Oh, dear reader, how I love reading. I have loved it since I was a little girl when I devoured Little House on the Prairie, Pippi Longstocking, and Betsy books. I took a book with me everywhere we went, and I was that quiet girl in the corner who had a book while everyone else was socializing (aka nerd).
I remember doing a really cool book report on this one!
After graduating from college in 1996, I magically stumbled upon Multnomah Village and discovered Annie Bloom's books. I had a dream of one day working in a bookstore (well, actually, my dream is to one day OWN a bookstore, but working in a bookstore was good enough), and I was lucky enough to work here for 12 years. I spent several of those years working the Thursday night shift from 6-10pm since I was also teaching full time. It was so nice to keep my nose in the books and be able to know what was hot to read and get dozens of reader's copies.
College is such a learning experience (obviously), but I think you really learn who you are when you're in your 20's. Being at Annie Bloom's during this time definitely helped to form me as a reader and introduced me to authors I probably never would have known. One of those authors is Gail Tsukiyama, and my favorite of her books is Samurai's Garden. It's been on my Top Five list ever since I read it in 1996.
Do you have a Top Five list? Mine also includes the Unbearable Lightness of Being (Kundera), Pride and Prejudice (Austen), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou), and the Dive from Clausen's Pier (Packer). I could probably revise my list if I wanted to, but those have been my solid favorites for a long time now.
I have always read at night no matter how tired I am, and I almost always have something on deck. Deciding what to read next is one of my favorite parts of reading, but I have to be careful not to let it interfere with the joy of what I'm reading at the moment.
I just finished a really good book called My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss. It's part of one of my new favorite genres which I will just call cooking memoir. The book simultaneously made me want to travel, cook, spend more time with my husband, and miss my mother. That's a pretty good book if you ask me.
I'm also listening to How Children Succeed by Paul Tough. I have read this before, but listening to it again is just as rewarding. There are so many things I could write about that I value from his book, but near the top of the list is how important early nurturing is to children and how it actually changes their biological reaction to stress affecting them and their resilience for the rest of their lives. I feel like I could have a discussion with someone after every section of the book. It's that interesting.
Right now I am reading Friendkeeping by Julie Klam. I read some reviews of it in a few places (one being Read All Day) and thought it would be a good read considering how much I love my friends. Needless to say, it's not the best book but it meets my needs right now since it's an easy read and I'm fighting a cold.
Tomorrow is book club, one of my favorite nights of the month. We have been meeting for over 10 years with some members staying the same but most changing over time. I love these nights because I get to see some good friends, chat with the ladies about motherhood and marriage, and, occasionally, discuss the book. Okay, to be fair, we discuss the book every month, but some months are better than others. I rebelled this month and didn't even touch the book (zero interest), but one thing I like about our book club is that we read a variety of books that I wouldn't always pick up myself.
Trey and I have been reading together since he was a few weeks old. Right now he loves books, too, and finds comfort and joy in reading every night. Currently, his favorites are Knuffle Bunny, Curious George stories, and Max and Ruby books. He also loves any book that has to do with animals. Shocking, I know, considering his father's interests. Randy has said he'll be a little heartbroken if Trey doesn't like fishing, and I feel exactly the same way about reading.
Happy reading! What's on your stack?
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