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Reading, oh my goodness, reading. It was my favourite pastime, until motherhood when it became a thing of fantasy. But then, there came the Kobo!
All my hardcore readers, don’t leave yet! I know what you’re thinking, E-readers are not the same as books! I felt the same. In fact, I was adamantly opposed. For years people would recommend them and I would politely smile and think to myself, “and you DARE to call yourself a READER?!”
Ever since I was a child I loved books. The shapes, the colours, the feeling of pages between my fingers, the SMELLS. If you know you know, if you don’t, stop laughing. At 13 I discovered coffee, and it was like the perfect marriage. I have literally told those who care to listen that if I could choose what heaven would smell like it would be fresh, rich coffee, and old, well-read classics.
As a teenager I read everything from The Lord of the Rings to Homer’s Odyssey. A Wrinkle in Time to Dante’s Inferno. Little House on the Prairie to Lord of the Flies. I read biographies. I learned all I could about Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci, about Winston Churchill and Oswald Chambers. I studied other languages, I studied psychology, and criminal investigation. I studied history, I studied animals, I studied homemaking and business. I loved literature, and I loved learning.
But of course, where there is love, there is pain.
With a father who was successful in business, and well known in his community, I was privileged to learn from some of the most successful men and women as I entered into my young adult years. One particular man that came to share with a group of business leaders, (a meeting I was only able to attend because of my dad’s position) was in the top 8 wealthiest people in the world at that point. I remember being so excited to soak up every word that came from his mouth, sure that I would discover the secrets to a successful life within them.
What he said was earth-shattering. Ok, I’m being dramatic, I hope you’ve gathered that by now. This isn’t literally an earth-shattering moment of my life, but it is one that changed the way I thought about reading.
He said that reading fiction was a waste of time.
GASP!
Not only that, but he said anything other than biographical reading was a useless waste of one’s energy and mental capacity. We don’t need stories, we need to learn from the failures and successes of others so we can continue to build upon them. There was no other reason to read, according to this gentleman.
I was speechless. Of course, I figured he must be right. I did enjoy reading those types of books as well, but fiction had always been an escape. With fictional books you could be anything, a pirate, a hobo, a princess, a stowaway, a hero. You could visit any country, any jungle, any ocean, any underground tunnel. I could taste foods I’d never experienced, see colours I didn’t know existed. I learned about relationships, loss and grief, joy and gratitude. Could I really go the rest of my life without reading a fictional book?
After that, life got busy. I was accepted into a performing arts college where the workload was intensive. Thankfully, a large part of it was reading plays, and writing Morning Pages. Morning Pages are an idea from Julia Cameron that require you to sit down with a pen and paper and just begin writing. You are not allowed to scribble anything out, you’re not allowed to start over, and you’re not allowed to filter or think about what you’re writing. You just have to write whatever comes out.
I inhaled scripts at night, and exhaled Morning pages at the break of dawn. The days were filled with acting classes, hip hop, ballet, contemporary and jazz dance classes, theater history, vocal and musical theater training, speech and language study, circus training (sounds funny, but trust me, it involved grueling workouts), and even some intensive workshops on the weekends.
On top of that, I was working in the evenings and I started dating my hunky husband. Jordan lived an hour and a half away so on the weekends that I wasn’t in a workshop, I was driving, or waiting for him to drive to me, then soaking up every spare moment we had together before diving, full force, into the next week.
Reading anything that wasn’t in script form just didn’t happen.
Then came the CRASH.
Basically, everything came to a head and I was forced to face some very real, raw, stuff that I had been refusing to deal with for a long time. Jordan dumped me, I was heartbroken, school was so crazy busy that I had no time for anything else, and I was having anxiety attacks and battling an eating disorder, again….still…..
But then, I began reading again.
It wasn’t just reading that saved my life, that would be a tad overdramatic. It was the Bible that saved my life. It was the Word of Truth. It was Jesus.
I read nothing else but my Bible for a long stretch. I was single, so my weekends were now committed to studying and memorizing scripture. The 20 minutes a night that had been spent on the phone with Jordan were spent reading the Bible behind heavy eyelids before dropping off into a dead sleep.
God’s words have transformative power, for real. If you don’t believe me, you can read the rest of that story here.
But then, in the blink of an eye (actually it was a long, slow, and painful 9 months, but I don’t want to tell my whole life story here), Jordan was back, we were married and I was pregnant (which did actually happen in the blink of an eye, or 3 months after we got married).
Motherhood was another beautiful adventure, but now I didn’t have time, or energy for Morning Pages. In fact, I didn’t have time or energy for mornings. Scripts and plays were quickly forgotten in the boxes I didn’t have the energy to unpack after moving in with my new husband and immediately getting pregnant. Books were a distant friend I missed dearly but couldn’t find the time to visit.
Fast forward 9 years and 5 children later and I was just a mom with a messy bun with no hobbies, no free time, no escapes, no fiction, just a husband who loved me, kids who made me laugh, and a few friends and their E-readers.
On a rare evening out with some other mama’s, I was listening as they discussed book after book that they had read. Which ones they loved, which ones were ok, and which ones just weren’t worth recommending. Inside I was itching to start making a list of books to read, this sounded like so much fun! The very next thought, however, was that I would never actually have time to read these books, so why bother listening any further?
After making a remark to that effect a friend said, “you need a kobo!” (cue polite smile and rude, judgmental thoughts)
“No, seriously,” she said, “I read WAY more on my kobo than I do hardcopies”. She insisted.
