What if the most powerful way to strengthen focus, creativity, and connection in your home is…quiet? In this episode, we explore the growing trend of silent reading parties and why shared, sustained reading helps both kids and adults reclaim attention in a scrolling world. We talk about body doubling, device fatigue, reading rituals that actually work, and how simple practices like DEAR time or candlelit reading can change the rhythm of a homeschool day. If your family struggles to settle into books, this conversation offers gentle, practical ways to read together again. Join us—and then grab a book.

Resources:

1. Grab a discounted copy of our Brave Writer Guide to the Winter Games!
2. Big props to Christopher Frizzelle, whose Silent Reading Parties are one of the inspirations for this episode.
3. Find Sue Monk Kidd’s Writing, Creativity, and Soul in the Brave Writer Book Shop. And don’t miss our selection of books that make great companion reads for the Winter Games!
4. Brave Writer class registration is open! Our Building Brave Writers classes are a great pick for a winter jumpstart.
5. Check out the Boomerang for Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang
6. Share William Wordsworth’s sonnet “The World Is Too Much With Us” with your kids
7. Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
8. Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
9. Find community in our membership forum, the Brave Learner Home
10. Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
11. Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
12. Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
13. Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
14. Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
15. Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected]

Connect with Julie:

1. Instagram: @juliebravewriter
2. Threads: @juliebravewriter
3. Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
4. Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter

Connect with Melissa:

1. Website: melissawiley.com
2. Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
3. Instagram: @melissawileybooks
4. Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social

Produced by NOVA