Retired Wall Street Journal reporter Robbie Shell has retired to her Wynnewood home. But the journalism exit has merely redirected her relationship with words. Shell explained in the WSJ.

She recalled being a “gold-star” third-grade reader, plowing through books and reporting on them.

That love of words opened a journalism career, where Shell read volumes, but not much of it for fun.

“Working full time and raising a family meant that reading for the sheer joy of it was a luxury, a stolen hour or two on weekends,” she reported.

In retirement, however, Shell has the time to nestle into a compelling narrative — just not as much as she envisioned.

In deference to her brief opportunities, she picks shorter books, calling a 350-page tale her “sweet spot.”

She’s also weaving travel into her literary pursuits, taking in the Pearl S. Buck home in Bucks County for example.

As for diving into the news, Shell admits a tepid appetite.

“I find myself bypassing … of ‘hard’ and/or breaking news in favor of ‘soft’ features” [that offer] more thoughtful insights into people and social issues,” she wrote.

Robbie Shell’s essay is at The Wall Street Journal.

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This video looks at the publication of the very first issue of The Wall Street Journal, well before the time of retiree Robbie Shell.