Read Alouds, Re-Reading and More w/Sarah Mackenzie from Read Aloud Revival (S9E9)

The Currently Reading Podcast

In this episode, Kaytee Cobb and Sarah Mackenzie share their current book recommendations and discuss the profound impact of reading on fami

Key takeaways

• Sarah Mackenzie discusses how 'Read Aloud Revival' uses reading to foster empathy and communication in children.
• The hosts highlight Patrice Tanaka's memoir, 'Becoming Ginger Rogers,' which uses ballroom dancing as a metaphor for life challenges.

Main topics

• Reading Aloud
• Book Recommendations

Notable quotes

The reader brings half the experience... it's just never the same book twice.

Conclusion

The episode serves as an inspiring guide for readers looking to deepen

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:10) Hi, readers. Welcome to the Currently Reading Podcast. We are bookish best friends who spend time every week talking about the books that we've read recently. And as you already know, we don't shy away from having strong opinions. So get ready. We are light on the chit chat, heavy on the book talk, and our conversations will always be spoiler free. Today, we'll discuss our current reads, a readerly deep dive, and a little something bookish before we go. I'm Katie Cobb, a single homeschooling mom of four in Arizona, and I love books that are truly for all ages. This is episode number nine of season nine, and we're so glad you're here. Today, I am joined by Sarah McKenzie of the Read Aloud Revival podcast, a longtime and perennial favorite here on Currently Reading. Welcome, welcome, welcome, Sarah. I Speaker 1 (0:53) am so happy to be here. Katie, I'm just like delighted to be here. Speaker 2 (0:57) I am also delighted. Like I said, we have been mentioning Sarah and Read Aloud Revival since well, like... Early in season one, your book, Read Aloud Family, was an early press, which is what we used to do to end our episodes way back in the day, where we would say, we think everybody should read this. And so it kind of feels like this waking dream to finally get to sit down and talk to you. So fun. Speaker 1 (1:20) I mean, it's just telling you how much I've been enjoying your podcast. And so it's just fun to actually get to chat with you on it now. Speaker 2 (1:26) Very fun. And I love that we got to... chit-chat a little before we got started and we have a lot in common, which was delightful to discover. Let's take a minute right here at the top for anybody who's not familiar with Sarah McKenzie and the Read Aloud Revival. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Speaker 1 (1:41) Yeah, so Read Aloud Revival came out of my experience reading aloud with my own six kids. So I have six kids from 24 down to 13. And really, I started reading aloud to them a lot when I had heard a speaker at a homeschool conference talk about how it was the best way to help your kids learn to be good communicators. Because these like grammatically correct, sophisticated language patterns coming in through the ear was significant. to helping them become good communicators. But then we started reading aloud a lot because of that. And then all these other benefits started appearing. These connections between us, the fact that my kids were growing in empathy and fortitude and connecting us each to each other, helping us see each other and be for each other. And so it really transformed my relationship with my kids. And so I started the Read Aloud Revival podcast, which has been running for almost a dozen years now, wildly. And host a community of families over at RIR Premium where we are just helping families make reading a way of life, helping them connect with their kids, see their kids, and love their kids through reading aloud. So Speaker 2 (2:44) wonderful. We do have a large... homeschooling contingent here because of my representation on the show. But also a huge majority of our listening audience is either moms, grandmas, teachers, people who have a lot of kids in their lives. So if they're not already listening to Read Aloud Revival, they probably should be. Also, I will say just because you're here and I get to gush a little bit that 12 years ago, I had a four-year-old, a one-year-old, and no other children. And I was just about to start homeschooling, which is when I, I think maybe Speaker 1 (3:17) through Ann Bogle, Speaker 2 (3:18) and decided that that was going to be a big part of my homeschooling day. And now, 12 years later, I still read aloud to all four of my kids, 16 down to eight years old. every single week. It's a huge part of our family narrative and the way that we connect with each other. So thank you. Speaker 1 (3:34) Oh my gosh. Really, it's been such a joy for me as my three older kids have become adults and launched into the world. And watching their relationship with books and also how we keep relating to each other through books. I'm not reading aloud with these kids anymore, but it's still such a strong tie for us. It has been such a joy. And it's one of those things that I hoped would happen when I... were younger, you know, like, but you don't really get a sense of until later. So anyway, that's just fun. I love it so much. Speaker 2 (4:02) Excellent. All right, y'all, I'm going to let you know right here at the top that our deep dive today, we're going to get into Sarah's reading life in general, how it's changed over the years with the podcast, what she reads outside of reading aloud, and really dig into who Sarah McKenzie is a little more. But first, we'll get started the way you're used to, which is with our bookish moments. Sarah, what is yours? Speaker 1 (4:23) Okay, so It didn't happen this last week. It happened last