It feels like ages since I finished my last book, Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. A book I picked up to read during my last vacation in August of last year. To me having a 6 month stint between books is devastating. I see the students at school reading away during their free time and I envy them. I sometimes would love to be that age again… No big responsibilities and just reading away!
Maybe it’s because my own love for reading really started during my 5-7th grade years. I have recently thought of these days. What was it that fueled my love for reading? And how can I ignite that fuel in our daughter (when the time comes for her to read)? The one memory of that time that keeps playing over and over in my head is of those Fridays with my Grandmother. I treasure the memories that I have had the pleasure of making with my mother’s mother. And those Fridays were days that I lived for all week. Every Friday when I was in middle school she would take me to the mall where we would go to Walden Books. There she would treat me to a book of my choice… but only if I finished the book she purchased me from the week before. Rarely would a week go by that I would not finish. I would read on the way home from school on the bus. I would read between classes. Once at home I would try to finish my homework as quickly as possible so I could read. I would rather read than watch tv and at night I would read before going to bed. I still say it’s because of her I have a fondness for reading.
As I got older and actual reading material was assigned for school, my ability to read the books I wanted to read diminished. But I never forgot the memory and the love I had for it. In 1994, I even made a goal that in one year I wanted to read 12 books. One book a month. For nine years I tried to meet that goal and then finally 10 years later I finally did it! 2004 was the year that I read at least one book a month. And I couldn’t have felt better about myself. I felt like I really accomplished something.
During that year Kevin and I started reading the same books (some at the same time with multiple copies) and would discuss them after we finished them. It was kind of like our own little book club. We both love reading and sharing about what we thought about the books we just read. Just yesterday it occurred to me… we should share those thoughts on our blog.
I hope others will enjoy our reading adventures and maybe they will be inspired to pick up a book themselves and ignite that love for reading flame inside. Future postings will even include Amazon links so that others can get the books themselves.
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