Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Bookworm

I am an avid reader.  I've always loved reading books for as long as I can remember.  There was a period of time after I had the girls, that I wasn't reading at all, because if I had any extra time I was using it to sleep.  I got to a point where I missed reading books though, so I found time to read.  It's the only place I can't do anything else.  The bathroom.  Sorry, but it's true.  It's where I read about 80% of my books.  The other 20% being right before bed, if I'm really into a book and willing to spare the sleep, or that one time we went to the beach and the girls actually entertained themselves for half an hour so I read.  I don't read the most intellectual books.  I like reading to escape, so I lean more towards beach type reads like Sophie Kinsella or Jennifer Weiner.  I do love Harry Potter too, and have read other things like "The Time Traveler's Wife" and my most recent favorite, "The Help".  I loved that damn book. White woman from the south in the '60s were NOT nice.  I'm just saying.  The most recent book I started reading is "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".  I know, I know, I'm late to the party, but at least I showed up.  The problem with this book was that I had a REALLY hard time getting into it. I'm not sure why.  I talked to my sister, Beth about it, and she said it took her about 100 pages to get into it.  Megan said the same thing, so I guess it wasn't just me.  Now that I'm further into the book I am intrigued and itching to read it when I can.  However, there are only so many times a day when I can lock myself in the bathroom, so it might take me a while to unravel the mystery.  


Sonya has taken after me with her reading habits. I say after me, because Andy has never been much of a reader.  He reads magazines and news on the Internet, but book are not really his forte.  His brother, David, however will read a 500 page book in about 4 hours.  So Sonya may have taken some of her reading love from that side of the family too.  She loves to read and reads faster than I ever did at her age.  She's already reading chapter books like "Tales of The Fourth Grade Nothing", that I didn't even look at until I was at least 8 or 9.  Over the summer I took her to the library where she checked out some chapter books that were in the section for "3rd and 4th graders".  She took out about twelve of these fairy books that she's been into.  The books were due back in three weeks.  She was done with ALL of them in five days.  FIVE DAYS!  I couldn't believe it.  So yeah, the kid likes to read.


Fortunately for her, she has less responsibility and more time than I do, so she can read just about anytime.  Although, like her mother, she also reads in the bathroom.  Andy reads in there too, so it's not just from me! Anyway, Saturday afternoon she used my bathroom and when she came out, she asked me about "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" book.  I told her it was mine and I was in the middle of reading it.  She informed me that she too had started reading it when she was in the bathroom.  What?  NO!  


"Sonya, that is not a book for you girly.  It's a book for adults not little girls, " I explained.


"Well, I started reading it," she told me.


Then I just let it go.  Until yesterday, when I headed for my daily bathroom visit and read and couldn't find my book.  I looked on my nightstand, nope.  Then I looked in the living room, where it would have no reason to be and nothing.  Then a thought occurred to me and I remembered my conversation with Sonya two days before.  There in the girl's ducky bathroom, in the book basket next to the toilet was my book.  In it were two bookmarks.  One for me, one for Sonya.  I'm not sure what I was more worried about, her reading a book that was much to old for her, or her understanding it better than I did.  


So we had a more in depth conversation about it last night at dinner.  I again explained she couldn't read that book and she asked why not.  


"Because it's too old for you for right now.  I don't think you'll understand some of it and there may be parts that are to scary for you.  I'm not really sure, because I haven't finished it," I said.


"Well, how about this?  You can read it first and then let me know if I can read it when you're done," she told me.  


I agreed knowing what my answer would be before I finished the book, but this seemed to appease her, so I went with it.  Just to remind everyone, SHE IS SIX.  Okay, almost seven, but still!!  I can't have her reading books about murder and mayhem!


Well, I was debating on when to let her read Harry Potter, but I suppose I can put that debate to rest and just let her read them now.  At least those are closer to age appropriate.  And the murder and mayhem doesn't start until at least the third book.  That will take her at least until Thanksgiving to get to.  Maybe Halloween.  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought this was going to be more of a reading in the bathroom story, since she talked about it this weekend but I liked the twist! Maybe I should finish reading those Percy Jackson books so she can start on those ;)

One question that I have to ask though, what pages were your and her bookmark on?

Meg Drew said...

Def. NOT a book for her... not only murder but lots of sex and rape and incest and ... yea, not a good book for her until she isn't at least 20.