Exercising Your Reading Muscles

Did you know Well-Read Mom groups are reading together all across the globe? This week Janel is talking with Maria and Ana, who share their experience of starting a Well-Read Mom group in Portuguese. They discuss the transformative journey they embarked on after attending a Well-Read Mom conference and the joy of connecting with like-minded women across different cultural contexts.

In today's A Closer Look Episode, Margaret Cronin discusses the importance of leisure for women, especially during times of uncertainty and unrest. Leisure is different from rest and entertainment, and it allows us to give our full attention to the beloved, whether it be a friend or God. Margaret emphasizes the need for women to take time for themselves and engage in activities that bring peace and restoration. Sisterhood plays a crucial role in supporting women in their leisure pursuits, both by stepping in to help and by providing camaraderie. The practice of holy moments and being fully present in the moment are key to experiencing leisure. Margaret also explores the balance between an active and contemplative life, drawing inspiration from the stories of Martha and Mary. Ultimately, leisure is a continual communion with the Lord and a necessary part of a fulfilling life.

When we read and discuss great books, they change us, and we in turn bring that change out into the world. Janel and Courtney are back in "Radical Reading: Episode 2" to talk about how radical reading touches you and stays with you throughout your life...even to the point of influencing your vacation destinations! The difficult question is, though, how do we make room for radical reading in our busy lives?

Can reading be radical? It can be if you engage with literature, and let it change you. In today's episode, Janel is joined by Courtney LoCoco, and they discuss how reading and discussing worthy books can be a radical endeavor in a world that is so loud and distracting.

In this Closer Look Episode, we feature an interview between Marcie and author and publisher Joshua Hren about how literature can help form our moral imagination, and why that is so important. Find out more about Joshua Hren and his work on his website and through his publishing house Wiseblood Books.

Does reading a novel feel like a selfish use of your time? It's not! In today's episode, Janel and Dia talk about how reading is not just good for you, it's also good for the people around you.

In this second episode of "Fostering a Thoughtful Home" Janel and Dia Boyle talk about practical ways to incorporate reading into a thoughtful home, and how attentive reading can help us be attentive to the people in our lives. For more from Dia Boyle about the Thoughtful Home, head over to the Well-Read Mom Blog

In today's culture, family life and the home are more important than ever before. Janel and Dia discuss how to foster a thoughtful home, where focus and attention are developed - attention to the book in front of you, the work in front of you, or the person in front of you. This series will help you think more deeply about what is happening in the home, and what you want to be happening.

In this Closer Look Episode, Well-Read Mom founder Marcie Stokman shares about the art of reading by looking at two problems and a solution. The problem of motherhood and loneliness, the problem of reading, and the solution of reading together. To learn more about Well-Read Mom go to: WellReadMom.com

Do you find it hard to focus when reading a good book? Maybe you need to exercise your reading muscles! Janel and Jill talk about how your reading brain is a muscle that needs to be consistently utilized to get the most out of your reading. Using the principles of exercising your body, you can build the strength of your mind.