The Art of Reading Deeply
I have long believed and accepted that books can act as both windows and mirrors to their readers. I have seen this so clearly in my own reading life that there is no room left for doubt. Growing up, I easily connected with Lucy Manette in A Tale of Two Cities and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice because of their shared deep love and respect for their fathers. I think I actually wrote one of my college application essays on that. Other books like A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini gave me windows into lives so foreign to my own that I wouldn’t have thought I could relate to the characters at all except that his writing was so vivid and moving that I did.
As I started building up this Dogwoods and Dumbbells community and diving into the world of bookstagram, publishing, and marketing, I began to feel swept up in the consumeristic tide of our culture at large. The more I read and connected with other readers, the more books I constantly added to my “To Be Read” list. The more that list grew, the more I felt pressure to get through all the books on my list so that I could share my thoughts and recommendations with others. If I wanted to be relevant, I felt that I needed to read and post at a break-neck pace. I was behind already as someone who was just starting to build this online space, so surely I couldn’t afford to move slowly.
But then summer arrived. My days slowed down to the pace of my kids, one of whom still naps twice a day. My children needed more of my attention, and I found it very challenging to keep up with my desired reading and posting pace. I think I’m on my third book of the summer when I had hoped to read 3-4 each month.
And honestly? I wouldn’t change a thing. We have spent more time outside, we’ve played together in our play room and at playgrounds. We’ve baked things together, and we’ve let each other get bored. In the moments that I have been able to open my books or my kindle and read, I have enjoyed the reading all the more for the rarity of it. I am in the midst of a season of motherhood that does not allow me much time for building anything other than magnet tile castles and legos. And that is ok. In fact, it’s a wonderful place to be.
Would I like to be building a writing career? Yes. Would I like to have finished editing my manuscript for the novel I’ve been working on for a few years, signed with an agent, and have reached a publishing deal? Absolutely yes. Those are still goals of mine, but I’m realizing (albeit slowly) that fighting against the stage and season I’m in will not help me realize those dreams. What will help? Embracing the joy and chaos around me every day. At the same time that I am in a very busy season of life, I am in a very hoped for season of life. I have been incredibly blessed to have three happy, healthy children and to get to spend my days caring for them and my home. This in itself is a real dream come true for me.
As I reflected on what I’ve read and what is still sitting on my shelf waiting to be picked up, I realized that reading a few books deeply is so much better than speeding through many books anyway. I share book recommendations carefully here because I want to help people find the characters, plots, and messages that will stay with them long after they’ve closed the last page. Books are filled with treasure, so why not treasure and savor them as we read? Have you ever paused mid-page in a book just to let the beautiful words you just read soak in? I have. And I hope I never stop doing that.
As I move into fall, I plan to continue my slow reading pace. It’s more aligned with how I live my life anyway. I am a firm believer in slow, intentional living—whether that is reading deeply, cooking recipes that take some time, or decorating my home over time and with intention rather than redoing everything at once to match any given aesthetic. My favorite books are all worth slowing down for, so I look forward to doing more of that this year.
What books have you read that made you want to keep reading them forever? Do you have any favorites that were worth slowing down for? Drop a comment below with the title if so. I can’t wait to check out your suggestions.
