How a Children’s Book Got Me Reading Again

Doomscrolling is a real problem. Couple that with Claude Code at work, and you have a deadly combination for your cognitive abilities in the long run.

I wanted to bring back reading in my life. However, life with two kids did not allow me the luxury of just sitting down for an hour and reading a book in peace. I committed myself every night, while putting the kids to bed, that I'd pick up the book afterwards, only to wake up in the middle of the night and realise that I had put myself to bed too.

I tried Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - I must admit that it was a hard book to follow through (reason it didn’t work: the old-fashioned language, my tired brain) when you're trying to get back into reading. I decided that the next book I buy shouldn't feel like I'm pushing through to finish a read.

Proceeding, I was thinking of a productivity book to read, but I landed on a Reddit post that I resonated with a lot, given that I have read a few in the past. Here is the take on which productivity book I should buy to read:

None. This is the truth. It begins with you and stops with you. Now, I am not against reading - it is an amazing thing to do, and most people should be reading more.

However, the self-help industry is huge and preys on people who want to change and do not know how, and are looking for a “magic trick” that will change their life. People who are seeking to be better all the time often end up in the loop - reading books, watching advice on YouTube, paying for courses - they get paralysed while doing nothing. And somebody is making good money off it.

Maybe writing a journal would be better and just doing what you know and feel is right most of the time. Sure, do read, but do not fall into the mentioned trap of “looking for the secret”.

After a lot of surfing on Goodreads, I finally decided to go with The Graveyard Book. This book is not essentially a book for adults. Self-burn! ha. But I have no shame in admitting that the plot of the book seemed interesting. The reviews were also promising.

And within a few days, reading was no longer a chore; it had become a habit.

Almost every night, we get cozy on the sofa, take a comfy blanket, and read together the story of the boy named Nobody Owens by his already-dead foster parents, and his life growing up in the Graveyard — till my son is in the dreamlands.