Day 26: Develop A Love of Reading

Dear Little Princess, One of best gifts in life is the ability to read.  The world would be a lonely place without the companionship of books!  Reading can unlock worlds of imagination and untold amounts of information.  Developing an early love of reading is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Even when life gets busy, making reading a priority will pay off in big dividends.  Crystal Paine from MoneySavingMom.com shares how she makes time for reading no matter what season of life she's in.  Here are my recommendations for developing a love of reading:

Spend time reading every day.  Five minutes consistently is much better than a few haphazard reading marathons every couple of months.  I’d recommend starting your reading times with a passage of Scripture and then moving on to informative or pleasure reading.

Invest in a few quality books.  These either can be classics or newer writings on topics that appeal to you.  Purchasing used books in good condition is an excellent way to keep your book investment to a minimum while enjoying a varied library selection.

Although e-readers are quite popular now, I’ve found that I personally retain more when I read from physical, not digital, pages.  E-readers definitely have their place – they’re excellent to take to long appointments where you might need a variety of books but don’t have room to take a large stack of hard-bound books.

Place books around your home so that you have easy access to them.  Once you sit down to relax on the couch, you may opt not to get up to go get a book.  If one or two are already handy on the end table, though, you can sneak in a few minutes of leisure reading without any added effort.

If you want to get more involved in reading, book clubs can be wonderful.  I joined one a few years ago and loved meeting with the other ladies to discuss our chosen books.  Not only did the reading group get me out of the house a few times a month, it also encouraged me to actively read so that I would stay up with the group.  Additionally, I read books that I would not have chosen otherwise, and I discovered some new gems of literature.

A love of reading can greatly enrich your life.  There are no limits to what you can learn through books.  Maybe you’ll even want to become an author yourself some day!

All my love,

Mommy