How I Got My (Reading) Groove Back
What would you do if you had an entire afternoon to yourself? What if you only had an hour? 15 minutes? Well before kids my answer would’ve always been reading. But then after the kids came, the 15 minute answer became a shower by myself. The hour answer became grocery shopping alone. The entire afternoon? Catching up on laundry and blogging. And guess what? I missed reading.
Babe, you read blogs everyday, Jason would say to me. It’s not the same, I would say back. And it isn’t. I read blogs to relate to others going through the same things I am (whether it be parenting multiples, dealing with depression, or a myriad of other day-to-day things). I read blogs to find people that have the same interests I do, like cooking and gardening. I rarely read blogs about reading or books – simply because I am jealous that I don’t have the time to read and review books myself.
The title of this post is how I got my reading groove back…are you ready for how I did it? It’s mind blowing, I’m sure. This is the secret: I made the time.
I make time to take the kids to the park. To read them stories that I now have permanently memorized. To play games with them. I live for them, for the most part.
But I still am ME. I still need something for just myself. Digging into Jane Eyre for the 15th time? I can’t imagine anything better. Becoming a voyeur to someone else’s life – someone whose life I probably will never (or would never want to) experience? I wouldn’t miss it! And that’s what reading has to give me. And there is a never ending supply of it. You can always find more to read.
So I’m back! I’m reading like a machine. I read whenever, and wherever, I can find the time. And people have started to ask me where I find books to read and how I can afford to read book after book after book. I thought I would share a few of my favorite bookworm sites with you…
Goodreads - Goodreads is an awesome site that allows you to catalog books you’ve read, books you want to read, search for similar books, write reviews and rate books, learn about authors, join book reading groups and contests, enter contests to win free books (I’ve won a couple!), keep track of what you’re friends are reading, and meet other people that love to read.
Bookseer - This is a really cool site that allows you to search for books that are similar to books that you’ve already read and liked. You type in the name of the book and author, and it’ll name other books that are similar in style/genre that you might be interested in.
Read It Forward - Check this site out the first couple of days of every new month. You can enter for a chance to win free books. Of course, the premise is that you will “read it forward”, and pass it along to someone else when you’ve finished reading it. I’ve won several books here.
Amazon - As I’m writing this, I click on the link to make sure it works, and I just added 3 more books to my goodreads.com “to read” list! Great book suggestions, features, and deals on both new and used books. Plus, if you preorder books before they’re released, you get a guarantee of getting the lowest price.
Ebay - ebay is a very cheap place to buy books! I recently bought three books there for a total of twelve bucks (including shipping!). The books were each $1, and then shipping was another $3. They were used, but in perfect condition. They were each bought from different sellers. I have found my new favorite book-buying place!
And there you have it! I’m a total bookworm and I’m proud of it! What is your favorite book? Favorite author? Do you have another go-to website that I should know about?
Photo Source: flickr.com
mommyofamonster
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tags: books on amazon, books on ebay, bookseer.com, cheap books online, free books online, goodreads.com, read it forward
I definitely need to make time for this also! I, too, read blogs often for a semblance of normalcy and community — to know my life is actually “normal” and survivable. I have a similar scenario as yours… my oldest son is 5, and then I have twin boys that just turned 3. The chaos and adventure never seems to end! I love my blessed home, but it helps to have other Moms who can relate to the ups and downs of this joyous ride called motherhood
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