Review: The Read-Aloud Family

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

Date: March 27, 2018

Format: Paperback + Audible audiobook

How did I get this book? Purchased

Goodreads | Publisher

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Sarah Mackenzie's Read-Aloud Revival podcast. I hardly ever pre-order books, but I pre-ordered this one so I could get her free bonus video class. (And so the book would land on my doorstep on publication day. Ahem.) The last time I started a book on release day was probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but The Read-Aloud Family now has that honor as well. Though to be honest, I didn't actually read that pre-ordered paperback copy yet... because it was the Audible edition I dove into as soon as I possibly could. So yes, I purchased the same book in two different formats and I don't regret it one bit. Sarah narrates the audiobook herself and it was a really great way to experience her book because she is so friendly and encouraging -- just like on her podcast! I can tell you right now that I will be re-reading/re-listening -- and probably more than once. I'm a little over the top, I know.

As you can probably already tell, I absolutely loved The Read-Aloud Family. I found it to be inspiring and encouraging as well as giving me a boost of confidence that all the time I spend reading with my toddler son really is time well spent. As with the podcast, it makes a solid case for the value of continuing to read aloud even beyond the time he will someday be able to read on his own. I really loved having the RAR "philosophy" in one coherent place. This book pretty much ties together all the ideas and concepts and approaches from the podcast -- with some new material as well. I think it's important to note that there IS a lot of overlap with the podcast. There were parts I had heard before -- sometimes verbatim -- from previous episodes, but I personally don't feel this diminished the book. First of all, I'm probably in the minority of podcast listeners when I say I've listened to my favorite episodes multiple times. So, 1. I clearly don't mind hearing some of the same stuff on repeat and 2. I probably have a better memory for those repeated bits simply because I have already heard them several times before.

So, yes, I really enjoyed the audiobook, but I'm also glad to have the paper copy as reference -- particularly for the Ask Compelling Questions chapter and the book lists. (However, the Audible edition does include instructions for accessing a printable booklist divided by age if that's the only thing holding you back from going the audio route.) The booklist chapters were done in a really interesting way I haven't personally seen before. Each age grouping has 20 (or so) favorite read-aloud titles, but embedded in the descriptions of those 20 main titles are additional ones to try. So, I'm loving how I can go to the entry for a title I already know I love and find a few others that are similar in some way or that might complement it.

As an avid RAR podcast fan, I was curious how the recommendations would break down in terms of what's already in our home "library," so I did a little tallying:

TOTAL titles: 389

Titles I've Already Read: 96

TBR titles (own, but haven't read): 97

That leaves 196 books I've neither read nor own. Of course, I have heard of many of those remaining titles, but there were more than a few brand-new-to-me as well. Between the TBR books already on our shelves and the other 196, I shouldn't run out of recommendations any time soon!

One final thing to note is that this book is published by Zondervan, a Christian publisher. The author is Catholic and the book is most certainly written from a Christian perspective, including recommendations for favorite Bibles to read aloud. I think there is a whole lot that any family can get out of this book, but if you are of a different faith, this may not be quite what you are looking for. I personally appreciate how Sarah has woven her faith into this particular topic and enjoyed reading her perspective. If you're on the fence, maybe try borrowing it from your library first :)

A New Way of Thinking About DNFs

When I listen to Anne Bogel's What Should I Read Next? podcast, I typically enjoy the bookish banter and maybe come away with a recommendation or two. What I don't usually come away with is an idea that could majorly change my reading life. But I think that just may have happened with this week's episode.

Anne was interviewing Roxanne Coady, the owner of independent bookstore RJ Julia in Madison, Connecticut. As the pair chatted, they found common ground in frequently abandoning (or at least setting aside) books they start due to the nature of their work. Anne has talked about this many times before, but then Roxanne talked about a shift in her reading life since becoming a bookseller, saying: "I realized the number of books that I could read that were likely to be great was limitless and if I was struggling to get through a book, I owed it to the next book to drop the book that I'm not loving and go on to the next one." And it was one of those proverbial light-bulb moments for me. Her statement made so much sense, but I had never thought of it that way before.

While I'm not completely opposed to DNF'ing books, it's very much a rarity for me. I am absolutely one of those readers who often finds myself wondering, as Anne pointed out, "but what if it's about to get good?" And while I'm well aware books don't have actual feelings, I DO often find myself feeling it's not fair to judge a book I haven't finished. I often feel it's not fair to "give up" on a book I'm already part way through -- especially if it landed on my TBR by way of a trusted source for recommendations. I've already invested time and oftentimes money in that particular title. I chose to pick that book up for a reason and let's be honest, who really likes to admit they were wrong?

So while I doubt Roxanne's philosophy is going to make me a master DNF-er, I am going to reconsider which books I'm thinking about when I wonder whether or not quitting is "fair." It's not like I've never heard similar arguments before: "there are so many good books out there" and "life's too short," just to name two. I've heard them before -- and I even agree with them! But it's still hard to make a judgement against a book that's right in front of me sometimes. It's hard to think of that potential "next great book," particularly if I'm not even sure what I want to pick up next. Sticking with a so-so book until the end often just feels easier, even when it's a slog. But I love Roxanne's optimism about the limitlessness of great books out there, so I'm going to give it a try.