What are you reading?

I have a secret for you. I love to read; love, love, love it! Wait…I guess that is not much of a secret since most people know that about me. Before Tysen came along, it was not unusual for me to start and finish one book a day. That was back when I had time to lounge around with a book in one hand and something wonderful to drink in the other. These days, I have much less time but just as much passion for books. I mostly fit in my reading after Tysen has gone to bed, and I listen to books on CD in the car, but I manage to fit it in because I think it is something I truly enjoy.

Reading did not always come easily to me. Most people are surprised to learn that I could not read until 4th grade, in fact some of my elementary school teachers probably would be as well. I had a knack for memorization and tended to do this as opposed to actually learning the words. I was very fortunate that in 4th grade a teacher realized I needed to be taught differently than most children. I suppose that is why learning and reading are so sacred to me, I remember what it’s like not to be able to enjoy diving into a land of imagination. To that end, I will read the same 5 page book to Tysen fifteen times in a row, because he wants to hear the story. My son loves books as much as his mom does, and I hope to nurture that and help him grow into being a fabulous reader.

On a related tangent, most boys actually develop a love of reading from their fathers, or other strong male role model in their lives. Justin would explain this better, but the gist of it is that when young boys only see their moms reading, it becomes stereotyped as a female activity and therefore not something that a boy should be doing and enjoying. Hopefully Justin and I will both be able to instill in Tysen a joy all things book related.

So, what are you reading? A friend recommended the Sookie Stackhouse series, which the HBO series True Blood is based on and I will be starting that in a few days. I’ve got quite an eclectic taste in what I read, though I tend to gravitate toward mostly fiction. I’ve got My Life In France, by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme on hold at the library and I can’t wait to start reading that; I love all things Julia Child.