I Don’t Read Books… But I Still Need What’s Inside Them

Do you ever feel like reading just… isn’t built for you?

In this solo episode, I talk about my honest experience with dyslexia, distraction, and why traditional reading has always felt like hard work rather than relaxation. From unfinished books to skipping straight to the ending, I reflect on the frustration and the quiet sense of missing out.

But this episode isn’t about giving up on books. It’s about finding a different way in.

So I've had a brand new idea.

I'm inviting listeners, parents, professionals, and authors to come onto the podcast for short 5–10 minute chats to share books they love, without spoilers, so more people who might not be typical readers, can discover stories and ideas in a way that actually works for them.

Message on the link at the top or on Insta HERE

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The Untypical Parent Podcast

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Transcript

Dyslexia And Why Reading Hurts

Audiobooks As The Better Fit

A Podcast Idea To Share Books

Looking For Guests And Book Picks

How To Contact Me

SPEAKER_00 0:02

You know that image? That image of a person maybe crawled up in a little ball on a chair, sometimes with a blanket, cup of tea, and a really good book. And they're sitting there and they look comfortable and relaxed and just like they're really, really enjoying their book. I am so jealous. I'm so jealous of that. I look at that all a lot of the time and think, I wish I could do that. Now, truth is I'm dyslexic. Reading a book for me is like pulling teeth. It's painful, it takes forever, I never finish them. Might start at the beginning, often just go to the end quickly, read the end, and that's me done. But what I find is that I miss out on books. So I have started to listen to audios and I'm really enjoying audios. I find places to do them that it's mostly places like I love it in the car. I'm not very good at just sitting down and listening to an audio, so I don't get that same sensation or that same feeling that people might get when they're sitting in their chairs, relaxing, chilled out, reading their book. I just don't get that. I am too much of a fidget ass, I'm never going to sit still that long, and I get so easily distracted, and this the reading's too tricky and too difficult. So what I've found is that I can absorb books when I am doing other things, and I don't think I'm alone with that. I think there's quite a few of us out there that this is the way actually we take a lot of information on. It might be when we are out walking, it might be when you're doing something in the house, like a bit of housework, or it might be when you're gardening, or it might be other things that you do that you enjoy, like running or being down the gym. But for me, it's in the car. I love to listen to audios in the car, and I do think there is something in there about being able to be concentrating on something else. So I'm driving and thinking about that, so it stops my brain wandering too much, but also being able to really then focus on what it is I am listening to, and that is the way I've found I best absorb books. So, why you might be thinking, is Liz coming on and talking about books? Has she got a guest episode that is going to bring in an author? Well, you also might, if you've got me on audio, on video, we'll see that I've changed my background today for some books, partly because where I record looks like a bomb has gone off in it, and it was stopping me and procrastinating me and preventing me from recording this. So I have put up a background of books, and I thought actually it was quite in keeping with what I was going to talk to you about today. So, what I wanted to talk about is how do you get to know about books? Because I often find because I don't read that I miss suggestions for books. I won't even read the blurb of a book because I just don't take it in. It don't actually make sense of what's written on the back. I don't actually take it in, and I just think I can't bothered, and I'm on to something else and put distracted and on to thinking about other things. So I was thinking about the podcast and whether I could use the podcast in some way to help some of us to come across and find books. Now that could be fictional books or it could be fact books, doesn't actually bother me, to be honest. And I think I've found over the times that we have done guest episodes, there's quite a few of the guests who come on. There's a huge group of very talented people out there that write books, and they often come on and they talk about them on the podcast. And actually, I wondered if there was a way we could share this separately. So this is going to be a bit of a trial. So what I'm looking for is I'm looking for authors, but on top of that, I am looking for anybody that has read a book or an audiobook, listen to an audiobook. If you get an audio one with an audiobook to it, you get extra points that would like to come onto the podcast and talk about their book so that I can get to know about it, but also other people can. So if a bit like me you're not great at reading or finding out about new books to read or listen to, that this would be a really great way of being able to share great reads. Now I'd like them to stay topical to the listeners of the podcast. So if it's around neurodiversity, neurodivergence, additional needs, parenting, all that kind of stuff, I think that would be great. But equally, I do like occasionally a fictional book. I tend to go down more fact books because I think because I never I never see them through, I never get to the end. And I've started to listen to some more fictional books now that I am listening to audiobooks. So it could be a really great fictional book, and that doesn't have to be around neurodivergence, digital needs, parenting, blah blah blah. It could be something completely different. So, as I said, I am looking for people that might want to come on and have a chat with me about a book that they think is really great. Now, obviously, when there we need to keep no spoilers, so it's not about revealing them exactly what happens. It's not about giving all the information, but it's coming on for a quick chat with me for a short time, five or ten minutes, about that book. And as I said, I don't mind whether you're a professional, a parent, an author, whatever you are. If you have got a book that you think would be really great and you want to come talk about, I'd really like to hear from you. So what I'm gonna do is think probably I'll gonna choose between four to five book people and the books they want to talk about and invite them to come record with me on the show. So if that is something that you are interested in, if there is a book that you love that you think is just one of those books that everybody needs to read, then come and let me know. If you are an author and you have written a book that you think everybody needs to read, or you've got a new book coming out that you think everybody needs to read, will you let me know? Get in contact. You can get in contact through all my social media platforms, so that's on Facebook, on Insta, and on LinkedIn. You can direct message me on those, but also you can contact me through the podcast. So if you go into the show notes, there is a link in there with an option to text or to leave me a voicemail, and I love to get those, especially the voicemails. I really enjoy voicemail. I think probably because I'm dyslexic, I much prefer them. But you can also link me a voicemail, something like Insta. So that's all I'm going to talk to you about. It's a really short one today. I want to see if we can find a way to make reading more accessible to everybody, and it doesn't have to just be about reading, it can be audio as well. And how can we share those great books? And I can be part of that group of people that sit curled up in a chair with a rug, listening to their reading their book, I'm gonna be listening to my book with a cup of tea, looking like they're just having the most loveliest time. I want some of that, and I reckon I'm not the only one out there. So if you are one of those people out there that you think, yeah, that I'd love that, then again, let me know, and we will see what we're gonna do. We're gonna try to do it as a trial. You know what I'm like. I've had a bit of time off over Easter and I have come up with loads of ideas. So strap in. We have probably got a number of ideas coming your way in the next couple of weeks. I'm trying to spread them out nice and gently so you don't get overwhelmed because there are so many of them. But this is the first one that I wanted to kick off with to ask you do you know, or are you someone that wants to come and talk about a really amazing book? You've got five to ten minutes, come chat with me, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Catch you all later. Take care, bye.