read 50 for the year…though getting to 52- & average one/week would make me happier.) Here are my favorites so far and a few I’m looking forward to.
Favorite Fiction (so far…)
Both of these novels evoked deep emotion in me. They both speak of a different time and place in which culture was so different. They both challenged me to not back down when faced with adversity, but to rise up and stay strong even in the midst of great fear or disappointment.
Favorite Non-fiction
This book was such a delight. I’ve admired Dallas Willard and his writing for several years and saw him as our modern C.S. Lewis until he died a few years ago. Reading more about his life opened my eyes to how God can use ordinary people to do incredible things. I have a feeling we’ll be reading Dallas’s words long after this “modern” time period has passed onto a new one.
Looking forward to Reading…
Heard many good things about this ones. Curiosity makes me want to check it out.
Why wouldn’t you want to read this?!?
Currently reading this slowly and loving it.It’s 40 years old and I love how relevant it still is. Will be basing my fall women’s group on many of the things in it. Might still be reading this in December. While I do read a lot- & sometimes fast, it’s never at the expense of growth. Some books you just need to sit with a while.
What books are you reading? What’s on your list?!