By Becky A.
As a book lover, I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw it advertised very inexpensively as a Kindle ebook. After downloading it, I sat and devoured it.
I love books from a lot of different genres, but have struggled with how to process and justify fiction books or even "self-help" books when there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for good Christian books. This author addressed almost all of my questions and then some. He answers the "whys" of reading and then even talks about "how to read a book." Never again will I feel guilty for breezing through a book that didn't need to be chewed on. And I now have met a respected Christian author who feels the same way I do about reading right before bed -- NOTHING HEAVY! My brain is so tired, I can only process fiction.
He even shares the benefits of reading fiction and classic literature. He is very specific about what it gives to our Christian walks.
The pages on distraction in this media driven world were a real help to me. In implementing some of his suggestions, I have found myself enjoying my books more and gleaning more from my time spent in them. There are things that I will be changing even in my homeschooling in order to help my younger kids fight against the constant barrage of distractions that hinder them from succeeding in reading their school work. This will also help them enjoy their pleasure books, too.
The author gives great help in finding and making time to read each day -- even when your life is filled to the brim with running around. He shares personal illustrations that I found helpful and similar to mine. I loved that!
One of my favorite chapters in this book was about marking up the books you read. I write all in my books so I LOVED this one! My father has a library that I have loved smelling, touching, browsing, and choosing books from since I was a child. I still love going into his office because I know he will share with me the latest book he is reading and why he loves it. If he has an extra copy, he will even give me a copy. When he picks up a book to show me, I usually see sticky markers sticking out of the pages. I know there was something at that point that captured his attention. Then when the book is opened, there it is. What I love seeing: red marks, yellow highlights, my dad's neat print in the margins. It's like taking a personal peak into his personal walk with the Lord. And I know why I write in my books. One day my kids will, hopefully, feel this way about my books -- the way I feel about looking into his books. Maybe they will better understand me.
Anyway, back to the book.
Lastly, he gives parents and pastors helpful tips to cultivate readers in our homes and church families. I was pleased to know that homeschooling for 12 years has given me the opportunities to do a lot of what he suggested. We still sit around the living room in our comfy chairs each morning, reading the Bible together. Then the kids listen to me read a classic.
This book is well-worth reading. It won't take long. The 186 pages are easy to read and kept me wanting more. I think I was highly motivated because I thought he was going to tell me, for sure, how to read more books in a year!
He did!
And I'm going to try it. :)
