Portrait of a Mother Reader - Jo, Australia
Reading habits, rhythms and book recommendations of Mother Readers the world over
My name is Jo Lloyd. My husband Cliff and I live in regional New South Wales, not too far from Canberra. I’m a homeschooling mother, actively involved in different facets of home education, including preparing homeschool resources to help others teach with confidence. We have two children loving learning at home, while our eldest son has opened a new chapter, studying Biotechnology at the Australian National University. All of us are avid readers, and our new puppy Freya has quickly settled into loving pats and naps during reading time.
Who inspired you to become the reader you are today?
I’ve been fortunate to have many fellow readers inspire me to love books, including family members, friends, lecturers, work colleagues, and mentors.
Fun fact: When I was working full-time my assistant informed me that I had an evening function coming up and that I needed a new outfit for it. So, I headed to the shops to find something to wear. However, I came back with a new book instead of a dress. She shook her head and laughed, but made sure I did find a frock.
Who are your favourite authors?
Beatrix Potter and AA Milne were firm favourites as a child, as were the verses of Robert Louis Stevenson. Then, it turned to LM Montgomery, Ethel Turner, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Jane Austen. I still love them all and I’ve always had a soft spot for Shakespeare.
As an adult, I love reading
and Tim Marshall’s offerings as I definitely have a non-fiction bent. Simon Winchester, Mark Kurlansky, and Robert Macfarlane are excellent too. If you take a peek at my bookshelves, you see a lot of CS Lewis, Elizabeth Goudge, Barbara Kingsolver, Marilynne Robinson, and Wendell Berry.Who do you discuss books with?
I am in a couple of book clubs specifically relating to education, and I’m about to start running one in the Asia-Pacific region. These are ordered and organised, which is so helpful as it means I intentionally carve out time to discuss the set books and ideas. However, outside of these, other book discussions simply pop up. Often when I spot a book at a friend’s house, or they pass one onto me insisting I should read it.
Being homeschoolers, we spend a lot of time reading together as a family, so there is constant vibrant discussion about books. We always have a few read alouds going on at any one time, and because we favour the Charlotte Mason method (which is founded on using quality books), the children have a stack they are reading. This means a lot of our chatter is centred around this literary life we lead.
What are you currently reading?
As always, an eclectic mix! I’ve recently been elected to Board of Management for a beautiful heritage building, so I’ve got a few books related to the site in my pile, along with our current education reads for book clubs. I am also currently loving The Book of Wilding by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell, a gift from my husband.
For homeschooling, I’m reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – Fellowship of the Ring aloud at the moment. It is the first time my youngest has read it, which is special (and the lads are enjoying hearing it again). Amongst other titles, we are also loving Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune. Anthony from Living Books Press sent it to us as a gift when our new puppy arrived, and it is a winner.
What’s in your TBR pile?
The very honest answer is “too many”. At the moment there are a lot of titles around a new project I’m working on, which is exciting, and I also have a few about puppy and dog training.
What have you read so far this year that you would recommend?
If food and travel light you up, definitely have a look at Tessa Kiros’ new book, Now and Then. It is a beautiful book to look at, read, and cook from.
For those seeking fabulous titles to read aloud to their children that feature history, science, and technology, I definitely recommend Frozen in Time by Mark Kurlansky.
Anna Koska’s From Coast & Cove and From Field & Forest are just gorgeous. A perfect mix of art, nature, and beautiful words. After having them for quite a while, I finally stopped just looking at the pictures and read them over summer.
I also loved Chemistry for Breakfast by Dr Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim. Quirky and engaging.
What are your favourite genres?
I definitely read more non-fiction and bend towards geopolitical and natural science titles. But, I am conscious to read widely and so always keep a novel on the go, even if it just our book club pick (which is currently Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell).
What were your favourite books you read in 2023?
I seemed to read a lot of titles relating to house and garden in 2023. We had only just moved back into our home after living in a hotel for half a year following suffering extensive flooding damage to our place. It was a long process to clean up and rebuild. Being out of the hotel, I could finally cook again, and so I loved returning to read (and cook from) my cookbooks, including anything from the Monday Morning Cooking Club ladies and everything to do with Singaporean food (given my husband’s heritage).
In our homeschooling life, there were many highlights, but here is a shortlist:
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong
He Went with Marco Polo by Louise Andrews Kent
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
From Snow to Ash by Anthony Sharwood
What are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?
Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad is planned for next term. I read her version of The Odyssey to the children a few years ago and they all loved it. Very accessible and enjoyable.
I am also looking forward to Taiwanese inspired deliciousness at home when my copy arrives of Tiffy Chen’s cookbook arrives.
Do you read books more than once?
Yes, but I am selective about it because there are so many new titles I want to read. For homeschooling, I do find myself returning to books as the next child has a particular title land in their lap. For me, there are a few other titles which are like old friends and so I do return to them too.
What have been your most treasured read alouds and why?
Oh, there are so many – I could write a book just on this one question!
I treasure all the well-loved Lynley Dodd board books that I read to my eldest during his hospital stints as a baby, along with the piles of picture books read while snuggled on the lounge (like the beautiful onomatopoeic “ku-plink, ku-plank, ku-plunk” of Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey). There’s also the Shakespeare and poetry I still read aloud knowing that my great-grandmother read aloud to my Grandpa and his siblings from those very same books. Given my career and role with the public service, I so value sharing speeches that have shaped history with the children; and then there are the wonderful novels like the Narnia books, Tolkien’s work, and so many more.
In essence, the read alouds I treasure are the Living Books that endure. These have become embedded into our family culture; parts of these books are a part of us.
