By Marguerite Cleveland
Now is the perfect time to read a book. Military Spouses across the country are embracing the extra time they have and opening up a book to escape into other worlds. Shelter in Place means no FRG meetings or volunteer work. Homeschooling is a perfect time to read as you monitor your child’s education and are available for questions. Here are why your fellow Military Spouses are picking up a book:
- Susanna Hickman Bartee – Definitely finding more time to read with all of the after school and evening activities suspended. I find I just want to escape. Historical fiction is always my go to genre.
- Stacie Preston Pogoncheff – This is a perfect time to read a book, as it gives you the perfect place to escape the monotony of staying home and social distancing. I had set a yearly goal to read 25 books, small as we were supposed to be moving…that 25 is now my pandemic goal. I have read 3 books in the last 2 weeks.
- Tina Winn – I always read, but lately (with my teaching schedule) I’ve gravitated towards quicker, easier reads or reading novels for children to get ideas for my classroom. Knowing I am going to have a lot of time on my hands made this the perfect time to dive in!
- Kirsten Campbell – This is the perfect time to accomplish lots of things we never seem to have time to do. Now we have time to read for pleasure, read to learn something new, read with our newly homeschooled students, just don’t read any more about COVID-19!
- Jamie Lynn Blum- I’m in multiple book clubs, they keep me sane and grounded even in normal times. I’m not reading as much as I usually do now that I’m “crisis schooling” my children and doing my full-time job from home. I’ve been going for runs at night after my children are in bed (grandparents are home) and I listen to books on Audible. I’ve gone from 4-5 books a month to 3.
- Patty Hembree – I don’t feel guilty taking time to read or escaping to a quiet room to read because no one has to go to a practice, so dinner doesn’t “need” to be served at a certain time and no urgent errands to be run. I’m “reading” 2 books at once nowadays. I listen to an audible book while I run every morning and read a book at home.
- Mary Christina Hold -This is the perfect time to pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read. We all desperately need an escape right now and a good book can let you travel mentally and emotionally into a different place. While my rate of reading personal books has actually gone down during this time due to my kids being home, it has allowed me to explore stories with my kids instead. We have been reading out loud together books from my childhood. These read-alongs are giving us all a much needed break from the difficult times.
- Sarah Becking – I’m actually reading less right now because I’m working from home, and working in my garden, and then I started volunteering at a food bank, because many of their regulars are high risk, and their demand has increased.
With libraries and bookstores around the country closed, where can you get your book fix?
You Have Free E-Book Options Available To You Now!
When stuck at home, download Kindle from Amazon. You don’t have to purchase a Kindle to be able to read e-books just download the software from Amazon and read on your phone, tablet or computer. And with so many companies trying to ease the stress of quarantine, they’re offering free e-books from time to time. Disney, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iBooks have all made some E-books available at no cost.
If you are a member of Amazon Prime there is a whole section devoted to free reading for Prime members. Another option is to go online to your base’s library. The Army MWR Library, Navy MWR Library, and Air Force Digital Library are all online resources to check out ebooks as well as a variety of other media and educational digital content. The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Digital Library is a wealth of digital content for children, teens and adults. In addition to eBooks, you can access digital newspapers, listen to concerts and take online classes. Well worth checking out. Also check out your local library online. Many are now offering digital library cards and have a variety of eBooks you can check out.
Did you know eBooks were first created back in 1971 by Michael Hart? He created Project Gutenberg to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks. The project has over 60,000 eBooks that can be read using a kindle or the free Epub Reader. Most of the books are older books that are out of copywrite protection and in the public domain. The program is volunteer run and a good source for out of print books you may have wanted to read.
Invest in a Daydream
And for those titles that aren’t available for free, you deserve to read what you want now more than ever. Invest in that book you’ve been eyeing for some time. Now is the perfect time to cozy up with a good book and get lost.
Nothing Compares to a Good Old Fashioned Hard Cover or Paperback
If you’re a book lover that truly loves the feel of the pages between your fingers, we’ve got you too! You can still read the old fashioned way. Check out Amazon, Barnes & Noble and HudsonBooksellers.com to order physical copies of the books you can’t wait to get your hands on and have them shipped directly to your home.
Are you reading more during the Covid-19 outbreak? What is on your reading list?
Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse. Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com
