When I was a kid, I read voraciously. I could lose myself for hours in stacks and stacks of books. The reading wasn’t that high quality, mind you. I could usually be found reading The Babysitter’s Club or a Christian historical romance, though I also loved Roald Dahl and Lois Lowry (anyone else remember the Anastasia Krupnik series?) and nonfiction, too. 

Then I became a mom, and reading felt decadent. 

I read books to nurture my marriage, how-to books on parenting (some far better than others, ahem). But overall, reading just got… harder. It was something I did to improve myself. Not something I got swept away in.

Reading for pleasure felt like a splurge, and often it was a splurge I couldn’t figure out how to justify. 

But here’s the thing — reading for fun is part of the job.

My life is richer when I’m reading for pleasure, and so is my kids’! In fact, I’ve found that their reading lives feed off the energy in mine. 

So how am I going to nurture my own reading life this summer? And what might get in the way?

It’s a question worth asking for all of us, and joining me to ask it today on the podcast are RAR Community Director, Kortney Garrison and Managing Editor, Kara Anderson.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why reading is a priority in our lives (hint: it’s not too decadent!)
• Ways to nurture your reading life this summer 
• How to know what to read

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/207/.

To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, join RAR Premium.