What are you reading?

I am married to a man who does not read for pleasure.  In the nearly 11 years that we have been married I have only ever seen him read one book and that was the time I forced him to read Angela's Ashes.  He liked it and I hoped that might get him to read other books as well but it just didn't stick.  Other than sports and computer magazines he gets, he just doesn't read.  I don't get it.

My kids are both big readers.  Joseph will sit and read for hours at a time.  Any time he goes anywhere he brings a book with him.  The last time he was tested at school he was reading at an 8th grade level.  The kid devours pretty much any kind of book we give him.  Chapter books, joke books, biographies, short stories, history books, coffee table books and his all time favorite, video game guides.  He loves them all.  I love that he loves to read.

Elle can't read many things yet but she really enjoys looking at books.  She has several of her favorites memorized so sometimes she'll "read" them to herself or to her dolls.  She no longer naps but some days when she's feeling sleepy she'll tell me she needs to lay down and read for a little while.  It makes me so happy to see that I'm raising another budding reader.

I think one reason both the kids like to read so much is that we've always read to them.  Even when they were babies we read them bedtime stories.  Joseph can read better than some adults but we still read to him at night.  I don't know when that will stop but I don't think it will be any time soon.  To me, reading to your children is just a basic part of being a parent.  You feed them, you clothe them, you make sure that when they leave the house they don't have food all over their face (sometimes) and you read to them.  It's just not an optional thing.

I was read to a lot as a kid.  One of my favorite childhood memories is resting against my mom as she read the Little House books to me and my brother.  (Books just sound better when you're listening to them with your ear pressed up against the reader's chest.)  I grew up seeing both my parents read and we always had stacks of library books around the house.  I don't remember being told "no" if I ever asked for a new book.  We ordered copiously from school book orders and book fairs.  Reading was an important part of my childhood.

I still love to read.  A good book is one of life's great pleasures.  I like to read in the bathtub but I've fallen asleep and dropped my book into the water more times than I care to admit.  I never mind plane trips or long waits at the doctor's office as long as I have a book with me.  I'm always glad to have a little time to sit down and read.

How about you?  Do you like to read?  Do you have favorite type of book? Can you recommend something good for me to purchase on my nook?  What have you read lately that you loved?  Or what's an old favorite that you love to read over and over again?  And finally, do you think there's any way that I can get Jesse to like reading?

One year ago today I had underwear in my fruit basket.
Two years ago today Joseph tried to raise his eye brows.