After years of parenting without finishing a book, a solo trip to a bookshop and a café reignited a reading habit that also brought back conversations and identity.
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Melissa had not finished a book in years. Three kids, sleepless nights, Netflix autoplay. The reading habit she had held since childhood, the one that took her anywhere, had gone flat. It was not a conscious decision. Books just stopped competing with the end of a busy day.
In 2024, she found herself alone on the Gold Coast after a funeral. Her husband and children had flown home. She drove to a shopping centre, walked into a bookshop, bought "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover, and sat down in a French pâtisserie with Earl Grey tea and a croissant.
She read for hours. Halfway through the book by the time her back ached, she said. On the flight home, a flight attendant said she loved that book. The passenger next to her agreed. They talked about the author and the sequel.
That exchange, she said, made her realise she had missed not just the stories but the conversations around them. The banter about characters, plots, endings. She started reading anything she could find. Romantasy, romance, thrillers, memoirs. She visited the library weekly and set a 2025 goal: one book every two weeks. She joined a book club.
Her husband eventually asked if she would ever spend time with him after the kids were in bed, or if her head would stay in a book. She groaned and put the book down. She said she is now mindful of balancing reading with family time. She still avoids audiobooks because part of the joy is the smell and feel of paper.
An hour of reading before bed is something she looks forward to all day, she said. Occasionally she hides in her room for a few quick pages until one of her kids finds her. Then it is back to reality.
Looking back, she said those early years of parenting can be intense. Many parents sacrifice hobbies and lose their sense of self. Rediscovering reading felt like reclaiming a long-lost part of her identity.
She said it gave her the chance to escape into new worlds while being the best version of herself, for her family and for her.
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