I am so happy that I made the New Years Resolution to read 3 books a month, and I’m so proud of myself for following through! (I only read 2 in February but I’ve read 4 so far in April, hopefully one more by the end of the week, so I’m caught up.) I’ve been a huge nerd alert bookworm from my earliest days. Because of my semi-traumatic delivery and arrival in this world there was some concern that I might be slow or developmentally behind. I am so grateful to my parents for being proactive and buying baskets of early reader books that were stationed around the house when I was as young as 3 or 4 years old. I was reading before Kindergarten and haven’t stopped since.

As a teacher I would often have parents or friends ask me what I thought was the best predictor/creator of learning success. “How can I help my kid love school? How can I make sure my kid is smart?” I would say the same thing, time and time again, and you guys? I’m right about this.

Reading. It’s always reading. Failing kids never loved to read. And the kids who loved to read were never failing. Their spelling is better. Their writing is better. Their vocabulary is better. Their imagination is better. Their self-esteem is better. All because of READING!!!! It doesn’t take much on your end, either. Have books at home. Gift them books. Read with them. Let them see you reading.Have books at home. Gift them books. Read with them. Let them see you reading.

And this isn’t just for kids. It works for adults, too. It’s never too late to develop a reading habit.  Reading is a hobby that will make you a better person, better parent, better friend, better citizen, better student, better EVERYTHING. And it can be completely free! It’s crazy!

I’ve heard a lot of you talk about wanting to read more. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for book recommendations and good feedback about my Books I Read posts. And with summer right around the corner I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. NOW is the time. NOW is the perfect time for YOU to become a reader. You’re gonna spend time by the pool, at the park, on vacation. Other than Janurary 1st there is no better time to start a reading habit.

It’s easy. It’s free. It doesn’t take near as much time or commitment as you think. And it’s gonna make your life so much more colorful and awesome. PLEASE do it. Please. I’m begging you. And I even created this handy guide to get you started. (None of this is sponsored. I wish it was because then I wouldn’t seem like such a freak, but alas…)

