📚 How I Read 70+ Books a Year (Without Ignoring My Actual Life)

Hello bookish friends!

Do you ever feel like there are too many books and not enough time?

I certainly do.

There’s always more books I’d love to read than I can realistically finish—but somehow, in the middle of homeschooling, speaking, and ordinary family life, I still average 70+ books every year.

So today I thought I’d answer one of the most common questions I get from readers: How do you actually make time to read?

I’ll share a few ideas here, but I’d love to hear from you too: how do you find snippets of time to read so your TBR list doesn’t overwhelm you?

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Since I’ve been sharing my bookshelf reads here for a few months, I thought it might be most helpful to highlight not just the sneaky ways I fit reading into my day—without neglecting my other duties—but also feature which books I read in each of these time slots:

1. Read aloud the classics with my kids

   Since we’re a homeschooling family, reading together forms the spine of our curriculum. I missed out on so many classics growing up in Romania as an MK, so it’s been delightful to discover these wonderful worlds as a grown-up.

   We’ve had so many rich conversations thanks to the classics—recently The Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island, and Galahad and the Holy Grail—and I’m grateful for this opportunity to “fill in the gaps” of my own education with some of my favorite people.

2. Pair audiobooks with household chores while kids are in Quiet Time

   We’re big believers in daily Quiet Time (from 1-3pm during the school year, and 1-2pm during summers), because the introverts in our family need a break. The kids can read or play quietly in their rooms, and I either catch up on research reads (like From Genesis to Junia) or do some housework while listening to my current fiction audiobook. Mostly recently, I’ve been reading Everyone’s Lying to You, Beneath the Swirling Sky, and started The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion this way.

3. Start the day with devotional reads

   If it’s a book that turns my heart toward Jesus, this is where I’m going to slot it in (or alternatively, #5). These books are my companions for months at a time, as I tend to read slowly, take notes in the margins, and springboard from the page to prayer.

   If it’s in my morning basket, it’s someone I trust enough to join me in soul-forming conversations with Jesus. Right now, that’s Romans for Everyone (for my year-long Bible study on the book of Romans), Redeeming Eden, and How to Love Your Mornings. I’d finish a lot more books if I didn’t start several concurrently, but that’s another convo for another time. :)

4. Leave a book in the bathroom

   Okay okay, this one might be controversial. Yes, there’s admittedly a slight ick factor here, but I reason that germs are introduced after taking care of business, if you know what I mean. And I’ve been trying to break the terrible habit of taking my phone in there. (Please tell me I’m not the only one.)

   So now I keep a self-improvement book in the bathroom instead, and it’s very slow going, like maybe a few pages a week, but that’s good because it gives me time to implement what I’m learning rather than just reading and checking it off my TBR without actually seeing any life change. Right now, The Good Money Revolution is giving me a lot to think about here.

5. Save slow reads for bedtime

   I used to save my fun/fantasy reading to enjoy when the kids were tucked in and I could savor some me-time. But I have no self-control when it comes to gripping storylines, and my kindle make it far too easy to keep reading late into the night—which makes for a tired and cranky mama come morning.

   So I’ve learned my lesson, and I save my bedtime kindle reads for those slow books that I want to read but aren’t exactly page-turners. These books gently lull me to sleep, while also filling my mind with things that are good, true and beautiful. I’ve been reading God’s Homecoming, The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery, and Giving Your Words during this time.

I thought it was also worth mentioning two rules I’ve made for myself on this subject:

1. No earbuds when the kids are around: In years past, I would keep listening to my audiobook from Quiet Time into dinner prep. But I’m practicing being present where my feet are planted, and I want to be fully available for my people, so my ears and hands and eyes are free to love.

2. No fiction before the Word: This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but basically, I want God’s Word to be the first words in my mind and heart, before I read anyone else’s words.

Now it’s your turn:

If you enjoy thoughtful book recommendations, cozy library discoveries, and conversations about stories, theology, and imagination, I’d love to have you join us here on Asheritah’s Bookshelf.

Also: I’m giving away a stack of books from my own shelves to one commenter this month—as we always do around here—so be sure to join the conversation below. 📚

In college, I read a book called Heaven is a Place on Earth that basically took my understanding of the “Jesus saves our souls so we can go to heaven” narrative and shook it like a snow globe. For nearly 20 years, I’ve been meaning to dig deeper into this heaven-on-earth paradigm, so when I saw the title of N. T. Wright’s book, I couldn’t order it from my library fast enough.

I’m about a third of the way through, and I appreciate how Wright eloquently articulates the uneasy feelings I’ve had about our Western Church’s presentation of the gospel. He presents a compelling case that the way we talk about God’s salvation plan is more informed by the platonic philosophy that’s shaped western culture than by the worldview of biblical writers themselves, and he shows—thoroughly exegeting Scripture—how committed our Creator is to restoring this world He made and making it His home.

