Becoming a Well-Read Mom

Laura Range interviews Janel Lewandowski about how finding time for books and friendship can enrich our lives during the busy seasons of motherhood.

When I joined the international book club Well-Read Mom last year, I was in the middle of a difficult pregnancy, had an older child with health issues, was discerning a new job for my husband, and attempting a home renovation project! My plate was full—overflowing!—how did I think I was going to read a fiction book every month and meet to discuss it with other women? Yet instead of heaping more onto my plate, Well-Read Mom became a slice of dessert on the side, a treat I looked forward to each day when I read and each month when I met with other women!

While it seemed like an inconvenient time to fit in reading, the books and ensuing discussions from Well-Read Mom became a timely blessing to my heart, mind, and soul. They not only gave me a healthy 'escape' from the challenges we were facing as a family, but they also gave me well-written characters who provided insight into the strengths and weaknesses of my own humanity and a broader perspective with which to see and face the challenges of that season in my life.

Getting together with friends monthly to discuss the books provided fellowship and deeper friendship, an anchor in my life amidst uncertainty. A year later and a new book list begun, I continue to be grateful for the gifts of reading, learning, pondering and fellowship that Well-Read Mom has brought into my life.

Founded by Marcie Stokman in 2012, Well-Read Mom is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage women to care for their minds and hearts by making time for good books and friendship. They work towards this by creating a curated list of books for each year and publishing an accompanying reading companion that includes information on the novels and authors, essays written by readers, discussion questions written through the worldview of Catholicism. They also keep an updated directory of groups so you can find one to join locally.

I enjoyed chatting recently with Janel Lewandowski, Director of Member Relations for Well-Read Mom, to share with you more about this unique and faith-filled book club.

Well-Read Mom values reading well, reading in community, and discussing literature through the lens of Catholicism. Can you share more about these?

We read together to create an openness through conversation and friendship where Truth can be encountered. We welcome women of all religious traditions. Each group has its own flavor which reflects the life experience of the members.

Because staff and many key volunteers are deeply committed Catholic women who strive to be faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium, the reflections, audios, and discussion questions view the literature through the lens of the Catholic intellectual tradition.

What would you say to the woman reading this who can't imagine finding time to read as a mom?

The goal of Well-Read Mom is to read more, read well. We believe that even reading part of a good book is better than not reading at all. If the booklist seems daunting, choose four to six books you’d like to read, and go from there. Even though making time to read is a challenge, it is worthwhile!

How do you think the internet and social media has both helped and hindered our ability to read good books well?

When we pick up a good book, most of us realize that we have lost some of our deep reading muscle and attention span. With practice however, this is something we strengthen and reading becomes enjoyable again.

At first, it may seem that reading a historical classic would not greatly contribute to our motherhood. Can you share some ways of how reading deeper, more challenging literature can enhance our vocation as wives and mothers?

We read books that encourage, enlighten, and motivate us to dive deeper into the plots of our own lives. Great writers become dear friends and we find ourselves seeing reality through their eyes, imbued with their insights.

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Well Read Mom is more than a random booklist of classics each year. Can you explain the process of choosing and compiling the yearly booklist as well as what is contained in the Reading Companion?

Inspired by Pope John Paul II's 1995 Letter to Women, we select a theme for each year based on a woman's life. Past themes include mother, daughter, spouse, friend, worker, pilgrim, contemplative, artist, sister, and family. The book selections for the year loosely correspond to the chosen theme.

This material is in an enhanced workbook format. It has author biographies, book reflections, discussion questions, literary criticism, reading log and space to record your favorite quotes and burning questions, and notes from your meeting. You’ll also find recommendations for what to read if you can’t read the whole book.

How can our CatholicMom readers learn more about Well-Read Mom, including joining individually or a local WRM community?

Visit WellReadMom.com to find out about membership, events, and start a group. You can also search for a group near you with our Find Your Community directory.