How To Become A Reader

1. Get a library card. There’s no reason not to have one. They’re free, easy to acquire, and entitle you to all kinds of rad stuff. Do some googling to find out which library (ies) you can use, then check out their site. For Orem City Library I filled out the online pre-registration stuff for a library card, and then I just had to stop by with my drivers license and a piece of mail to prove I was a legit Oremite. NBD. It took me maybe 5 minutes plus a drive to the library itself. Spend some time on their site, take a pamphlet if they have one for you when you’re there. Did you know you can get online issues of basically every magazine for free? Yeah. I read all of the fashion and lifestyle ones almost every month. You can download and keep songs for free. You can check out movies for free. Not to mention books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Oh hey they also do cool events like Storytime for toddlers and kids, a writing group (I’m joining next month!), craft & educational nights, and more. ALL FREE, HOMIES.
2. Go walk around Barnes & Noble. You don’t have to buy anything. Just go walk around. Trust me. It’s always so inspiring (and slightly overwhelming, tbh) to realize just how much there is out there. Walk through the Young Adult fiction even if you’re never gonna read any of it. Check out the History aisle, even if that was your least favorite subject. Pick up an interesting book and read the jacket. Just do it. I do this anytime I need to kill time in Orem or if I’m feeling particularly uninspired. It always fires me up to read and gives me a place to start.
3. Create a Goodreads account. Goodreads is basically Facebook for readers. You create “shelves” of books you’ve read, want to read, and any other custom category you can think of! You can rate and review books, join groups, see what your friends are reading, and find great recommendations based on books you’ve liked in the past. Come be my friend and see what I’m reading/rating. And not to beat a dead horse here but did I mention it’s FREE??
4. Always keep an ebook on your phone. This is one I learned after Reese was born. How much time do you spend on your phone during the day? I’m not judging, because I’m certainly on mine even more and probably doing more pointless stuff. When I was nursing Reese I was spending literal hours a day on the couch or in the rocking chair, just chillin on my phone. Finally I had the presence of mind to request a popular book (The Selection) from the library – but on ebook. I’d done this a few times before but generally I prefer actual books. Imagine my surprise when I knocked out this ebook in less than 2 days. 2 days!!! Yeah, it was easy-to-read YA fiction, but still. In just a few hours of nursing time I was able to finish a book, rather than mindlessly scrolling Pinterest or Buzzfeed. When my postpartum anxiety flared up, one thing that helped was to read on my phone in bed to keep my mind occupied and tire me out, rather than dwelling on scary thoughts or freak out about why I wasn’t asleep yet. You just pulled into Target but baby’s napping in the backseat? BAM. Read in your car until baby wakes up and you just checked off your baby’s nap and daily reading off your to-do list. You will be amazed just how much reading you can do when it’s conveniently on your phone. Download the Kindle and Overdrive apps to your phone, then find out how to request and check out ebooks through your free library card. It’s super easy and super fast. Sometimes when I’m crazy bored I’ll go search and filter for popular books that are available for immediate checkout. Within 3 minutes I’m reading a popular book right on my phone. FOR FREE.
5. Try an audiobook, at least once. Some people hate these, but I think most people are pleasantly surprised to find how much they like it. Like ebooks, the benefit here is that it’s so easy to fit into your already busy schedule, without feeling like more work or another commitment. Listen in the car, even if you’re just driving to Walmart (just 10 minutes a day will add up!). Listen as you clean your kitchen. Listen as you take a bath or get ready for the day. Listen during your run or stroller walk or at the gym. Just listen as you do all the normal stuff you would do anyway and VOILA you’ve read a book. I know you’re gonna roll your eyes at this but I really do have to recommend that you start with Harry Potter. And it’s not just because it’s the greatest story ever told. It’s because of JIM EFFING DALE. The man is the best narrator who has ever lived. Request audiobooks from your library – you can get e-audiobooks which will download directly to your phone or you can get them on CD which can be useful for roadtrips (also have less of a wait, I’ve found). I have all of the Harry Potter audiobook files, so HMU if you want them and I can hook you up! FOR FREE.
6. Phone a friend. If you’re like me then you’ll want to TALK about your books. You can join a book club in your area – ask around, look on your local library page, start your own. You can join Bon’s Book Club with me! We meet IRL once a month, but it’s all online as well so you can participate without ~participating, which is nice. But sometimes even better than that is just to have a friend or two who likes to read with whom you can talk, text, and recommend. If you’re reading this then you already have one. 🙂 If you really want to become a full-fledged reader then this is a great way to keep you motivated and invested. Also free.
7. Add it to an existing routine. In college my recreational reading took a serious hit. I was so busy with academic reading (being a history major will do that to ya), that I never made time for fun reading. Sometimes when I was really behind on studying or felt overwhelmed I would take my textbooks to the gym and study on the elliptical, bike, or on the treadmill (walking on an incline). I loved it because it felt like I was killing two birds with one stone. That’s the worst metaphor – why do we use it?!!! Anyway. Eventually I wised up – I could read my recreational books at the gym! In those days I was doing 30 minutes of cardio followed by 30 minutes of weights 3-4x a week. I started reading during cardio, and saved my inappropriate rap music for the weights session. More recently, I have added reading to two regular routine items during my day. The Beard often plays a few rounds of his gameboy (??) before bed, or falls asleep long before I am able to drift off. So I moved the lamp from my dresser to my headboard and I read a chapter or two almost every night before bed. Reese LOVES bathtime, but I found myself just sitting next to the tub scrolling dumb fashion blogs for 20 minutes until she wanted out. Now I take my book in there and read next to the tub while she swims and splashes. If you think about your day I’m sure you’ll find there’s at least one activity that you could add or stack reading to – and it’s worth it. Because it’s free.

You guys. There really isn’t a reason for you not to read. Whether your excuse is that you’ve never been a reader, you don’t have money to spend, you don’t have any time, you’ve got lil kids runnin around, you hate pop fiction or the ubiquitous chick lit… it doesn’t matter. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT YOUR EXCUSES. Nike. Just do it. Sign up for a library card. Come over to my house and borrow a book from my sloppily packed shelves.

I solemnly swear that it will enrich and enliven your life. I know this and I believe it, if you couldn’t tell. I can tell you from experience, because reading has MADE my life. Come join the ranks of the nerds. Find yourself. Set an example for your family. Get smarter. Get your read on.