I’ve brought this book up in conversations this month no less than ten times this month, and I imagine it’s going to be a top read for 2026 for me. Here are a few quotes I keep pondering:

Do these quotes resonate with you like they do with me? Let me know in the comments what you think of this vision of heaven-coming-to-earth in God’s future renewal of creation.

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Okay, moving along…

It’s been a while since a fantasy novel pulled me in this quickly. The story follows a twenty-year-old heroine with debilitating panic attacks who enrolls in a military academy to protect her mother, only to uncover a conspiracy that reshapes everything she thought she knew—about the world, the people around her, and which side deserves her loyalty.

The worldbuilding initially felt chaotic, but once I settled in, it became oddly fun to trace the many biblical echoes woven throughout the story (seriously, I kept wondering if the author was secretly writing from a Judeo-Christian imagination). I pushed through the rough opening partly because I needed to know whether my suspicions about the High Prince were correct (they were), and partly because I’m apparently a sucker for stories where men are both strong and respectful—protective without being controlling, attentive to a woman’s flourishing without becoming passive caricatures.

There’s plenty of violence and battle scenes, but the romance stays relatively restrained by today’s romantasy standards, which honestly felt refreshing in the era of increasingly explicit open-door fantasy. Even so, I probably wouldn’t hand this to my daughters before sixteen—and when I do, I suspect we’ll book club it, because the themes here would spark some fascinating conversations.

I’d been on the waiting list for the more popular tradwife novel of the moment (YesterYear) when a friend recommended this one. Not gonna lie—it’s intriguing from start to end. (Pun intended.) The insider critique of the influencer culture and content creation machine is painfully on-point, and the murder mystery, while more graphic than I’d have liked, did thematically tie into the tradwife motif.

This one had me thinking about it long after I put the book down. Note that the story doesn’t shy away from mature themes (and the author follows the adage of show, don’t tell). Discerning readers will likely appreciate the thoughtful and entertaining critique of this cultural moment.

This one’s a sobering and eye-opening memoir written by a Facebook insider who warns about the ways the leaders of Meta use and abuse their power—with no consideration of how their choices hurt people. It’s like the book version of The Social Dilemma documentary, but with more insider drama and gossip. I wish the author had taken more responsibility for her role in this mess, but I finished the book more convinced than ever that Silicon Valley is shaping our generation faster than most people realize—and more determined to delay social media for my children as long as possible.

For all the readers with young people in your life, this middle grade novel is a fun, fast-paced first installment in a new series about art theft and art restoration, with themes of family, belonging, identity, and purpose. I found myself looking up the many Van Gogh paintings as they were referenced throughout the book, and I’m looking forward to reading this again with my kids later this year. (Yep, I listened to this middle grade novel for my own research purposes, and it was a delightful break from more serious reading.)

It’s been a busy travel month, and along the thousands of miles, I’ve collected some of my favorite bookshelves to share with you.

Earlier this month, we got to stop by the Masonheimers after one of our conferences, and of course I had to check out Phylicia’s bookshelves.

I love how the elegant hardcover classics and the baskets corralling kiddos’ toys whisper of motherhood and learning and delighting in the season we find ourselves in. Phy is an author and the founder of Every Woman a Theologian, and her shelves bear witness to a well-trained mind. (Not pictured: the tea and muffins she served us; her darling baby; the congenial spirit of their home.)

If you enjoy thrifting and reading, this huge used bookstore would be your happy place. Thousands of books in floor-to-ceiling shelving. We found four of the five books in the Penderwicks series for $1.50 each and my daughter was ecstatic. Definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the Reno area.

The coziest mountain village library! From the cathedral wooden ceilings with central skylights to let in natural light, to a dual-sided wood burning fireplace, to the bookstack murals high on the walls—this little library took my breath away.

And did I mention it has a vending machine for books just outside its doors? I can’t even handle the cuteness.

This library looks like a futuristic fever-dream from the 70s, and I’m not mad about it. The bookshelves are shoved to the outer walls of the big room, letting nature take center stage. From the moment you step in, you’re engulfed in plants, kind of like stepping into a jungle with all that foliage; there’s also an indoor pond with a small waterfall, and “floating” islands where you can read in a semi-private forest. Easily one of the most creative libraries I’ve ever been to.

How cute is this? My ten-year-old is making bookshelf bookmarks to send to our giveaway winners this summer. 🥰 I can’t get over how cute she is, and how blessed I am to be these kids’ mama.

And that’s a wrap for this month’s Bookshelf Letter. As always, thank you for being here, and thank you for sharing your book recommendations with one another.

Cheering you on, one page at a time,

💛 Asheritah

P.S. As always, I’m giving away a bundle of books from my own shelves this month. 📚

To enter, leave a comment and tell me what you’re reading lately (or what book you can’t stop thinking about). I’ll choose a winner next week!

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