Only because I knew this friend was a fellow lover of literature I found myself slightly intrigued. Why did she find it easier to read on a Kobo? It also helped her credibility that she is a busy mother of 4 (this girl gets me), so I was ready and willing to receive any suggestions she had about how to get my face in a book, and soon.
Her key points were,
1) you can take it with you anywhere and read anytime, like when you’re sitting in the car waiting for ballet classes to end, or you’re early for a dentist appointment, or (and this was the one that got me) when you’re up in the middle of the night nursing a baby.
2) you can borrow books from the library on your Kobo! This is not an option on any other E-readers that I’m aware of. This way you have an endless variety to choose from, including books for your kids (if you dare breach the boundary of sharing MOMMY’S Kobo), biographies, how-tos, and of course, FICTION, all for FREE!
3) if there’s a book you just can’t get into (again why FREE is a big deal), you can return it immediately instead of having to wait for your next trip to the library.
At this point, I was pretty sold, or just desperate to read. I was only a few months postpartum with baby #5, so the middle of the night was really the only reading time I thought I had. I went home that night, with hope in my heart.
All it took was a subtle “hey Jord, if you’re not sure what to get me for Christmas….” and the Kobo was mine! I told you I have a great husband. I’m not as spoiled as I sound, really. I just have a good husband. Stop judging me.
From December 25 to March 25 I have read 10 books on my Kobo, and 2 hardcopy books. And guess what’s best of all, only 4 of the 12 books were non-fiction. That’s right, I have been loading up on FUN stories, fictional stories, life-giving, emotion-stirring, joy-bringing, fictional books!
My goal for 2019 had been to try and read 1 book a month, a goal I fell shy of.
My goal for 2020 was to actually reach 2019’s goal, a goal I reached 3 months into the year.
WHAT?! Yes, I was as shocked as you are. I still don’t know why it’s so much easier to read on a Kobo, but I wish I’d made the investment years earlier! Probably would have saved me a few thousand postpartum tears if I’d just been able to do something I enjoyed. Something I loved.
I still wouldn’t say that I’m a fan of ALL E-readers, because I definitely wouldn’t have been brave enough to commit to all 9 books if I’d had to pay for them. Being able to borrow library books on my Kobo is a BIG deal. I have purchased 2 books on my Kobo, which were only $7 and $12, because they are books I want to keep, refer back to, and reread.
Basically, the Kobo has been the most cost-effective way to find fun again in this season of being fairly tied-down, tired, and fun-deprived.
I read at night when I’m up to nurse my baby. I read beside my husband while he watches his favourite tv show that I don’t care for. We can even cuddle because I don’t need to sit beside a lamp to read (bonus points Kobo). I read in the car when I’m between appointments, or waiting on someone. I read over a cup of my second love, coffee, before my third loves wake up in the morning. I mean, shoot, did I mix up that order?
The point is, I read again.
The most recent book I finished on my Kobo was The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie. Of all the things I learned, the value of reading fiction was the most exhilarating. In the wee hours of one morning I sat hunched over on the floor of my son’s room, nursing him for the third time that night (teething sucks, and parenting is hard sometimes). But I was distracted from my exhaustion by Sarah’s words of inspiration. I was inspired to read fiction again, stories. Not only that, I realized the priceless treasure of sharing stories with the precious little people in my life.
The imagination holds incredible power, and stories are a method of expanding its capabilities. Children who have a parent read aloud to them are more likely to score higher grades, even in math and science categories because their brains have developed differently than those who have strictly studied numbers and problem solving. All thanks to the imagination being used as they pictured the stories they heard.
As I continued to absorb the magic of this read-aloud revival Sarah shares I was reminded of the greatest storyteller of all time. Jesus. A man who understood the value of imagination, He was never too busy, or too important to stop and tell a story. Whether to adults or children, Jesus didn’t just lay out the facts, numbers, and top 7 keys for success. He created images, characters, unforgettable places, and emotions.
A father running to his long lost son, tears streaming down his face, shame forgotten beneath the depth of his love.
A woman who lost her treasure tears apart her home. Sweaty, tired, determined, she calls out to her neighbours, “come help me, I have to find my lost treasure!”
A shepherd counting his sheep at the end of a long day. 99 enter the sheepfold, but where is the 100th? He does not go inside to dinner, how could he? Sleep would never come on a night like this, he must go find his lost lamb. Hurriedly he searches, knowing the dangers hidden in the hills after dark.
These stories, and so many more, were the tools Jesus used to share the love of God with the lost and the broken in a way they would never forget.
That’s what I want my children to remember, the stories I told, the love they felt, the truths that were imparted to them in ways they will never forget.
All that to say, I read again. I love reading again.
If you feel lost in the monotony of daily chores, drowned by the flood of laundry, or stare blankly when asked what you like to do for fun, it might just be time for you to re-discover reading. Grab yourself a Kobo, and a library card. Guess what, you can even get a Bible on your Kobo. Go ready, my friend.
Read biographies, read art books, car books, cooking books, animal books, crafting books, and history books. But also, read stories. Read your Bible, full of true stories and imaginary stories full of real truth. Read stories that make your heart beat fast, your eyes well up with tears, your mouth smile without your permission, and your belly gurgle with laughter.
Read always, but read what you love, so you can love to read.
And go get a Kobo! This is the one I have and couldn’t be happier with. For more varieties, or accessories, head to The FUN Page!
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