month, but I have been dying to talk to somebody who loves books as much as me about it. So I went to Paris with my sister in July for a week, and I have never seen so many bookstores in my life. We would walk, like every block there's a bookstore. I was like blown away. And so I finally looked it up online and found out there are over 700 bookstores in Paris. the city proper alone, including these like open air bookstores that align the send. It is insane. And so I was like, how is this possible? Like 400 of those are independent. And I was just like, how is this possible? And found out they have something they refer to as the Lang law, which basically means that books are not allowed to be discounted past a certain rate. Like all books have to be basically the same price. So whether you order them on Amazon or you buy them from your local independent bookstore, you're paying the same amount. And that protects the independent bookstores. And it was like. unbelievable. I mean, people were reading everywhere in all the parks and benches. I've never seen so many people reading books. I mean, yes, a lot of us were on our phones as well. And me too. I mean, come on. Universally. Yeah. Yeah. But so many people reading books and then just they were just everywhere. And the bookstores were like very niche. You know, I couldn't stop going in them. I was compulsive. I was like, I think this is magic. Have you been to Paris? Speaker 2 (5:44) It's so funny. In April, I took all four of my kids. Speaker 1 (5:48) Amazing. Oh, my gosh. Took Speaker 2 (5:50) all four of my kids to Paris. We did not stop at every bookstore because they get a little tired of mom sometimes. But we did spend a full afternoon in Shakespeare & Co. and spent hundreds of dollars. Was Speaker 1 (6:00) there a line to get in? Did you have to wait in line? Speaker 2 (6:01) Yes, we Speaker 1 (6:01) did have Speaker 2 (6:02) to wait Speaker 1 (6:02) in line. But it wasn't that bad. Even that was a magical experience because when do you have to wait a half an hour to enter a bookstore because so many people want to go in it? Are you kidding me? It was just surreal. Speaker 2 (6:13) Well, and the view from there, like you could see the towers of Notre Dame. We had an accordion player playing La Vie en Rose. Oh my gosh, yeah. Speaker 1 (6:20) The street performers in Paris are like chef's kiss. It's just unbelievable. Yeah. Speaker 2 (6:25) Truly amazing. And I love that you were just there because that is also part of our like shared family narrative. The kids and I like to travel a lot. And I feel like that continues to build our story together. So I prioritize it a lot. through our listeners know I got divorced a while ago, but we did a long road trip the summer right afterward. We did this trip to Paris and all of that is like, we're building this like foundation of who we are as a family of five now. Yeah. Speaker 1 (6:54) I love that. Awesome. All Speaker 2 (6:57) right, Sarah. Well, I cannot wait to tell you about my bookish moment. I of course curated it just for you, but I think I've found my favorite read aloud of all time. I Speaker 1 (7:05) am all ears. Okay. Speaker 2 (7:07) Our listeners know I'm Speaker 1 (7:08) a Speaker 2 (7:08) homeschool mom. I always have a book going that I'm reading aloud to my kids. And I oftentimes end up bringing to the show as a current read. But this one just can't wait. And it's also a favorite already. We are currently working our way through The Swifts by Beth Lincoln. Have you read this one? Speaker 1 (7:22) No, but I can picture the cover. A Dictionary of Scoundrels? Is that? Yes. That's the Speaker 2 (7:26) first one in the series. Yes. This is about the Swift family. Each member of the family gets their name when they're born. The mother runs her finger down a random page in the dictionary and wherever she stops, that's Speaker 1 (7:37) the child's name. Okay. It's great. The Speaker 2 (7:39) first time we talked about this on the show, Meredith opened a dictionary and we all ran our fingers down and each got our own Swift name, which is hysterical because people tend to live into their name. Okay. Our main character is Shenanigan Swift. And you could tell that's already fun, right? She's hoping to find the family treasure during a family reunion. But the problem is people keep dying. So it's a mystery. It's a middle grade thriller. This book is full of wordplay and puns and just straight up ridiculousness. It is making all four of my kids laugh, again, from ages eight to 16 next week, right? As well as me, the adult reader. My favorite is when I'm reading and then one of them snorts and then all of us just dissolve into giggles because we can't handle it. I've read it before, but that has not ruined the experience for me at all. I'm loving getting to do so many voices, especially Uncle Maelstrom, who is a pirate. So I get to use my pirate voice, which is great. I truly think this is a middle grade book that is for every reader, from early readers all the way up to 100-year-old great-great-grandmothers. It has something wonderful for all of us tucked inside. Speaker 1 (8:52) And it's a series, is that right? Speaker 2 (8:54) They have Speaker 1 (8:55) a second one out so far, which Speaker 2 (8:56) takes place in Paris. I'm like, oh, well. Speaker 1 (8:59) So I Speaker 2 (9:00) think it might be time for you to prioritize it. Speaker 1 (9:02) Yeah, I think it is. Oh, my goodness. I have not heard anyone talk about it, but I've seen the cover. So, OK. Oh, Speaker 2 (9:08) my gosh. It's just full of delight. Like, it's, like, effervescent. It just bubbles with fun and the wordplay. And there's a map in it, which I've book darted so