Read a Good Book Lately?

Books are a major part of our lives and our home. We've tried hard to make books available to the girls at any moment and in every room. When we leave the house I never mind if they have a book tucked under their arm. We have even started carrying large book bags to the basketball games for Mary and Lydia. We make the trips to the library and pick up more than our share, drag them everywhere, then pay the late fines because we can't find them when they're due back. (Ray wonders if it wouldn't be cheaper to just buy the books.) I complain and say I'm never going back, but I always do. The girls love books, love to read, and have quite a library of their own.
There are some books that the whole family has memorized. I'm sure each family has the moments when someone will quote a line from a book and another family member will quote the next line as if it's part of their vocabulary. For a while Lydia may have thought Mr. Darcy, Buttercup and Wesley were part of our family and not characters from books. This morning I went in to wake up Mary and said in my best bird voice, "Get up, get up, get up, said the red winged black bird." Mary who is a very sound sleeper said back, "Shh, shh, let him sleep. I think he's lost, said the mouse." Those are lines from one of our favorite books Lost in the Woods. We both burst out laughing and she started the day cheerfully.
Ray and I have tried to set the example of reading in front of them, but that's not hard - we love to read too. My "Martha" spirit says get to work, don't sit down to read. But sometimes I'll ignore the unmade beds and piles of laundry and enjoy a few minutes. The book I've been reading lately is Women Helping Women about biblical counseling. I've started the book several times but never finished it. It's a great book that discusses the how and why of women counseling women using Scripture. I typically read books that pertain to what's going on around our family, but it's also good to step out of the norm. My favorite books are biographies and recipe books. In the past year or so Rachel has been all about Jane Austen and she tried to get me to read Emma along with her, but she's too fast for me(or maybe she has too much time on her hands:). I'm not one of those people who start reading a lot of books before they finish one, I'm too methodical. Ray on the other hand has many going at one time. He's smart enough to keep everything straight. As busy moms, I know how hard it is for us to sit down and read. But it isn't that hard to keep a book in your bag and catch a little time waiting in the car, at doctor's appointments, before bed, even traveling. Leave your book out in the open so that it's a reminder to slow down a little. We should follow Mary's example (Luke 10:38ff) and learn from Jesus (aka read the Bible!) and learn from others. Stretch your mind and enjoy good literature.
The picture above is of Lydia and a new friend she made while reading at the gym during a basketball game.