We bookish folks love to talk about what we’re reading. We discuss our current or favorite reads in person, at book clubs and family gatherings and occasionally with the person next to us on the treadmill at the gym. And we continue the book talk in the virtual world, in online forums or on social media, and sometimes in blog posts for all the world to read (or so I hear. . . ).
Less common are conversations about how we read. By this, I mean literally—from the where and when of our reading lives, to our go-to book formats and even how we position our bodies as we engage with a book. I’m always interested in the unseen details of others’ lives, and I am SO CURIOUS about the ins and outs of people’s reading. Is it audiobooks on your daily commute? Five-minute pockets of reading on your phone between meetings? Day-long reading marathons with a paperback in the backyard hammock? All of the above?
The quick answer to when and where and how I read is that I do various forms of reading at different places and times throughout the day. And now for the long answer:
As soon as my alarm goes off at 5:30 on weekday mornings, I turn on my bedside lamp, slide into the glider next to my bed, and begin my day with time in the Bible (this year I’m doing the chronological one-year reading plan with The Bible Recap). This is done in my print Bible, usually with Nico nursing on my lap as I read. The kids always come in to say good morning at this time and I greet them with hugs and kisses and sometimes share what I’m reading. I often (but not always) follow up my morning Bible reading with an audio reread of the passage through the YouVersion app while I brush my teeth and get dressed for the day.
My next stretch of reading comes at the start of our school day, with the kids and I gathered at our dining table (which doubles as our school room). I read from our current read-aloud for about half an hour while the kids do their penmanship practice, color, or work on a puzzle. Our school read-alouds are almost exclusively print books, and since these are books we own (not library books) I make a habit of pausing to highlight and then discuss noteworthy passages.
A huge portion of my personal reading is done mid-morning at the gym while I walk (wearing Nico) on the treadmill, Kindle propped in front of me. This is my best reading time because I am undistracted by kids or housework. Even my phone isn’t a distraction during my workout reading, because I can multitask at the level of reading while I walk but haven’t figured out how to do anything on my phone without stumbling off the treadmill. I’m always reading multiple Kindle books at once (one novel and one or more nonfiction books), but my workout time is reserved for fiction.
Our family has DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) Time every weekday after lunch. The kids and I snuggle on the couches in the living room with our respective books, and we all read silently for at least half an hour. Charleston is an avid reader, so this is just one portion of his daily reading time, but it still amazes me how well the twins (who are not yet reading) do with this, using the time to look at picture books or sometimes read Wonderbooks (print books with built in audiobooks) from the library. For me, DEAR Time is usually dedicated to nonfiction, either on my Kindle or occasionally in print.
My final designated reading time each day is in the hour before I go to bed. The house is quiet, so I turn some light music on the Sonos, crank up our virtual fireplace, and settle into the cozy chair in the corner of our living room with my Kindle and a late-night snack. I read my daily devotionals at this time (this and this for 2025), then finish the day with fiction. (Fun fact: this is the only time of day when I am reading while NOT wearing or nursing a baby, since we’re usually able to get Nico to sleep in his swing for the first few hours of the night.)
In addition to my regular reading times, I find pockets of time for reading throughout the day. It may be extra chapters of our read-aloud to the kids while they eat lunch, or a chapter from my Kindle book while waiting for groceries to be brought to my car. Often it’s while nursing Nico, my Kindle propped on the nightstand next to the glider. Sometimes it’s while snuggling with Charleston at bedtime. Before Nico was born and our bed was kid-free, I would often read in bed on nights when insomnia came to visit. The nighttime mode on my Kindle is invaluable in these moments, as is the selection of books to choose from on my device because my mind tends to wander during these “extra” reading times and I need to have easy access to whichever of my current reads will best hold my attention in that moment.
I have two more opportunities for long stretches of reading each week. The first comes on Wednesday nights, in the ninety minutes that Charleston is at Bible study. Nico and I drop Charleston off, then return to the car in the parking lot where Nico nurses/naps and I read—always fiction, always on my Kindle—the whole time. I’m often tempted to utilize these Wednesday evenings to run errands or be productive in some way, but I’ve found that this midweek reading break is the best thing I can do for my sanity and productivity the rest of the week. It’s a ritual I look forward to all week long, and though it isn’t much longer or really much different than my other reading times, there’s something about reading in the solitude of my car that feels particularly indulgent. (It helps that I don’t get cell service at our church, which really keeps this time distraction-free.)
My final big weekly reading stretch comes on Saturdays, when Luke often takes the big kids to his parents’ house for the day. I do much of my blogging at this time, but if I finish before they get home, I camp out with Nico in the glider and we do some solid reading. Before Nico was born, this reading would be done lying on the couch or in bed as I LOVE to read lying down. I look forward to returning to that habit again one day, but for now I’m happy to be reading with a baby snuggled in my arms.
About a third of my reading comes from audiobooks, but the when and how of those is a little harder to pinpoint. During the week I’m often catching up on podcasts, so most audiobook listening happens on the weekends while I’m doing chores. I’ll also listen to audiobooks when I’m nursing Nico at night and am too tired to read with my eyes. One interesting aspect to my audiobook reading is that I rarely read in just audio format: I love to highlight and make notes in my books (print and Kindle) while I read, so whenever possible I get an eBook copy of my audiobooks from the library so that I can do a tandem read in both versions.
Of course this is a snapshot of my reading life right now. It looked quite a bit different a year ago, and will look different again in the future. I’m sure your reading habits go through seasons, too.
It’s funny, I often wonder how I’m able to finish as many books as I do because it doesn’t feel like I spend that much time reading. But when it’s written all out like this, I am able to see HOW MUCH of my day is dedicated to books and reading. (And that’s not even taking into account the numerous picture books and school texts I read with the kids!) In fact, this breakdown of my reading life has me wondering how I don’t manage to knock out more books in a year (probably because I’m a notoriously slow reader).
And now it’s YOUR turn! I’d love to hear all about the how of your reading life. When and where do you read? What is your best tip for fitting reading into your life? Is there anything about the HOW of your reading that you wish were different? Share in the comments or, if you’re reading this via newsletter, simply hit reply—those messages come straight to me!
