This past year, I began reading a lot more than I have in recent years. After university, I felt I lost the ability to actually find enjoyment in a book. Soon after, I began working full-time and didn’t prioritize reading. Then came Samuel, and reading with a newborn wasn’t nearly as difficult as reading with a toddler who needs Mama’s attention. Here I am giving excuses, but reading for enjoyment really was put on the back-burner.
Over the past year, I’ve seen a huge change in Samuel’s attention span. Three years old is so very different than two. This year, he began sitting on his bed or the couch with a piles of books to look at. It was such a sweet moment to see, as he made up stories for each of the pages he flipped through. Now, we read multiple books a day, and he’s quite eager to listen as we read them.
It got me thinking, why am I not reading more? He’s very content to be sitting, reading his own books, and there’s nothing but myself stopping me from reading a good book. So, I hunted for my once dear-to-me library card–expired in 2019–and set out to get it renewed. I checked out book after book, devouring titles like I once did as a teenager, before my time reading was logged & marked by a professor or put on hold for an infant who needed his Mama a bit more than now.
Samuel went on his very first library visit this fall. We sat by the pond in front of the library and talked about how we should act inside, before we went in. Still, my Mama heart shook. What if he screams? What if he pulls all the books off the shelves? We walked hand-in-hand, pointing and looking at all the bright book spines. “Mama, pretty…”.
Yes baby, they’re pretty.
They’re also the key to your most wild adventures.
Fighting the big dragons, saving the world, becoming the hero.
We walked around, choosing a few titles as we went. “We can take some home to show Daddy,” I say. “Get the book, Mama? Yay!”. He’s learning the joy the library brings. The excitement of choosing a new title, getting to take it home–free of charge–and return it for another. As a mother, it’s precious to see new experiences through my son’s eyes, but this one? This reminded me of the reader I once was. The little girl who found good friends in fairytale lands, the young woman who valued books more than clothes or jewelry. It sparked something in me to become that reader once more. For him.
So, while many I know have shared their 2022 book lists with 70+ titles, mine looks microscopic in comparison. Still, it’s an accomplishment on my part after not reading consistently for several years. I read some really wonderful titles this year, among dozens of children’s books for Samuel. I’m looking forward to another year of finding the joy in a good book.
My favourite books from 2022 (in no particular order):