As a mother I see how much parenting can be done through a well-chosen book. This means that the read alouds are treasured for the book, but also for the chapter in life they represent. For example, during our challenging stint of being out of our home I chose some read alouds that were about other people also overcoming difficulties. This helped the children, and now the books and that time in the life of our family are remembered with warmth.
What do you use as bookmarks?
I have some gorgeous delicate metal book darts that I love. Living Books Press used to stock them. I also use tags to help me return to certain places as I read, particularly if it is for work. The ones from Bespoke Letterpress I find are just the right size and amount of stick. (Not sponsored!)
What books have shaped the person and mother you have become?
There are a few books of faith that were transformative for me as a new mother, including some by Edith Schaeffer and early works of
. Coming to motherhood straight out of a demanding professional career that I loved and had thrived in, such books were so encouraging to me.Home, kitchen and garden are important to me as a mum and within that Rhonda Hetzel definitely help shape me as a homemaker and through Holly Kerr Forsyth’s titles I learned to garden better. Books from River Cottage in the UK and Charmaine Solomon gave me more confidence as a cook.
Yet, behind these few noteables stand stacks and stacks of other books that have served to help and inspire me in countless small ways and have made me the person I am.
When do you read and for how long do you read for each day?
I spend at least an hour everyday reading books aloud to my children. In our homeschool rhythm we also have 30 minutes dedicated to our own reading every day. This is just after lunch and a spot precious to us all. I can sometimes read while they are working on their lessons, otherwise, it is before bed. That said, depending on how big our day has been this may just be a short read before I fall asleep.
Do you read everyday or only on certain days of the week?
Everyday.
Do you read multiple books or one at a time?
I always have a few going at one time and a basket more waiting to be opened.
Do you read consistently or does your reading rhythm ebb and flow?
While my reading is consistent, the topics and themes I’m reading on tend to ebb and flow. This is often due to where we are up to with homeschooling, or what I’m focusing on for work. Our librarians are fabulous for suggesting titles when they can see from my reservations that I might be delving into something in particular. I’ve lost count the number of times there are extras on my pile because they thought we’d like them too.
Where do you love to read?
While I’d like to be able to say that reading in my back garden is my favourite place, because I love the idea of it, the reality is that I look around and see what needs to be done, so it just doesn’t work out that way.
Where I do really love reading is in our lounge room, where we are all snug and comfortable, with cups of steaming hot tea; or in our sunny back room, which is where we do our homeschooling. The oval table is always covered with a pretty tablecloth and a glowing candle, flowers, teacups, books, notebooks, pens, and often cake.
Where do you store your book collection?
We have a home library but that turned into my husband’s office when Covid lockdowns hit and years later, he still works from home a few days a week. I also have a large bookshelf in our backroom. This houses most of our homeschool paraphernalia and the titles we use frequently. The children have bookshelves in their rooms for their beloved titles, and we also have some beautiful, treasured books in our lounge room, along with the big baskets of books on loan from the library.
Where do you source books from?
We borrow a lot of books from the library. I so appreciate our local library! It is fantastic.
There are a couple of fabulous bookshops in Canberra, and I really appreciate having our local bookstore just down the hill, especially if I want to buy a gift. I like to head to the Lifeline book sales and there is an amazing second hand bookstore not too far from us. If I am looking for a title that is hard to get, then there are a couple of online sellers that I favour, and our postman knows how exciting those deliveries are!
Where do you get book recommendations from?
I feel like book suggestions just pop up. One of our librarians always has book recommendations, including some that he knows may not be on my radar. Many friends are quick to offer their ideas too, which is lovely.
What formats do you read in?
While my husband loves audiobooks, I gravitate to physical books, preferably hardcovers.
How do you keep track of what you have read?
I keep a Book of Commonplace. I have done since I was a teenager (except that I didn’t know this practice even had a name then). This allows me to keep a track of the books I’ve read, a little summary of what it was about and what resonated with me. I also include quotes that I adore. All those years of notetaking at university still shine through apparently…
However, a few years ago I decided I needed a better system to keep up with everything I was reading – one notebook wasn’t cutting it within the juggle of a few books at the same time on widely diverse topics. So, I now use notebooks for different themes. It might look more complicated to have more notebooks, but it is actually much easier to manage.
How do you keep track of what you want to read?
With this, I’m not so ordered! I jot down ideas in my homeschooler planner, on bits of paper, take a picture of books I like the look of with my phone, cut out reviews from the bookstore monthly newsletter, make a note on my phone, or just get on and reserve them from the library straight away.
Why do you read?
At university I minored in English Literature. We read great novels, poetry, and plays penned by respected and talented authors. I learned about the metaphors, historical contexts, writing techniques, the lives of these authors, but also how these words had given meaning to so many over the decades and beyond. Good books serve as windows into other places and times, but also as mirrors to help us reflect upon our own lives. In this way, they serve as teachers, guides and offer connections and wisdom.
I read because I always have, and because it is so much a part of who I am. I read to my children so they can learn, discover, feel, and imagine. But the deeper question of why I have this practice of reading in my life bringing forth this greater depth is perhaps summed up best by CS Lewis:
But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.
There are a couple of spots to connect with me, but perhaps the best place is through:
Substack - Direct Education
Instagram - @grace_and_clarity
Thank you for reading Jo’s Mother Reader Portrait.
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I too loved Anna Koska's From Field & Forest, beautiful pictures and prose. I haven't read Coast & Cove though, but I'm adding it straight to my TBR now. And not only were we both drawn to Wilding, hubby is also re-reading Lord of the Rings at present.