that we can easily come back and refer to it when we're reading aloud. There are black line illustrations, usually about one full page, one per chapter. Just really, really well done. Speaker 1 (9:27) Okay. Oh, I can't wait. So fun. I can't wait. All Speaker 2 (9:30) right. Great bookish moments. I love those. Let's get into our current reads. What have you been reading lately, Sarah? Tell us about your first book. Speaker 1 (9:37) Okay. So I have discovered that memoir is my very favorite genre. Speaker 2 (9:44) And Speaker 1 (9:44) I think it... does something. I find nonfiction to be much easier to read and easier to sink into than fiction, which I know is like the opposite for a lot of readers. Right. But like, especially if I have a lot going on in my life. my brain, I get really distracted. I can just like nonfiction is going to be my go to. But what I love about a memoir is it's nonfiction, but it's told it like a story, you know, something about it. I don't know. Anyway, I just finished reading one called Becoming Ginger Rogers, how ballroom dancing made me a happier woman, better partner and smarter CEO. And I have to tell you that I am on a tear with ballroom dancing because I started taking ballroom dancing lessons and I'm absolutely addicted. I was like, oh, I think I was made for this. I'm not that good, by the way. I just love it. Speaker 2 (10:28) We all have to start somewhere. We all have Speaker 1 (10:30) to start somewhere. And so I, of course, am looking for anything to read, watch, listen to at all. Like I'm listening to ballroom podcasts. That's a thing. There are some and they're good. So this memoir came across. my internet searching. And what I love about it is what she does is she tells the story. It's actually a story of grief. She loses, this is not a spoiler. You know this if you read the back of the Speaker 2 (10:49) book. Speaker 1 (10:50) So the author is Patrice Tanaka and she, she loses her husband to illness at some point in the book. And she talks basically in the book, you're like following what's happening in her personal life. She also runs a big company. She has all kinds of like struggles and challenges at work and navigating her company through like a pretty difficult time. And, but she, Can't help but go to ballroom. She just discovers ballroom dance and it opens up this whole part of her. And then the things that she learns, like the metaphors, basically, she learns in her ballroom dance lessons about like each partner carrying their weight, like being connected to each other and waiting for the lead before you follow and like taking up space. And there's just so many beautiful metaphors. The memoir is basically like how what she learns in her ballroom dance lessons makes her. better at caring for her husband in his final days, helps her grieve him when she loses him, helps her navigate challenges at work and just like become a more full version of herself. And I loved it so much. Speaker 2 (11:48) That's great. So would you, would you say it's like a cross memoir and self-help? Like is there, are there like actionable steps or is it just like, hey, I started ballroom dancing and it was great for me and here's why. Yeah. Speaker 1 (11:59) I really feel like it's not so much self-help. It's like, there's not a lot of like actionable steps or. I mean, there's so many things that I'm like, oh, yeah, I thought that when I did that dance lesson and like my very first ballroom lesson, my teacher said, you need to take smaller steps and stop trying to lead. And I was like, wow, why are you coming at me for like literally everything in my life? You know, yeah, that just keeps happening. Just the other day I was there, we Speaker 2 (12:25) were Speaker 1 (12:25) practicing the waltz and he's like. You're doing great except that you're not settling on the three before the next step. You need to settle and take a second before you take the next step. And again, I was like, I mean, you're really coming for me. This man doesn't know me, right? Like this teacher, he's a professional dance teacher. So the whole time I was reading, it really just reads like her own experience, but there's a lot of like, as you're reading it, even if you weren't into ballroom dancing, but maybe you like watching Dancing with the Stars, I think you'd enjoy it. I'd say toward the end, I started to kind of skip some of the business stuff because it started to get like, I really just wanted to get back to the dancing. So I'd like, I could see like this next three pages. She's talking about that thing she overcame at work. And I'd be like, do, do, do, do, do. Okay, back to dancing. Speaker 2 (13:04) Well, we all get to choose what's working for us in a book, right? My partner, Meredith, is CEO of a company. So she would probably be looking specifically for those sections. Yes, Speaker 1 (13:13) that Speaker 2 (13:13) makes sense. Oh, but tell me how that. actually got implemented at work. Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 1 (13:18) That's funny. I like that. There's a little bit for everybody. Yeah. So that was Becoming Ginger Rogers, How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO by Patrice Tanaka. Excellent. Speaker 2 (13:30) I love that. And I also love a memoir. I have one for later in the episode. One of my current reads is also a memoir. But my first book this week. also has a pink cover. So we're tying them together that way because I did Google Becoming Ginger Rogers while you were talking about it. My first book is Yes, Chef by Grace Riley. This is a hot pink summer romance to wind down the summer. Yes. It takes place in the warm waters of Florida in the steaming hot kitchen of a professional