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While I know my personal reading lists are always overambitious, I love making them and I find that I DO read more when I have a list. It’s like my own little personal syllabus (because you don’t have to be in grad school to have a life of the mind, right?) But whenever I post a yearly reading list, I get a lot of questions asking, “how do you get so much reading done?!”
Because yes, there are three small humans at my house. And we homeschool. And I work from home. Time is indeed a precious resource.
So here’s a few of my secrets to reading more:
Read more than one book at a time.
This might not work for everyone, but I really enjoy reading more than one book at a time. Particularly if I’m tackling a big classic like Les Mis or The Brothers Karamazov. That way if I get a little bogged down, my reading doesn’t come to an absolute standstill.
I also enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction at the same time. Non-fiction is hard for me to get through, I’d always rather read a novel. So if I can motivate myself to read a chapter of a non-fiction book on a topic I want to learn more about with the promise of 20 minutes with a novel, I read more.
The other perk to reading multiple books at a time is that if you misplace your book (story of my life, but note to self: it’s always under a bed in the kids room), you’ve got another book you can pick up off the shelf until it resurfaces.
Enjoy audiobooks.
I’ve shared before about how I fall asleep to audiobooks. But I also love listening to them in the car. And now my six-year-old is also obsessed and loves to listen to them while he plays with LEGO during rest time in the afternoon when the girls are napping. But it’s amazing how many books you can listen to if you utilize some of the free resources, like Librivox. And most libraries have great options for borrowing audiobooks.
Build reading time into your day.
I usually sneak in some reading during nap time/rest time every afternoon as well as just before bed. This way I’m reading a little bit everyday and that keeps me motivated. Lots of people enjoy reading first thing in the morning but since my kids wake up at the crack of dawn, that’s just not gonna happen right now at my house.
I can tell that taking time to read really helps my mood and general well-being. I’ve been really trying to make an effort to have hobbies/activities away from screens since so much of my time spent writing/blogging has to be on a laptop.
Have some accountability.
If I’m reading a book to discuss on the podcast I’m far more likely to read it in a timely manner. Same goes for book clubs and reading with friends. Sometimes it helps to have that extra accountability!
Make a list of what you’d like to read.
I usually start by scanning our bookshelves for books we already own that I have been meaning to read for ages. Then I jot down anything I can think of that’s been highly recommended. I also usually think of one or two major classics that are on my mental Books to Read Before I Die list. Then I move them around so there’ s a healthy mix of fiction/non-fiction and new books/old books.
Here’s how it’s going so far:
January
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (start)
- ✓ Emma by Jane Austen (re-read)
- ✓ One by One in the Darkness by Deirdre Madden
- ✓ Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (to discuss on the podcast)
With the Kids:
- Shakespeare Stories for Young Readers by E. Nesbit
- Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
I’ve finished three of the books I wanted to read myself in January and I’ve read a good chunk of All the Light We Cannot See. I knew The Brothers Karamazov would take me a few months so I’m not planning to have it completely read til late spring. And the kids and I should finish up the two books we’re doing as read alouds next week. So just about on schedule!
One by One in the Darkness was a gorgeous book and of course, I loved re-reading Emma. I liked Drive, although if I had it to do over I would have borrowed it from the library instead of bought it because I don’t usually like to read non-fiction over again and I didn’t find it earth shattering or anything.
I’m really enjoying the books I’m reading with the kids and I’m looking forward to my February books, too.
February:
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (continue)
- Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
- A Time to Keep by George Mackay Brown
- How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig
We’ll see if I can keep up! Either way, I’m enjoying spending more time with an open book.
Did you make goals to read more in 2016? How’s it going?
I never have trouble finding time to read, it’s a priority for me, like breathing
Last year I recorded reading 125 books but I know I read more, just wasn’t as diligent as some years.
I’ve thought about writing lists, goals, I have in the past but I realised I never stick to them. So instead I make more general ones like, find some new authors, try some different genre, lift me reading game
125! That’s amazing!
Check out Well Read Mom!
http://www.wellreadmom.com
I’m a big fan of Well Reas Mom, it’s my favorite evening every month!!
I always love what Well Read Mom has on their list! I just never feel like I can add ONE MORE THING to my schedule, ya know?
If you can, I really recommend listening to Mindy Kaling as an audiobook. She reads it herself, and the comedic timing and tone don’t translate as well to the written book.
I have an audible membership, but I think if you sign up for a free trial you get an audiobook for free. Although, if you’re only going to get one, it should really be Tina Fey’s Bossypants. I listen to that one at least twice a year because it is perfection.
Aw, bummer. I already ordered the print book from Amazon. But now I do want to listen to Bossypants!
