LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Book Lovers

Our little granddaughter lives in a world of books.  Her father is an avid reader.  As is her grandmother.  Her mother's father before her was an avid reader as well.  And his mother, Violet's  great-great-grandmother before him.  Little Violet's room is filled with books and there are plenty more in the playroom.  As soon as she was home from the hospital, story hour preceded bedtime every night, even if sleep preceded the story hour.  It comes as no surprise that she already loves books.

She "reads" one of her favorites



Like her father and grandmother, her nose is often in a book.


At this early age, Violet finds multiple uses for her books.  The board books make quite nice hats, although they won't stay on one's head without a little help.

She's covered in case it rains.

Both of my grown children have been devoted readers all their lives.  I read aloud to them when each was in utero, while breast-feeding, at bedtime, and various times during the day.  I read aloud whatever book or magazine I happened to be reading during the day.  But the bedtime book was always a children's book.  I started buying children's books long before we had children.

As my daughter and son grew into readers themselves we still had story hour in which we read aloud books of their choosing.  Those were very special times and bring fond memories as we read and discussed books.  At age ten, our son chose Animal Farm for our story hour.  I didn't think he would understand the deeper meanings in the book.  To my surprise, he did indeed transfer the actions of the pigs to people and politics.  One of my daughter's choices was The Neverending Story which may have triggered her love of fantasy fiction.  It has brought me great pleasure over the years to see my children read and love the books I read and loved as a child and young woman.

As I mentioned in my previous post, chemotherapy took away my concentration for reading the more complex books I enjoyed before.  But I did not stop reading.  I switched to simpler books that I might otherwise not have tried.  Actually some of them were pretty good.  I read most of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.  They are typical British mysteries and hit the right combination of good stories combined with less complexity.  They were perfect for my compromised concentration at the time.  While I have always preferred hardcover books over ebooks, I never appreciated my Kindle quite so much until I had chemo.  The books are there, downloaded or in the cloud and it is so light-weight it wasn't a problem to hold during the three to four hours of infusions.  The Kindle also holds poetry collections and short stories and I could switch to them when I tired of my novels.

Ernest Hemingway said, "There is no friend as loyal as a book."  I might take small issue with that.  I would say there are few friends as loyal as a book, but indeed there are some.  And thank goodness for those few.

11 comments:

Barbara Rogers said...

I agree totally with your ongoing family reading. Your granddaughter is so beautiful! And yes, my mini-iPad has served me well also, providing library books which have been digitized of every genre! What fun also to talk with friends about "what have you been reading lately..." It's a great way to connect and hear about new finds! Suggest perhaps you share some of your recent favorites too, here on blog...maybe?

Anonymous said...

I love seeing children with books! It's so important to spark their interest. I made the mistake of doing a year of graduate school in literature. When I dropped out I noticed that I could no longer read books for pleasure. My mind kept looking for themes and ideas for class discussion and papers. I miss it.

Arkansas Patti said...

Oh I so hope Violet keeps up her love for books. I know as children my Mom would read to my brother and I every night. Those warm and special times are some of my favorite memories and gave me a life long love of reading.
I am besotted with the Kindle which I find addictive. How else can you carry 300 books around in one hand?

mrs. b said...

So glad to see more posts from you. I don't comment much but always enjoy the things you share about the birds.

Nance said...

What book is better than Goodnight Moon? Perhaps I shall take your sage advice for curing my own ongoing Reading Problem and start with that book myself, working up from there. Part of my problem is also what robin andrea identified (and I discussed briefly in a recent post at the Dept.).

Violet is obviously so content and loved. What a joy!

Lowcarb team member said...

Your granddaughter is adorable … such lovely photographs of her, thank you so much for sharing these, they made me smile.

I so agree about reading... looking back at our family, books have always featured. Yes, we all may have our own preferred authors, subjects etc. but you can't beat sitting down and reading a good book.

A lovely post.
My continued good wishes.

All the best Jan

troutbirder said...

Familiar story here. I inherited my love of books from my mom who began getting on the street car with me to go to the St. Paul public libraries children's room each Saturday morning. They also had a puppet show there as well...:)

Cheryl said...

What a beautiful child.
Such a lovely age.
Each day they watch and grow, we take that journey with them. Teaching them, and learning from them.


I read before I go to sleep. Generally books that inspire me. I read fiction occasionally but it is not my first choice.


There is a mist over the garden this morning. The trees are dripping with moisture. There was a quietness as I strolled the garden this morning. A quiet time to think of those who are taking an unknown journey. You were amongst those.

Have a lovely weekend.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Barbara - That's a good idea. We should all share some of our favorites. I'll have to give it some thought.

Robin - Perhaps if you try audio-books, you might be able to ease back into reading for pleasure. I do admit to being far too critical of poor editing. I've tossed a book aside for that reason.

Patti - I bought a Kindle when they first came out. I've replaced it with a Paperwhite and I'm on my second Kindle Fire. They are terribly convenient but I must admit that I still much prefer holding a hard cover book for serious reading. I do love the Paperwhite for taking to appointments and like you, I love having so much available that I can always find something to suit my reading mood.

mrs. b - I'm posting a bird photo for you.

Nance - I have often thought about your reading problem and hope you find a satisfactory solution. Yes, Violet is indeed a joy. Our son is the stay-at-home parent and he declares it's the best job he's ever had. They go to the children's museum, the library, the zoo, the art museum, and the park and have loads of fun together. He is a runner and she just loves it when they use the jogging stroller and he flies down the path with her.

Jan - thank you so much

Troutbirder - My mother also took us to the public library every week even though we lived in the country. Our son takes Violet to the library for their playtime and Teddy Bear concerts.

Cheryl - Yes, it is a wonderful and fun age. Thank goodness for our modern electronics that allow us to be a part of her growing up. Thank you for the kind reflections for me.

The Bug said...

What a cutie patootie! I'm reading a Maisie Dobbs right now - the one where she's in Gibraltar. There is something very calming about her books, and I usually enjoy the mystery.

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, Violet is adorable! And of course she's a 'reader.'

The Kindle is a lifesaver when one's strength is compromised. I love the lightweight, one-hand reading.