A Year of Reading
In 2021, I listened to 29 books on Audible. Most of these listens were with my children and a few were on my own. In addition to Audible listens, I also read through the Bible in a Year. We also read many physical books and articles on a daily basis.
In our house, when someone asks a question, they get to look up the answer. They do NOT get to “ask Siri” or “google” as a first means of information. We have encyclopedias and non-fiction/educational books (enough that we bought a new bookshelf). If the answers cannot be found there, then we do internet searches together.
Books can be fun, entertaining, and adventurous. They can be inspirational or motivational. They can be dramatic, suspenseful, and romantic. They can be insightful or informative. Books can transport you across time and space, allowing you to see the world through another’s eyes. You can travel a covered wagon across the prairie, fight Titans, change the world around you through gladness, or use imagination to overcome dismal circumstances.
Books allow you to see more places and experience more things than playing video games or watching TV. Your imagination engages as you read the words on the page. You see the story unfold (often it’s much better than the movies). You are limited only by your imagination (unless you have limited access to books).
Reading creates curiosity that allows for learning. The best leaders are avid readers – the kind of readers that have a diverse collection of books on every topic. They are researchers who seek out multiple sources of information, rather than only those which agree with them.
I have two kinds of readers in my homeschool. Dietrich devours books and remembers everything he reads. When we talk about what he’s learning, he sometimes sounds like the encyclopedia. After he recites the information, I ask him to put it in his own words and tell me what it means AND what it means to him. Madilynn is still somewhat reluctant in her reading. She will rush through something and make up words when she’s in a hurry. However, she is able to tell the story in her own way. She relates to the characters like she would to friends.
Our Audible library is ready to go for the new year, at least for a few weeks. What’s on your reading list?