‘How do you get so much reading done?’

‘I’ve never been a reader but I wish my kids were. What can I do?’

‘How can I make time to read?’

I get asked these questions all the time. Spend some time with me and I will convince you that Anyone can Be a Bookworm.

Reading has been a part of my life for as long I can remember. Books are woven into the fabric of who I am. But… before I get going, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I am an only child born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. I spent my childhood surrounded by books. First, those read to me by my mother, father, and grandmother and then those that I read over and over again to myself. My early years were filled with the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson, Little House in the Big Woods and the Dutch Twins. As I grew and began to read to myself, I choose The Bobbsey Twins, Anne of Green Gables and anything and everything by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I always had a book with me and would sneak in minutes whenever I could but always before bed. Reading even just a few pages before I fall asleep is a ritual as ingrained as brushing my teeth.

As I grew older I loved the heft of Little Women and it is one of the few books that I have re-read. As a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of Gone with the Wind, Eric Seghal and Danielle Steele (yes- that Danielle Steele but that is a story for another day). In college, I majored in psychology and education but I took a ton of English classes. My college days were filled with reading but each night before I could sleep, I needed to read just a tiny bit of something that was mine. The Clan of the Cave Bear series, The Firm and Along Came a Spider. After moving to DC to obtain a graduate degree in speech therapy, I inhaled the Patricia Cornwell books, fast-paced thrillers set in Richmond that brought me back to my college days at The University of Richmond.

For many readers, the Harry Potter series tracks their childhood. For me, Harry Potter fills my memories from early adulthood to my time as a newlywed and even my time as a new mom. I remember bringing The Order of the Phoneix, newly released at the time, to the hospital to give birth to Caroline, our first daughter. This is how ingrained the reading habit is in me. I truly thought I would read a few pages before going to sleep that night. When our second daughter Katherine was born three years later, I was all about Eat, Pray, Love and I remember crossing my fingers that her nap would be long enough for me to finish Twilight.

When the girls were young we read every night and multiple times a day. Mem Fox and Cynthia Rylant were our favorite authors and The Seven Silly Eaters was our my loved book. As the girls grew, they began to read more and more on their own but we still end our day by reading together nearly every night.

Literary fiction and thrillers remain my favorite genres but I spend time reading historical fiction and memoir as well. I can’t wait to read with you and to show that Everyone Can Be a Bookworm!

Say Hello

I love talking to my readers!

Please e-mail me at  sloscalzo1@gmail.com