Read On!
When I was in Elementary school (yes, I can remember back that far), my fellow students and I received monthly Scholastic newsprint flyers from “TAB” and “ARROW” advertising books we could buy. I filled out an order form for the books I wanted, and mom would send a cheque (remember those?) with me to school to pay for my order. I remember how exciting it was to see the piles of books sitting on the classroom counter waiting to be picked up! I anticipated taking my books home and delving into them (even if it meant reading under the covers at night with a flashlight)!
In Junior High, my local public library held a reading program during the summer. I could read any book I wanted, record my reading in a small “reading log” booklet and the library would review it and stamp it as “completed.”
As an adult, I continued to read, and a few years ago, I received the ultimate gift – a Kobo ereader. That made reading cheaper (online books usually cost less than paper copies) and it was easy to carry around.
Last year, I set a goal to read thirty books. Some books were easier to read than others (in fact, there was one that was really hard to get through), and I not only reached my goal, I exceeded it. My love of reading, firmly established since my youth, aligns with one of my Core Values (continuous learning), and is a constant source of growth and encouragement. I can’t tell you how many times, when I needed encouragement or direction, the words were right there!
Many successful people are avid readers. Investor Warren Buffet is known to read 500 pages a day and Bill Gates read 50 books a year. Their investment in reading was significant to their success!
In 2022, I purchased a “Reading Log” book to keep track of the books I read, and I included various genres in my reading (eg. Classic Literature, History, Extreme Adventure, True Story, Historical Fiction, Biography, Personal Development, Fiction and Spiritual Life). The log book allowed me to capture key points in brief and I also typed my favorite quotes into MS Word, saving my notes in a file aptly named, “Book Notes.” I also highlighted the most important quotes in bold or red text.
Once I finished a book, I reviewed my notes, which helped reinforce my learning, and I printed my notes and kept them in a file (of course, named “Book Notes”) just in case my computer went down.
My encouragement to you is to read and read as often as you can. If you are already an avid reader, great! If not, now is a great time to start and it starts with choosing one book – Read On!
Recommended Resources
- Indigo (online or in store); https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/
- A Kobo ereader is great for downloading books from https://www.kobo.com/ and is a huge space saver!
- A variety of log books are available on Amazon; search “Reading Log” to bring up a selection and choose one that works for you.
Monthly Challenge
- Choose one or two books to read this month.
- Highlight the sections that speak to you in a log book or in MS Word.
- Review your notes at the end of the month to reinforce your learning.