For the Love of Reading

I always hoped that the kids would take to reading, but I almost did not anticipate the extent of it! With D, I have actually had to curtail her reading time, due to concerns about her eyesight. With both D and S, not being allowed to read is one of the biggest threats possible, so my job here is definitely done :). The weirdest part is when I am trying to enforce some discipline on the subject ("finish homework first", "drink your milk first" and so on), and I remember my childhood and episodes of reading the book that I wanted, smuggled inside a schoolbook as a cover :D. Nothing like flashbacks to make your parenting cliches sound even lamer.

The library system in Singapore is great, and members are allowed to borrow or return books in any branch. This also means that I have traveled the length and breadth of the island (literally) to visit a branch for a specific book (usually for D who's in her stuck-to-an-author phase). But who am I kidding, I used to be exactly the same. Even now, when I start a series by an author, I have to read the books in chronological order and missing any one along the way just spoils the fun ;). For the record, the same goes for TV show episodes.

I'm always vying with the children to borrow an extra book or two, especially when I discover a great new author or series. To my delight, I found that my local library branch has this amazing collection by Wodehouse - surely not an author new to me, but it has been too long since I read his books. I am not yet sure if all the books are available, but many of his early ones seem to be around. In my enthusiasm to renew my memory of his books, of course I had to start with his first published one :). It's a school story called "Pothunters" for those who're interested :). Here's a glimpse of one part of the lovely set at the library:

I have found some great book recommendations from my friends on FB, some of whom are on reading challenges which also seem to be a great way to discover new genres. I had posted once asking for Indian mythology recommendations, and found some gems there as well! You can see the thread here, in case you missed it at that time :). I must admit though, that nothing beats just browsing through a library, picking up a book at random and discovering an all-new favorite!