Great post! I just had my first baby last February and haven’t read anything besides the occasional parenting book since then. I have such a long list of books waiting to get read. I love GoodReads.com because you can set a goal and it tracks it for you!
I read almost not at all the year my first baby was born! It gets easier!
I love your book posts– this winter I read the Anne of Green Gables series (for the first time since I was a kid) and just finished In This House of Brede, both from your recommendation… I loved them all so your opinion is as good as gold for me!
I started the Brothers K a couple weeks ago, mostly just because my firstborn is due in April and I figured if I’m ever going to get through this book, now is the time. I like it so far! Although I was sitting at the laundomat reading it today and got to the point where Ivan goes on a tirade about children suffering… and that was kind of heavy for the laundromat.
So glad you loved In This House of Brede!
I’m so impressed that you’re reading Brothers K during pregnancy. I’ve tried to read it TWICE during pregnancies but don’t seem to have enough brain cells to get me past the first 50 pages. But now I’m 150 pages in! We’re doing this! Haha
Thanks for the tips Hayley. If you are up for a quick distraction I would really recommend The Awakening of Miss Prim. It is pretty short but a really lovely read. It is not explicitly a book about religion but I think the author must be Catholic- the Catholic world view is just so evident in the book. If I had to sum up what it was all about I would say “evangelisation through culture”, with a lot of tea drinking, quotes from the Classics, and praise of Little Women thrown in for good measure! http://www.amazon.com/The-Awakening-Miss-Prim-Novel/dp/1476734240
That sounds lovely!
Hi Haley! I’m glad you post about reading. I used to read a TON as a girl growing up but somewhere during college & afterward, I began doing more crafts/sewing so rather than reading, I turned to crafts. Last couple of years I have felt I should be reading more so I’ve been trying…I have increased each year. One downside is when I start a good book, I become obsessed with it and that’s all I want to do, putting everything else aside. I began to think, “Do I really want to start a book right now if it’s going to eat up 3 days?” and so I didn’t read as much. But now I’m doing better with pacing myself. I just began “All the Light We Cannot See” from the library because every single blogger to whom I subscribe ALL recommended that book! I wanted to see what the hype was about. ; ) Enjoying it so far! Thanks for your reading encouragement. The other suggestion: a few years ago, my friend began a book group that was essentially a “show and tell!” It always seems to me that book clubs read really depressing books, and I don’t need depressing literature. This book group was fun because we all just showed up to the monthly meeting and shared the book we read – whatever we individually chose! Show and tell. You can learn about some neat books (or ones you want to avoid). It was fun camaraderie and also motivating to ensure that I read at least one book per month! Lastly: two books you should add to your reading list with your kids: David and the Phoenix by Edward Omondroyd (don’t listen to the Libravox edition of this one – I’m afraid the narrator is wanting) and also – the backside cover summary of the new edition of the book is absolutely misleading – the book is not how the back makes it sound; the Peculiar Miss Pickett by Nancy R. Julian. Both favorites from my childhood and even from my dad’s childhood! Oldies but goodies!
I’ll have to look into those! Thanks!
I made a list for each month, and have a general goal of 100. This is the first year I’m actually counting books I read with my toddler, just to see what the ratio is.
My list is on my blog, and I plan on checking out Well-Read Mom too! Thanks for the recommendations!
One of the things that’s kept me reading is ebooks. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good old-fashioned hardcover, but in this season of life, nothing is as convenient for me as being able to sneak in a chapter on my phone while I’m nursing a baby down, or having my novel handy while I’m waiting at the doctor’s office, ya know? And I find that when I have a great book I’m reading on my kindle, I’m much more likely to open my kindle app on my phone and read a few pages in quiet moments instead of checking Facebook or Instagram… which is a good thing all around.
ALSO, if you need any more recs… I just finished Transatlantic by Colum McCann and was blown away. Haunting, lovely, perfect.
I made a goal to read 52 books this year. So far I am on track!
Why Not Me? is HILARIOUS an done that you should definitely do via audio book! She narrates, and I think it is so much funnier to hear her tell her own one-liners
This is my second year making a physical book list (you are actually the one who motivated me to do this!), and having a list really does help me pick up the books I’ve never read instead of just re-reading Anne-with-an-E or something by Jane Austen for the umpteenth time. So far this year I’ve finished a biography of Theodore Roosevelt (which I’ve been working through for over 2 years!), and I read To Kill A Mockingbird (which is definitely a favorite now–can’t believe I’d never read it before). I have 3 books in progress right now. I agree with your first point about reading multiple books at once, but I can only do one fiction at a time. My list for 2016 is here: http://oldoriginalthoughts.blogspot.com/2016/01/2016-book-list.html
Happy reading to everyone! =)
This is great motivation to read more! With only three more months of undergrad, it’s hard to motivate myself to read other than what I have to read for my classes.