Savoring Books

One method that is new to me with Charlotte Mason is the idea of savoring books versus devouring them.  I have always been a devourer.  I LOVE to read.  I usually have several books going at once.  It is not uncommon for me to get a book that is very interesting, and to stay up into the wee hours of the morning reading it from start to finish.  I often got in trouble in school for reading ahead.  My husband and children usually make jokes about how fast I read.  If I buy or check out from the library a new book, the comment I usually hear is, "How long is that one gonna last you?  A day?"

So, the idea of savoring books was completely new to me.  When I was making my own schedule, I would schedule a lot of books for my daughter.  I know that the reading was just too much.  She got tired of all the reading.  Plus, I noticed that she wasn't really getting into the stories or enjoying them the way I would like.  She just checked it off the list that she had read the material without much interest.  This went against everything that I wanted.  I wanted her to love to read.  Even great books can lose all appeal when the child is pushed too hard.

In researching Charlotte Mason, I read about letting children savor their books instead of pushing them to read like it's a sprint.  I slowly let up on the amount of reading I was having my daughter do every day.  When I switched completely over to Charlotte Mason and Heart of Dakota, I noticed the difference in my daughter's interest in reading.  I give a lot of credit for that to Heart of Dakota and the wonderful book selections they have.  I also give a lot of credit to the fact that my daughter gets to savor her books instead of feeling overwhelmed with all she has to do.

As we have used the HOD schedule for much of our reading, I have noticed that a more relaxed pace has wonderful benefits for my daughter.  First, she is enjoying the stories and reading so much more.  She looks forward to reading, even if it isn't her favorite book or subject.  Secondly, she is absorbing much more.  Her ability to recall what she read in science and history has greatly improved.  Third, we get to live in and with the stories.  Instead of rushing through a story, we get to spend some time with them.  For instance, we have been reading Ginger Pye for two weeks now for an extra read aloud.  We are taking it at a chapter a day.  Instead of rushing, my daughter and I both feel like we know the Pye's and could go over for a visit... where we would discuss the dognapping of their dog, Ginger.  LOL.

As much as I love to devour books, I am learning myself that sometimes a nice stroll through a book is wonderful.  I recently bought a book that I had been looking forward to reading.  I couldn't put it down!  I read it in a day.  Then, I began to miss the characters.  I started to ask myself why I read it so fast, when I could have slowed down and spent some time with the beautiful, godly families I was reading about.  I decided to re-read the book, this time at a slower pace.  How much I missed!  I read the book so fast that I missed some of the subtle meanings and things that really brought the story to life.

I will always have the temptation to devour.  I will always love books.  I am learning that savoring a book is very beneficial though.  It is beneficial for my daughter in her schooling, and even for a book-loving mom.  The changes I have seen in my daughter's attitude and approach to reading since we began to slow down and savor our books is amazing.  She is really enjoying herself now with most of what she reads.  She even asked not to do the summer reading program at the library.  They reward based on how many books a child reads.  She instead would like to pick two or three really good books and savor them, maybe using her Drawn Into the Heart of Reading with them.  I thought that was a great plan!