How to fall in love with reading | My Dad said TV would rot our brains

My Dad used to tell us kids that the TV would rot our brains. 

So, we didn’t have a television when I was growing up.

My older brother and I used to go next door to watch their TV.

Except, we didn’t go through their front door. No, no, no. Too easy.

Instead, we climbed onto the roof of our house. Taking a few deep breaths, and a few steps backwards, we’d start sprinting. We’d build up enough speed and momentum and, taking a leap of faith, we’d run – fly through the air – and land ….. on the roof of our neighbour’s house. 

We’d crawl across the roof, as stealth as you could be as 6 and 7 year olds, and we’d watch their television through their skylight.

As you might expect, this method wasn’t successful for long 😂

So what did we do without television?

I explored the bush, I played down the beach, I sang badly, I went surfing, I explored rockpools, I went running, and I read. 

I love reading 🤎. I find it’s an escape to another world, it gives an insight into different perspectives, and, sometimes, it’s just entertaining. 

Maybe you’re a reader. Maybe you’re not.

And if you’re not, but you’d like to be, can I give you some tips? 

Number One: Try and read a really, really, really good book – one that’s been really popular.

Books like The Da Vinci Code, Daisy Jones and The Six and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine were popular for a reason – they’re compelling to read, page turners. They’re what I call “grabby”. 

So if you’re not a reader, but you’d like to be one, I think this is a really good starting point. 

Number Two: If you find a book you like, look at the author and read more of their books. 

I loved Liane Moriarty’s book What Alice Forgot. So, I then read all her other books. Again, if you’re not a reader but you want to be, or if you’re trying to get back into reading, start by reading a book by one of your favourite authors. 

Number Three: Keep good books around.

There’s nothing worse than finishing a good book and having nothing else to read after. So keep good books around.

This doesn’t necessarily have to cost you money. Go to the library once a week. Grab a whole bunch of books. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like them, you can take them back the next week. Seriously. How good are libraries? You can go to them and get books for FREE. Like, that amazes me. 

Number Four: If a book isn’t grabbing you, or you find it boring, don’t persist.

Seriously. Life’s short. Don’t make yourself finish something you’re not enjoying.

There’s been so many books that I’ve started, after hearing good things, and ten pages in found myself feeling like I don’t want to keep reading. That’s OK. I can put it down and try something else. And you can too!

I’ve got a few book recommendations below – nothing highbrow, just good, entertaining page turners which might just get you hooked on books.

BUT if they don’t grab you – don’t stress! Don’t persist. Move on.

Books I love:

1. 1. SELFISH: how to unlearn the rules that are breaking you
      by Turia Pitt (oops! How did that get to the top of the list 🫣😂 )

   2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
   3. Scrublands by Chris Hammer
   4. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
   5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
   6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
   7. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
   8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
   9. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
   10. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
   11. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   12.  Educated by Tara Westover
   13.  The Guest List by Lucy Foley
   14.  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
   15.  The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
   16.  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
   17.  The Dry by Jane Harper
   18.  Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
   19.  Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
   20.  The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
   21.  The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
   22.  Breadfruit by Célestine Vaite (my talented Mum)

Have you read any of these?  Did you find them “grabby” too?

🤎 PS To discourage any night time roof flying adventures, my kids have a television!