As a child I loved to read books. I read the old books of my mom by Enid Blyton: ‘The Twins at St.Clare’s’. I guess it is fair to say I have had a fascination for twins since I was very young 😉 Around the age of 10, I became a huge fan of another typical girls’ book series, the title of which unfortunately I can’t remember. The books were about the daily life and adventures of a high school girl and her friends. I remember how excited I was each time my mom would come back from the bookstore bringing home the latest release. Also, I vividly remember that feeling when I had almost finished reading my new book. As soon as I reached the last chapter, I would read slower to make the book last longer. While reading, I always felt as if I was actually living the life of the main character. If it were up to me, I would finish one book per evening. Obviously, my mom always told me to turn off the light at 8PM to go to sleep. And since I was a very obedient child, that’s what I did. Always! 😉
During my teenager years I only read books during the holidays. To me the mandatory schoolbooks were too boring. During holidays, I would sit on the beach all day, reading a book, applying sunscreen, take a swim and continue reading. I could read a book a day cover to cover and start all over again with a new book the next day. Those were the days…
Nowadays, the only books I read are childrens’ books about monsters, heroes, heroines and princesses. I love reading books to the children. I am confident it helps them develop their imagination, but more importantly, their language skills. Unfortunately, the past couple of years, I haven’t been able to find the time to read books of my own preference. Every time I would receive a book as a birthday present, it would end up on one of our bookshelves. Luckily that has changed! A few weeks ago, bol.com sent me a Kobo e-reader to try it out. Frankly, I have always been skeptical about the pros of an e-reader, because let’s face it, reading from a tiny screen and not having to turn the pages is not the same as reading a real book, right? I have to take that back. I must admit that the Kobo e-reader is just perfect. It is light and just so easy to use! Also, given that the e-reader is as light as a small leaflet, reading in bed has now become such a joy: goodbye to those tingling arms from holding a heavy book! I downloaded a few books that I always wanted to read. I love to pick books from the non-fiction department on the bol.com/Kobo Plus site. There are so many good books to choose from, both in Dutch and English. Of course I like to watch television as soon as the kids are in bed, but reading before bedtime is an even better way to unwind after a busy day with the kids. So, my new goal is to finish one book a month and get back on track with my reading habits from my younger years 🙂
As you might have seen on my Instagram, I have also installed audio books on our ipad for the kids. When you subscribe for a Kobo Plus subscription, you will receive access to many ebooks AND audiobooks. The first 30 days are for free so it is really worth a try!
That’s it for now, I’ll go back to reading instead of writing!
