Books have always been a big part of my life.

I tried using a Kindle at one point, but it never stuck. There’s something tactile and satisfying about holding a real book in your hands and using a real highlighter to highlight passages.

Over the past couple of years, my reading habit has waned noticeably. With 4 kids, I’m always driving someone somewhere.

Also, with so many TV shows and movies to consume, it feels endless. It turns out, watching is much easier than reading. And oftentimes I have to feel like I have nothing else to do before I’ll pick up a book. This all changed recently when I removed all video and social apps from my phone. As a result, I’ve been reading a lot more. It only dawned on me after those apps were gone that reading time was taking a back seat to watching these past couple of years.

As a kid, I have fond memories of riding my bike to the library and spending hours there. I can still picture the library’s layout in my mind. I’d walk up and down the aisles, scanning the books. If one caught my eye, I’d grab it off the shelf. If the blurb intrigued me, I’d hold onto it. I’d do this until I had half a dozen books. Then I’d sit down in a big padded chair and get lost in them, never reading front to back, but jumping around and diving deep only when something captured my interest.

Earlier today, my wife asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day. She knows the answer—it’s been the same thing for every fathers day, birthday, and Christmas for the past 20 years—books from my Amazon wish list.

I don’t have a massive library, but I love the one that I have.

Believe it or not, color-coordinating my books is not just for aesthetics. It’s actually easier for me to remember the size and color of a book than the author or title.

I realized this afternoon that I treat my little library like those libraries of my youth. I regularly scan the titles, grab a couple, and sit down in the comfy recliner in my office to get lost in them. Again, it’s less about reading cover to cover and more about following threads of interest at the time.

I love reading. I miss reading. I’m glad that I’m finding ways to make more space for it in my life again.