I don’t know about you, but I always have to figure out how to fit in my reading this time of year. It’s not that I can’t do it — it’s just that I can’t do it the way I’ve been doing it when there were no school lessons and very little football practice. This time of year isn’t actually busier, but it’s different, and I have to strategize with my calendar to make things work.

A habit tracker helps immensely. I often imagine myself to be better than I am (more consistent than I am) and it’s only when stark reality is revealed to me by the mirror of my habit tracker that I face what I am actually like and become able to make some changes so that who I am more closely matches who I hope to be.

Get Your Mother Culture Habit Tracker Now!

What are we tracking?

I like to remind you each time: What exactly are we tracking with these Mother Culture Habit Trackers? Since we can’t track intangible things like “personal growth” or “feeding the soul with ideas,” we choose instead to track habits that lead to these ends. We define Mother Culture according to the original article in The Parents’ Review: reading 30 minutes per day. Maintain a stack of books (at least one of each) in three categories: stiff, moderately easy, and novel. When it’s time to read, pick up the book you feel fit for.

It’s that simple!

Need book ideas? Here is a recommendation for each category to get you started:

Stiff Book:

Healing Complex Children with Homeopathy: ASD, PANDAS/PANS, Lyme, ADHD, and More by Angelica Lemke, ND

I almost didn’t share this title because, even though I recently read this book cover to cover, and even though I’m incredibly thankful for it, it’s not for everyone. Here is the important thing to note: this book is not for beginners. You need to know homeopathy fairly well to get a lot out of this book. With that said, I have been asked many times over the years if I have a book to recommend for homeopathic treatment of these issues (mainly because good practitioners are so hard to find). Now I do!

Moderately Easy Book:

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey Into Christian Faith by Rosaria Butterfield

I reread this book earlier this year, and I still highly recommend it. It gave me much to think about in terms of how I interact with people to disagree with me on my most basic assumptions. So good!

Novel:

Dune by Frank Herbert

I can’t fully review this yet because I’m not even a quarter through it. Did I mention this book is long? It’s over 700 pages! So far, it does not disappoint. I love the epic feel. It’s interesting, but it’s willing to take its time, develop both the characters and setting, prime you for action. Fascinating. I do love a good fantasy/sci fi book!

Bonus Audio Book:

The Bodies of Others: The New Authoritarians, COVID-19, and The War Against the Human by Naomi Wolf

I have embraced a new strategy for fall reading: audio books. I have held out for years, but it’s true that one time to “read” is when I’m driving home from dropping O off at football practice. This book by Wolf is one I keep meaning to get to; now I’m “reading” it on audio. The narrator is … fine. He’s not great. He’s not terrible. But Wolf’s content is superb.

Happy fall reading, friends!