How to Get Back Into Reading (and Why This Summer Is the Perfect Time to Start)
Today is the day.
We took a trip to the library last week — me and my boys — and let them wander the shelves until they each found something that actually called to them. No pressure, no agenda. Just books they wanted to read.
Today we start the habit. Fifteen minutes of reading together, every day.
It sounds so simple. And it is. But it also feels like a quiet kind of victory, because getting here — figuring out how to get back into reading after years away from it — took longer than I want to admit.
I Used to Be a Reader
Not just someone who read occasionally. I was the person who couldn’t sleep without a chapter first. Who got genuinely excited to pick up a book at the end of a long day. Who lost whole weekend afternoons to a story that wouldn’t let her go.
Then somewhere in the chaos of mom life, that habit quietly slipped away.
I didn’t notice it leaving. It just… went. And without realizing it, the space where reading used to live got filled in by my phone. Doomscrolling in bed instead of pages. Mindless scrolling instead of something I actually loved.
It’s one of those things you don’t fully recognize until you’re already deep in the pattern.
Why Doomscrolling Is So Hard to Break (and What Finally Helped)
The phone is designed to keep you coming back. Reading isn’t. And that’s exactly why so many of us — readers who genuinely loved books — found ourselves losing the habit without meaning to.
If you’re trying to figure out how to get back into reading after a long break, the first thing I’d tell you is this: don’t try to out-willpower your phone. Replace the habit instead.
For me that meant finding authors who made me want to stay up too late. I picked up a few books and put them down again. Restless. Distracted. Not quite hooked. Then I found a couple of new-to-me authors and something shifted.
I finished one book in a week. Then another in four days.
I remembered what it felt like to not want to put a book down. That feeling? I had missed it more than I knew.
Why Summer Is Such a Good Time to Build a Reading Routine
There’s something about summer that makes a reading habit feel more possible.
The schedule loosens a little. The evenings stretch. And if you’re lucky enough to have a porch or a patio, you have a built-in reading spot that makes the whole thing feel like a reward instead of a task.
We have a patio this year — something I haven’t had in a long time — and sitting outside with a book while my boys play has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the day. A chapter in the fresh air. The sound of them in the background. No agenda, no notifications.
That’s my summer reading routine right now, and it’s working.
The real version sometimes looks like three pages before someone needs a snack. But even three pages counts. Progress doesn’t have to be perfect to be real.
The Simple Reading Habit We’re Building as a Family
Here’s what our summer reading routine actually looks like:
Fifteen minutes a day, side by side, each of us with our own book.
My boys picked out their books at the library — books they actually wanted to read. That part matters more than people think. When a kid chooses the book himself, reading stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like something she gets to do.
Same goes for us, honestly.
If you’re building a summer reading routine and you don’t know where to start, start there. One library trip. Let yourself wander. Pick something you actually want to read, not something you feel like you should.
Then find fifteen minutes. Same time every day if you can. Morning coffee, lunch break, after school pickup, before bed. Wherever the quiet lives in your day.
That’s enough. That’s everything, actually.
One Small Thing That Makes Getting Back Into Reading Easier
Here’s something I’ve learned as both a reader and someone who makes magnetic bookmarks: the little details matter more than we give them credit for.
A regular bookmark falls out. You set your book down, someone bumps the table, a little hand gets curious — and suddenly you’re flipping through pages trying to find your spot. It’s a small frustration. But small frustrations have a way of adding up when you’re trying to protect a fragile new habit.
A magnetic bookmark stays put. The pages close around it, it holds, and when you come back your place is exactly where you left it. One less thing standing between you and the story you were in.
This time of year especially — all the sand and water that comes with summer — a magnetic bookmark is more than just pretty. It won’t fall into the beach bag, flutter away on the patio, or end up soggy at the bottom of a pool bag. It quietly does its job so you can focus on the book.
That’s exactly why I make them.
Ready to Start Your Summer Reading Routine?
You don’t need a perfect reading nook or a whole hour carved out. You need a book you actually want to read and a few minutes that are yours.
Maybe it’s the patio after drop-off. Maybe it’s lunch — a real lunch, with a few chapters and no phone. Maybe it’s fifteen minutes before the house wakes up or after it finally quiets down.
And maybe, like me and my boys this summer, it’s just making a small promise to yourself and starting today.
If you want something pretty to mark your place while you’re at it, the magnetic bookmark duos in my shop are $10 and come in pairs — cozy reader themes, encouraging quotes, seasonal collections. Pretty enough to make you smile every time you pick up your book. Sturdy enough to stay put through every chaotic summer moment.
With gratitude, Cindy 💜
P.S. I’d love to know — are you trying to get back into reading this summer too? What finally pulled you back in? Hit reply and tell me.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get back into reading when I’ve lost the habit? Start smaller than you think you need to. Five or ten minutes a day with a book you genuinely want to read is enough to begin rebuilding the habit. The key is replacing the doomscrolling reflex with something in the same moment — bedtime, lunch, morning coffee — so reading starts to feel automatic again. Finding an author who hooks you helps more than any schedule.
What is a good summer reading routine for busy moms? The most sustainable summer reading routine is one that fits into time you already have. A chapter at lunch, fifteen minutes on the porch while the kids play, or a few pages before bed are all enough. Keeping your book somewhere visible — not buried in a bag — helps too. The easier you make it to pick up, the more often you will.
How do I get my kids into a summer reading habit? Let them choose their own books. A library trip where they pick whatever calls to them is more effective than assigned reading. Sitting together and reading at the same time — each with your own book — also helps normalize it as something the whole family does, not something kids have to do alone.
Why do magnetic bookmarks work better for summer reading? Sand, water, and busy hands are a regular part of summer life — and all three are hard on regular bookmarks. A magnetic bookmark closes inside the pages and stays put even when the book gets tossed in a bag or bumped on a table. It’s a small thing that makes coming back to your book a little easier every time.
How long does it take to rebuild a reading habit? Most habit research points to somewhere between three and eight weeks for a new routine to feel automatic, but the honest answer is that it depends on how much you enjoy what you’re reading. Finding the right book speeds everything up. Give yourself grace in the first couple of weeks — the habit is forming even when it doesn’t feel like it yet.