For the Love of Books

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have always had a sweet spot for books. I do not recall how or when this love of books began, I guess it has just always been. My mother tells the story of when I was two years old and I was found, after a little searching, under my parent's bed looking through a catalog. I can never remember a time without books either.

I fondly recall being in the third grade when a family friend brought over a complete set of Dr. Seuss books for my sister and I. At bedtime that evening, I could not stand the idea of so many unread stories sitting on my dresser while I slept. I sneaked out of bed and began to devour the first one in secret. At that time, our family lived in a three bedroom mobile home and my bedroom was the first one down the hall leading to both the bathroom and my parent's bedroom. Needless to say, it was not very long before I was caught red handed with the light on reading. After a stern warning and the threat of removing the books from my possession, my parents relented a little and allowed me to begin staying up 30 minutes later than my sister -- so long as the time was spent in my bed, reading quietly.

Another fond memory from my childhood was the time spent at the library. I loved walking through the rows of books and can remember wishing I could read them all. I do not recall if my mother took me there once a week or once every two weeks, but I do remember checking out as many Nancy Drew mysteries as I was allowed. Nancy was the 'coolest'. I wanted to grow up to be as clever and observant as she. The very thought of signing my name on the library cards...over and over...still makes me smile.

I vividly remember the first day of school in the 7th grade. I couldn't wait to get home with my new text books. (I wish this had remained true after discovering boys in high school!) I still remember the picture on the first page of my World History book -- the statues of Easter Island. How exotic and wondrous it all seemed. I also recall the grammar book with it's black cover and multicolored 'E'. You may not be able to tell from my writing, but I loved studying grammar in school. Growing up in a small town in the deep south, it was not stressed in our everyday speech however. (With the exception of our 8th grade Language Arts teacher who made us conjugate verbs in class and never allowed the use of the word 'ain't' because it was not in the dictionary...which makes me wonder what she said to her students once it was allowed in the dictionary.) I still inadvertently 'entertain' friends today with my deep southern drawl and words like 'fixin' to', even though I am totally unaware of how I sound until it is pointed out to me. Being in Texas these past 19 years, I have been made aware of my tendency to place extra syllables in my words on numerous occasions.

When my children were all small, reading books for pleasure became a highly prized treat. Yet, I read their favorites to them over and over again. I will always remember their faces upon hearing the account of Max in 'Where the Wild Things Are' and the ever popular 'Mr. Gumpy's Outing'. I took advantage of every book order form I possibly could so that they might have a full library of choices. As the older ones came up through elementary and began bringing books home from school, we were introduced to more characters like, Clifford and Corduroy (Meagan's favorite for a long time) and the always daffy but charming Amelia Bedelia.

Unfortunately, none of my children treasured reading the way I did. And if you asked my mom, I probably didn't treasure it as much as she did. I know my love of reading had to have come from watching her. She read books upon books...mostly romance novels with the occasional mystery/scary story thrown in for good measure. She still reads more than I do. And my girls are becoming more and more interested in reading as they have reached their young adult years. Meagan actually left here a few weeks ago with a stack of books from the boxes I have yet to unpack. Most of them were instructional...as so many of my books have been..."Bringing Up Boys", "The Power of a Praying Parent", "The Power of a Praying Wife", etc. Kelli began to enjoy reading in the 6th grade...finishing her first chapter book ever in Ms. Epps class and loving every minute of it. (You have to love a teacher than passes on an enjoyment for what they are teaching.) She doesn't get much time for reading with Brooke around, but I still see the novels laying on her bedside table or beside the sofa from time to time. Brianne finished a few novels this summer herself. I guess her college reading last spring has gotten her in the mood. Even Will asked last night for an 'interesting' book to read...and though Brian tried to convince him that the 'Chronicles of Narnia' were just the ticket, when pressed on what he was reading, his reply was that he (Brian) preferred to "just wait for the movie to come out". Oh, well...we all have to start someplace, right?