Reading

Reading is and has always been my favorite past time.  There is an old tale in my family about my mom or dad opening the door to the bathroom once when I was small and finding me sitting on the toilet reading a huge atlas spread on my lap.  When asked, "Why the atlas?"  I replied I had run out of all other reading material.  I couldn't have been more than 7 at the time.  Funny though the story is, it is totally true, and a very good picture of my reading habits.  At dinnertime I would always get in trouble because I would hide a book under the edge of the table and read.  Or at least try to.  My reading habits brought me into conflict with librarians and teachers who were always telling me I was trying to read something too far above my interest level.  Luckily I had a wonderful mom who would always defend me, usually telling the bad librarian to back off because I had already read the book in question several times. 

My favorites growing up were the Little House on the Prairie series, The Bobbsey Twins, Honey Bunch and Norman, The Happy Hollisters, Nancy Drew, anything by Louisa May Alcott, Elsie Dinsmore, and all the usual childhood favorites.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I found and fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series, the Shoe books (Dancing Shoes, etc.), and Jane Austen.  Another favorite recent series I've read several times are the Mitford books by Jan Karon. I like historical novels, any kind of book with a knitting theme, and all  mysteries.

I've always read a mixture of both children's and adult literature.  My favorites I read over and over, although most books are a one-time deal.  New favorites that I'm planning on rereading though are the Bryant and May series by Christopher Fowler, and the Thursday Next and Nursery Rhyme series by Jasper Fforde.  So fascinating and detailed you can't read them only once.  I loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.  Excellent.  My latest good read was Casting Off by Nicole Dickson.  It was one of those read-it-all-night, can't put it down books.
 
When my daughter was young, I remember standing at the stove one evening making dinner.  I had a book in one hand and was stirring the gravy with the other. The TV was on, a talk show began, and the host started telling the audience about how to get your kids to read.  He said that if you were a parent who cooked dinner with a book in one hand, you would probably never have to worry about your kids developing the reading habit. At that point my daughter jumped up and said, "He's talking about you, Mom!" I guess they were right because my daughter definitely caught the reading habit.

~Jane