A lot of new moms stop reading. But they're coming back — and might be driving book sales

As a child, Amanda Farrell-Low would devour books by flashlight late into the night. But when she had a child of her own, Farrell-Low stopped doing what had previously brought her so much joy. 

"It gets so much harder to find the energy to do things for yourself," said Farrell-Low, 40, who lives in Victoria, B.C.

There's the sleep deprivation that tends to come with raising young children, she noted. Add to that the constant running list of to-dos in her head and the guilt of taking time for a hobby, and Farrell-Low, a former avid reader, barely read at all until her daughter started Grade 1.

"It felt indulgent to do something purely for myself," she said. "It's hard to just lose yourself in a book."

But now, Farrell-Low is part of a growing group of parents reclaiming reading for pleasure. Whether it's emerging from the trenches of raising young children, wanting to disconnect from screens and devices, or just taking a stand that, in 2023, they deserve an escape, parents are allowing themselves to get lost in stories.

And experts say not only is this a significant milestone for mothers, but there's some evidence moms are driving book sales. 

"It's been a great way to disconnect from the logistics of parenting (the swim class registration, the research and parenting articles, and meal planning) and to focus on something that brings me joy," said Laura D'Angelo, 34, of Ottawa.

D'Angelo's son, Finley, is two and a half. It had been harder to read as Finley got busier, she said, but in recent months she's turned back to it.

"I realized that I can't handle not reading. I was more distracted, spending more time on my phone, and watching way more TV. None of those things are a problem, but they didn't feel right for me. So, I recommitted to my yearly reading goals — this year is 40 books," she said.

There's a wildly popular and award-winning podcast called Moms Don't Have Time To Read Books. Host Zibby Owens, a mom of four based in New York City, started the podcast after her husband suggested she turn her essays about parenthood into a novel; the name of her podcast is the same retort she snapped back to her husband, she told Vulture in a 2019 profile.

That sentiment can be true for any new parent. But while dads also lose time to themselves and experience stress and isolation, multiple studies have shown the acute time pressures on mothers — particularly when it comes to the mental load.

For instance, a 2022 Statistics Canada report estimated that women consistently take on a larger share of unpaid household work, including childcare. Other studies have shown that mothers are emotionally exhausted and burned out. A 2021 report by media group Motherly found that nearly two-thirds of the mothers they surveyed had less than an hour to themselves in the last 24 hours.

New moms still read, notes Robin Bright, a professor and the interim dean in the faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge — but their priority becomes reading to and with their children.

"They put their children first and therefore might not pursue reading for themselves during this time," said Bright, whose research includes parent and family literacy.