An Ode to My Kindle (+ How I Read 100 Books in the First Year of Motherhood)

This is my second time where I've read 100 books in a year time frame (first time was 2017) but this felt easier and harder with a baby.

Let's just set the record straight that I'm in no way implying that you need to read 100 books in a given time! Life has seasons for sure and you could probably just call me obsessive compulsive or addicted and that could pretty much sum up my reading life. But reading is sometimes my ultimate therapy. I can not not read. 

With that in mind, my suggestions are coming from a young mother of one so take what you will.

But I would like to give a little shout out to my Kindle!

I read about 40ish books after having Dallin between June 19 until the end of the year and it was a combo of on my kindle fire, physical copies, and audiobooks. The only problem was the tablet had this awful glare (it is a tablet and not an e-reader) so I could never read it early in the morning or late at night in the dark to help me go to sleep or pass the nursing hours at night. Plus the battery would drain every 2-3 days so it would become a hassle to keep charging that I would neglect it for days.

Most of the time I would listen to an audiobook while I was doing middle of the night feedings. Oh the memories of those hot summer nights of eating nuts, peanut butter lactation bites, and listening to books like Peace Like a River, Great Expectations, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn while nursing in the dark. Knowing that I had a good book to listen to really really helped me to wake up. I also have fond memories of making a regular "date" with Austin at Dallin's 9:30 pm feeding by watching Chesapeake Shores. :)

But as Dallin got older, he started to become a lot more distracted with noise while nursing so turning pages was frustrating. So when I saw that the Kindle Paperwhite was on sale, I nudge Austin to get it for Christmas. Best decision ever!

It was so seamless connecting accounts from Libby to my Kindle, downloading books in a matter of seconds. I can adjust the brightness so much better than the tablet and it doesn't strain my eyes. It doesn't make a sound so he's not aware while nursing that I'm reading. Massive books that would be heavy to lug around are easy to take with me. Since Dallin was about 2 months old, I've been reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's about 700 pages, but they're tall pages, with very small print. What I've done is started getting it from the library on my kindle and then reading 100 pages each time I check it out. That way I don't feel overwhelmed by the size or feel pressured to finish 300+ pages in 3 weeks. I'm about halfway through and it's super fascinating.

Obviously it's light weight so it always comes with me when I travel.

I read this article and it got me thinking about how turning a page on a kindle is liking scrolling or swiping and the brain finds pleasure to do it again and again.

And the battery lasts for weeks!

Tips for reading more

One trick for reading lots of books is only have your reading material with you when you read. Don't have your phone or computer close by because between reading a book or scrolling instagram, our brain gravitates towards the easy end.

Ditch books you don't like. I have to realize that no one is grading me on what books I'm reading or not. Sometimes it feels that way when everyone is raving about one book but if it's not pulling you, move on to another one that will. Reading begets reading as Sarah Mackenzie says. I have this belief that if I'm meant to finish that book, I'll read it another time. I know I struggle with this because there are times where I feel like I'm ditching more books than reading but it's all about ebbs and flows. And it's okay to just finish to finish if you are doing it for a goal or reading challenge but there are plenty of books out there and it only takes one good one to keep you reading.

The house can wait. Again, this comes from someone who only lives in a two bedroom apartment and only one child but I am okay with a messy house. If I feel pressured to always have an immaculate house, I would never make time to read (unless you do audiobooks and clean then it's a win-win).

Read right before bed. I'm doing this with Les Miserables (my first time!) and I think I found my way to read the classics. This is surprisingly a page turner but there are times when it's easier to set it down. Reading is my fix to getting super sleepy. I get all ready for bed and it's the last thing I do. I find it helps me sleep a lot better too.

Read before you get on social media. Like the above suggestion, if you know you reach for your phone during downtime, set a goal to read x amount of pages or a chapter before you get on facebook, instagram, twitter, or even your email. I'm trying this out again with goodreads. I love goodreads but sometimes I spend more time finding what to read next than actually reading. :)

Have multiple books going on. I know some people can't do this but one way that's helped me is a book (or 2 or 5 hehe) on my Kindle, one physical copy for night time reading, and one on audio for in the car running errands.

What are your favorite tips for reading more?