‘I never have time to read’ – that’s always the complaint. Life is too hectic, we’re always too tired or there’s always that little something that gets in the way of us picking up a book. But making time to read IS possible. Here some of the Lolfa crew offer their advice…
With life going by like a rollercoaster, week after week, its easy to neglect to read. But even when life is busy, it is possible to seize an opportunity to read on the bus or train. True, there may be more comfortable places to read, but for the whole journey there’s nothing to distract you but the landscape zooming past. On my daily commute on the bus to and from work, in those stolen moments, I enjoy stepping into another world and stealing ten or fifteen minutes to myself: to learn about my own country, about other countries, other worlds, and the history, culture and way of life of people all over the world.
Gwenllian Jones, Office Manager
In an effort to improve my Welsh, I try to read a little bit every day of a Welsh-language book, usually in bed just before I go to sleep, and usually on Kindle on my phone so I can copy and paste the odd word into my dictionary app if I get stuck! One chapter or half an hour a day is usually doable however busy I am. But in an ideal world when I have more time, I prefer to get really stuck into novels – on a rainy Sunday afternoon I like nothing better than to curl up on the sofa and escape for a few hours into something really gripping!
Carolyn Hodges, English Editor
Since my two daughters came into my world, the bed has become a place of sleep! And it is a rare thing to find a free afternoon to relax and read. That’s why I always carry a book in my bag so I can pick it up if I happen to have five minutes to myself…
I shouldn’t feel guilty reading a book at home before the children go to bed. Its important to show that Mam and Dad read too. Reading shouldn’t be confied to the classroom. Books are treasures to enjoy…to open other worlds…and lose yourself completely in them…even if only for five minutes!
Meleri Wyn James, Welsh Editor
It can be challenging finding time to read. I work around books every day and often the last thing I want to see when I get home is a book! But there’s so much pleasure to be had from reading. A book is a gateway – a gateway to a million other worlds where you can find a million different characters of all kinds – to laugh and cry with them. More tha anything, reading reminds me of the better qualities of human nature.
So, as I sit in my bed before sleep, I’ll reach for a good book and read for a while. Its relaxing, a way to keep the mind sharp and the imagination alive, and a great opportunity to get that all important ‘me time’, with nothing to disturb me as I escape between the covers of never-ending imagination…
Fflur Arwel, Head of Marketing
Where do you enjoy reading? Get in touch!
Y Silff Lyfrau | the Welsh Bookshelf 