One of the ways I keep reading as a hobby and habit, is that I never have just one book going at any given time. I have a hunch that I'd get bored of the same book after a while, or if I was feeling unmotivated to read that one particular book, I'd just watch Netflix instead. Of course, television shows do win out in the end sometimes, despite me having no less than six books on the go at any given time (I still re-watch old episodes of Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife to my heart's content, not to mention newer gems like The Crown, Victoria, and This Is Us). If you're like me and grow restless before you've finished a book, maybe you need a few genres going at a time that you can bounce around. Having six Parenting books at one time wouldn't help me if I just wasn't in the mood to read a Parenting book that night, but having a variety of categories and styles to read is usually the ticket.
The genres I always have on the go
As I mentioned, I always have a Parenting book on my nightstand. Right now it's Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World and How Kids Succeed. I feel that being a parent is one of my most important roles in life and I take it very seriously. I have come to realize too that every stage in parenting is so unique, that I absolutely must always be seeking wisdom as I and my kids grow. I also re-read favourite books over and over!
I've come to really love Fiction in recent years, especially Historical Fiction. Right now I'm reading Etta Otto Russell and James, which is by a Canadian author and takes place across Canada. Fiction is perfect for late night reading or when I want to totally relax and not necessarily take in new information or think too much. I'm also speed reading A Wrinkle in Time so I can go see it in theatres!
For my whole adult life, I've always had a Christian Living or Theology book on the go. Right now it's The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson and Searching for Spring by Christine Hoover. I'm also reading Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes with a few women from my church in a group study.
One of my favourite genres to read is Biographies. I'm currently reading one on Elizabeth II and recently loved Clementine (about Mrs. Winston Churchill) and another by several authors on John Stott. Last year I braced the 600+ page biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas and was mesmerized.
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I try also to read a classic every couple of months: I just finished Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin with my book club, and I suppose A Wrinkle in Time by Madelene L'Engle counts in this category too.
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I
read aloud one classic children's book at a time to the kids (and I
love it!): we're currently reading Little House in the Big Woods and
plan to go through the whole series.
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And of course, always and forever, God's word that sustains and guides this broken mama. Right now I'm reading Acts in the early mornings, and often my oldest daughter joins me.
I'd love to hear what genres you read most, or any books you have to recommend!
I'd love to hear what genres you read most, or any books you have to recommend!
I definitely had multiple books on the go too! Just curious as to what reading aloud looks like with your kids. I did this over the Christmas Break with my kids, but find with school it's a lot harder, because by the time story time rolls around, they each like choosing a book from our book basket (I keep new library books on hand at all times - they're usually seasonal so right now it's full of spring and Easter books). Do you have a set time where you read to the kids, and do they all just sit and listen? Is it something mandatory or optional? How do you find they respond? My 5 year old was a lot less interested than my 6 year old, who soaked up the whole book (we did the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe).
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