Readings Read

I’m a reader. I love books. I’ve always preferred burying my head in a book to pretty much any other pastime. When I was growing up and my family loved getting out on their bikes, playing various sports and expending pointless (in my view) energy, I’d be happily snuggled up somewhere with my book. Perhaps I was destined to marry and become Mrs Reading? 😉

I have and do read many genres, though I’ve never really got into crime & thrillers – not sure why. I really enjoyed the Hannibal books – does that count or are they horror (one of my favourite genres)? I did also read The Da Vinci Code and a few more of Dan Brown’s books when there was a lot of publicity around them. I like to know what all of the fuss is about. Like the 50 Shades books, too. Still can’t understand what all the fuss was about having read them, but at least I’ve read them and can have an opinion!

My husband is not a reader. In fact, until last year, in the nearly 16 years we’ve been together, I think I’d seen him read 4 books. Not a reader. His motto was that if it was a good book, it’d be made into a film, and then he could just sit and watch it in a couple of hours. Difficult to actually argue with, as it does seem that the best books are made into films, but as we readers know, it’s just not the same! Anyway, though I can’t recall what triggered it, around 18 months ago, he agreed to read a book. A breakthrough! A Lee Child ‘Jack Reacher’ novel, and he’s been reading them ever since. Handily, my brother’s a big Lee Child fan, so has all of the books and so is proving to be my husband’s personal library. I’ve yet to read one, but I’m sure I will one day – I need to know what the fuss is about, don’t I?!

But why does this even matter to me? I think reading is an important ‘love’ to pass onto our children. And I think it helps them to see their parents enjoying books. Boo already notices that I’ve always got a book or two lying round that I’m reading and she loves her books, so far. I want to continue to foster that with fun trips to book shops and libraries. I’m excited about introducing them both to books and authors as they grow – Boo and I have just started on chapter books, so my Roald Dahl books have come out :-). I think readers make better writers, with good spelling and grammar coming more naturally to them, so in turn, ideas can be better articulated, imagination cultivated, and aside from all of this, it’s just so easy to enjoy and escape in a book. I’ve seen some gorgeous book corners that I’ve pinned and will enjoy creating when they’re both a little older.

From when they were a few weeks old, we’ve read to both of our children and will continue to do so, every day, until they prefer to read themselves. And then I can look forward to watching them snuggle down with a book, while I read mine.

My husband’s on board, though adds the caveat that he will encourage sporty pursuits, too (his childhood was about football and skateboarding, not reading, and he’s turned out pretty well!). Of course I want that for them, too. If they do. And as I’m older, and perhaps a smidgen wiser, I see the importance of this, too (though reading will always come first..obviously!).

And to add a thrifty note to this, I feed my habit through free books at the library (can’t be much thriftier!), charity shops, Amazon with the ‘used’ section, and book swap sites. And every birthday and Christmas will always involve a trip to a bookshop somewhere!

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