A Good Book

I have this book sitting on my nightstand.  It's a big fiction book that I have started, but I haven't gotten very far into it.  It looks really good.  Every time I go in my bedroom, it stares at me, calling me to it.  It is almost June, and I am feeling that pull.  The same one I feel every year.  That desire to delve into Summer Reading.  To sit outside under a tree and escape into a good book for hours.  It's almost a need, like how I need to eat.  I need to read.

And yet I have these kids.  These little boys with all of their energy and excitement for life who desire attention.  The nerve of them!  It's like a conspiracy.  They seem to do all they can to keep me from reading.

Occasionally, when I notice my kids playing happily for a time, I try pulling out my book.  I never get more than a half a page at a time before they need something.  It's frustrating, and it seems to increase my desire to curl up with a book.

However, I came across this children's book that we picked up from the library a while ago called Emily and Albert, by Jan Ormerod.  There's a little chapter about Albert, who is sitting under a blanket, happily reading a book.  His friend, Emily, is more unhappily playing in the same room, trying to convince Albert to play with her.  He spends his time trying to convince her that he would rather not be doing anything else but read his really good book.

At this point, Emily says my favorite line of the book, "I don't think it can be a good book if it makes others feel lonely while you are reading it."

Then of course, they end up snuggling up to read the book together.

This sums up my reading life perfectly.  This is the reason I show up to book club having not read the month's book.  This is the reason I check out 40 children's books from the library with every visit.  This is the reason that when I pull out my book, I usually end up with a lap full of boys and books.  This is the reason we snuggle up for hours, happily reading stories together.

So, my poor, sad book on my nightstand, I'm sorry that you have to wait.  I will get to you eventually.