I have been a reader my entire life. In kindergarten, I was in the “early readers” group. I fell off the wagon in high school, college, and my early 20s, but rediscovered my love of reading in my late 20s. Then, I had a baby. I was too busy to read. My husband, who is also a reader, bought me a Kindle (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I only recommend products that I use and love.) for my first Mother’s Day.
At first, I was resistant. I love the feel of a book. But the ability to easily take my book with me drew me in. I started reading while in waiting rooms. I would read a bit before bed. I slowly became a reader again. And then, one day at my son’s preschool, a mom who I barely knew asked if I was interested in joining a book club that she and another mom were forming. I already had a solid group of friends, but the idea of being able to talk about books with other people was appealing. Fourteen years later, our book club is still going strong.
We’ve lost some members, and added new members, but each month – except in July – we meet for a few hours to talk about life, and the book we read. There’s no pressure to read the book, which is what makes it work for 12 working moms. I’ve attended meetings where I either didn’t read the book, or didn’t finish the book. But thanks to book club, I read at least 11 books a year, give or take a book.
And then, life got crazy again. To escape doom scrolling, I turned to my trusty Kindle. I also started commuting 45 minutes each way to my dream job. Instead of 12 books a year, I read 30 books a year. Then, 50 books a year. Last year, I read 100 books in a year. Between audiobooks in my car and ebooks on my Kindle, I have become a super reader.
I never set a goal since I read purely for pleasure. Whatever number I hit is the number I hit. I don’t finish books I’m not enjoying, and I read an odd assortment of books since I almost entirely use the library for my reading habit.
Books bring me joy. I love learning new things, or escaping into a different reality. Because of this joy, I became a reading interventionist. I work with fourth graders who are reading at least one level below grade level, although the majority of my students are at a Kindergarten or first grade level. I hope to help them find the joy in reading.
This little space on the internet will be where I share my love of books, as well as the tools and resources I’ve gained as a reading interventionist with a M.A.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction to help parents who have struggling readers, or even adults who never built the foundation.
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