Would you like to read more in the new year? I don’t mean reading to your kids. I mean reading for you.
Many of us want to read more, but we’re not sure how to make that happen. We feel like we can’t fit it in, or maybe we even feel guilty when we sit down to read something just for fun.
This episode is just what you need! I’m chatting with Anne Bogel from Modern Mrs. Darcy, author of I’d Rather Be Reading.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- why it’s OK to prioritize your reading life
- how to read more (hint: we all have a bit more time than we think)
- why it’s just fine to quit a book that is causing a block
Plus, we recommend about 20 books for you … I mean, of course, right?!
Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:
- 1:04 Read-Aloud challenge time!
- 2:40 Books for YOU!
- 3:44 Listener Q: Should kids read to me?
- 6:52 Prioritizing your reading life
- 8:31 Anne Bogel is back!
- 10:24 Pick a winner
- 11:51 It is OK to quit
- 12:56 Has Anne ever had a reading slump?
- 14:48 I want to read, but how?
- 18:51 Two types of readers
- 20:10 Bookworm problems
- 21:23 Re-reading
- 25:12 Mysteries
- 27:47 Historical fiction
- 29:25 Page-turners
- 31:06 Beautiful language
- 33:04 Fast books
- 34:41 A series
- 36:32 A classic
- 37:21 Non-fiction
- 39:38 Let the Kids Speak
Links from this episode:
- Register for the 31 day Read-Aloud Challenge
- Modern Mrs. Darcy
- What Should I Read Next
- RAR #43: Raising Kids Who read, Daniel Willingham
Recommendations by category:
Mysteries:
Historical Fiction:
Page Turners:
Books with Beautiful Language:
- Sarah: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry or Watch With Me by Wendell Berry
- Anne: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Fast Books:
- Sarah: Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison and Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
- Anne: The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris
Favorite Series:
- Sarah: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
- Anne: Three Pines Mysteries by Louise Penney, starting with Still Life or The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, starting with Cinder
Classics:
- Sarah: Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton
- Anne: Emma by Jane Austen
Non-fiction:
- Sarah: Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Anne: You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt or Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
Quotes to remember:
“For all of the talk about how important it is to help our kids fall in love with reading, if they don’t actually see the adults in their lives reading for pleasure then why would they believe us when we talk about the refreshment and joy that reading gives or that reading is a worthwhile thing to do just for the joy of it?” -Sarah Mackenzie
“The important thing to remember before you go looking for great books for you is that a great book means different things to different people.” – Anne Bogel
“If you were in a reading slump the single best thing you can do is to set aside a book that’s not working for you.” – Anne Bogel
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
You’ll also enjoy:
- Answers to questions about the 31-day read-aloud challenge
- How to find time to read as a busy mom
- Cultivating a reading life