Not far from the tree...

I can remember nights where my mum would stay up all night long reading a book from cover to cover…her tired response in the morning when I was getting ready for school was “I just couldn’t put it down”.  As you can imagine mum was a big reader; she always had a book on the go, although rarely two.   

I'd sometimes come home from school to find her perched at the kitchen table, book in hand and cigarette burning in the ashtray on the table beside her.   The room was a cloud of blue smoke as she chain-smoked her way through her books – day or night.

My sister Glenda is a bit the same way, some might call her a book worm (well perhaps not to her face), but in reality she is exactly the same as mum used to be when it comes to reading.   She always has a book close at hand and ready to dive into at a moments notice and similarly to mum willing to read all night if necessary, albeit without the cigarettes.   Yes, we were all put of smoking at a very early age!

Surprisingly my earliest memories were not of mum reading me stories but my dad. I rarely saw dad read a book in his whole life, unless it was a bedtime story to my younger brother James and I.   Dad’s reading skills were poor at best given his limited education but isn’t it interesting that he was the one that I remember reading to me as a young child.   In fact, I can still remember my favorite story that we’d beg dad to read – "Mike Mulligan andhis Steam Shovel" - that 1939 classic!

My favorite storybook growing up - the one that
dad used to read me as a child...over and over again! 

I guess I’ve also shared a love of books and reading with mum and Glenda over the years, although I do draw the line at reading all night long.  J When I moved recently I was rather surprised at the number of boxes of books I had to pack from my over burdened bookshelves.  

Just this week on March break I reread two books from my collection that I uncovered during the move.  Even though I had read them sometime ago it was like visiting with old friends… 

So when we arrived into Lahaina (Maui) earlier this week, both Zach and Sami were on my case about needing to go to the local Barnes & Noble bookstore from the moment we arrived.  Even though they had packed books for the journey to Hawaii both seemed to have finished their respective books on the plane and were literally chomping at the bit to get to the bookstore.

From an early age both of them loved to read, I still have photos of them as little toddlers sitting quietly on the floor book in hand and slowly and deliberately turning the pages like someone savoring every page…still makes me smile when I think of them at that age and their love of books, especially since now they’re teenagers (actually Sami acts like a twenty something rather than a 12 year old – a parents burden I suppose and clearly a story for another day).  J 

One of Zach's choices of reading
material this week...

Within minutes of entering the local Lahaina Barnes & Noble both had a handful of books in tow.  I had set the limit to just one book each otherwise we’d have to ship a crate of books back home.   Zach in his typical style made the argument that his two books only came to the paltry sum of $15 combined…I took a look at the titles and decided that perhaps I should reconsider.  

“The Prince and other writings” by Niccolo Machiavelli, and “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens…   Quite the reading material for a 14 year old boy on holidays don't you think?

Hhhmmm, his arguments centered around reading the classics was invaluable to expanding his mind… damn that boy is good!    “Fine” I relented, now it was Sami’s turn to try and finesse me into buying her more that one title.

Although I’m not sure she had much of an argument to stand on as she had chosen “Pretty Little Liars” by Sarah Sheppard.    Shrewd if nothing more she didn’t argue the point too much, but did elicit an agreement from me that if she did in fact finish the book I would take her back to buy her another before we left for home.

Well we made it all the way to day five before me having to take her back to Barnes & Noble so she could take me up on my promise of buying her a second book, and yes, it was the next in the series.  

Sami's book of choice this March
break - to coincide with the TV series

Interesting how both of them know how to get around me so easily especially when it comes to acquiring a new book – although as they’ll attest there are certain things that I don’t budge on no matter what.   I suppose I’ve trained them well when it comes to books and almost impossible to say no to, but what intrigues me the most is how much they genuinely love to read and how insatiable they are when it comes to reading.

Sami still likes me to read her a story at bedtime, which I genuinely love to do.  Over the years we’ve read all sorts of books, although recently she’s getting to the point where she wants to read to me.   I’ll never complain about spending quality time with her especially over a good story, but it’s funny how the tables have turned.

I’m confident now that we share a life long love of books and reading in general.  I can see it in there eyes when they enquire about an expedition to the local bookstore – “just for a look” mind you… I have to admit I still get a little excited about a trip to the bookstore and the limitless stories waiting to be read.

  

I truly believe the love of reading is a "gift that last a lifetime"!

p.s.  My book this week was a relatively new one by John Irving – “In One Person” and I'm loving it!