Welcome! I’m Jane, the bookworm behind this website. Though I’ve read my fair share of self-help and parenting books, usually I would rather be reading a good novel. This made me think about all the other people out there who could benefit from helpful yet unexciting books, but didn’t have the time or motivation to read them.
Almost immediately after having my first child, I longed for an instruction manual. For two years I overanalyzed everything that my child ate or touched, until my second child was born, and then the focus changed abruptly to behavioral questions. How do I teach my kid to be kind? How do I approach discipline? What rules are realistic? How do I get my kid to go to bed? Is this behavior normal?
So I turned to books, cramming my brain with as much advice and strategies as I could. Some books brought about long lasting changes in my perspective. Some gave me a couple helpful tips that worked for a period of time. Some advice worked for one kid but not the other. Some books sat on my bookshelf until I had the energy and will to read them, and then I’d kick myself for not having discovered and used the parenting ideas sooner. Which brought me back to thinking about all the sleep-deprived, frustrated, guilty, stressed parents who could benefit from this advice that they may never get around to reading. And it’s precisely the parents who need the most help— parents of kids with particularly tricky dispositions— who have the least amount of time and desire to read parenting books.
Hence, this website.
What else? I have a degree in Creative Writing, so both reading and writing come naturally to me. I have two elementary school aged kids. I love game nights, dance parties with my family, long chats with my friends, and NYT games.
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think about the site. Feedback helps. I’d also love to hear if there are any books you want me to summarize. Thanks for visiting!
You can connect with me on Instagram, Facebook or email (jane.bookwormsummaries@gmail.com).