My Story

I have had a love/hate relationship with reading most of my life. As a child, I loved to be read to. But when it came time for me to learn to read I struggled. I was picked on in school because I read very slow out loud and I stuttered a lot. In 5th grade, my teacher read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to the class. I loved it. My parents bought me my own copy and I was able to read along. It took me longer than most to read the book but I read it. I continued to read that series (and still do from time to time). It gave me a reason to keep trying.

As an adult I found peace in reading. Whether I was stress from work, school or something else, I found a release through reading. It calms me. It takes my mind off of what is going on around me. It helps me decompress. I was still very slow though. It would take me months to read a book, but I was okay with that. I joined a book club and realized that I struggled to read one complete book each month. I worked really hard and set specific time out to read to make sure I completed the book each month. I was in awe of the other members who could read multiple books between book clubs. I mean how can that be done?

That first year in the book club I read 12 books. one for each month. And that was a struggle. Fast forward four years and I completed 82 books that year, was a member of one book club and ran another book club. Reading is my passion, my joy, my breath in life. I want to share that with you and the world.

So why the name? Read and Be Kind.

One of the things I love about reading is that I can see situations through other people's perspectives. There are so many things I have been through but there are so many more that I haven't. Every person has a different opinion, perspective or idea of how to handle situations through life. Often times we do not have to figure out how we would handle something and I am thankful for that. I believe that the more a person reads the more opportunity a person has to be understanding to others and how they may handle different situations. If we read more we can be kinder, more understanding, and ultimately a more loving people as a whole.

My Purpose:

I want to encourage ALL to read. Whether you are someone who reads one book a year or one hundred books a year I want you to feel welcome and encouraged to read. I want to encourage others to try new genres and authors. I want to provide resources so you can form groups and discuss books and enjoy the magic that is a book club without stress. I want to provide challenges (when you are ready for them) to encourage you to keep going forward in your reading journey. I want to join your reading journey and I would love for you to join me on mine. We can create an encouraging community for ALL levels of readers.