Hey cHEwY gum gums!

On Tuesday, September 14th, it was Australian Reading Hour, a push to get Aussies reading. This is my second year as an Australia Reads Author Ambassador, but I’ve always been an advocate for reading, not just for kids but for adults as well.

So why should we be reading? I’m going to borrow the mantra of this year’s campaign, which are on their bookmarks to help me hehe.

READ SMART

It’s what we tell kids, yet even they know the Internet may have made non-fiction books out of date (not reduntant because they are some clever factual books these days) Yes, I know google and wikipedia gives you an instant fix and YouTube docos are pretty good these days. But I like still like to read autobiographies and the odd-self help book and I bask in the wisdom that they give. Something about reading off the page makes you ponder about it more. I’m currently reading ’10 ways your smartphone is changing you’ and it’s been pretty good, unpacking why are we so distracted by screens and what kind of consequences it may bring. That’s my only jibe against screens in this post haha.

READ HAPPY

Reading for pleasure is probably the main reason why people pick up a book. It makes you happy and excited, we all want those feel good vibes. I love reading funny books to laugh, new books by favourite authors and picture books for that visual feast. There’s so many books that just want you to leave with a smile, even the serious ones, which leads me to…

READ WELL

I recently found out through an article that kids are wanting to read (and think) more about serious issues during this pandemic, and I can see why. While there is so much uncertainty in the world, books have never been more important in delivering comfort and warmth to someone. Books can help you unwind, relax and zzzzzzz well yeah, I mean I don’t want people to fall asleep reading my books, but if it helps them zone out of the current chaos around them, then yeah that’s cool. Self-care, well-being, they’re all buzz words, but books have always offered that escape from reality.

So why read for an hour a day, once a year? I hope reading can be a lifelong habit for you 🙂

Oh, thanks for reading this too hehe

O.W