Our local paper has a feature which showcases a citizen and seeks to reveal their literary tastes. The first question asked? "What's on your nightstand?" In my house, the question would be, "What's on the end table?"
Our house is filled with readers and writers. I am an avid reader, RN, and liberal studies student. My husband is a horse racing author, journalist, and broadcaster. One daughter is majoring in political science/communications, another daughter is a double major in psychology/philosophy, and my son is a sophomore in high school who is still exploring his interests. Our home holds a variety of literary tastes. If you were to ask, "What's on the end table?" the answer would be, "Well, there are currently 14 books on it." (While writing this, I actually got up, walked over to the table, and counted.)
Over the years, we have filled four large book-cases in our house, and have relegated dozens upon dozens of books into "deep storage" in a shed. These books range from college text books to favorite novels from high school to cookbooks. We have lived here for 12 years, and have seen our living room reading table morph from picture books and Harry Potter to "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook," "Beyond Wealth," and "Meditations on First Philosophy." The one thing that I have recently noticed is that what is on the table depends on the time of year.
For me, I have several categories (literally, stacks) for my books. These have little to do with subject, and more to do with my approach to reading. Let me explain:
- School Books. These are not exclusive to text books, but apply more to a variety of articles (research and enrichment), literary pieces for analysis, and review books such as the CSET. Sometimes tedious, usually enlightening, and always outside of my usual scope of reading tastes.
- Book Club Books. Okay, since I returned to school three years ago, this category of book is usually placed on hold September through May. I belong to a book club with four other women, and they indulge my non-reading during school months so that I can keep pace with my school work. This is my kind of book club. By summertime I am ready to dig into some guilt-free pleasure reading. This summer's selection is less intellectual and more frothy. Much like a refreshing summer drink.
- Personal Books. These are the books that are usually voted down by my book club friends. I have a passion for non-fiction, and lean toward political ("Game Change") and short stories (Stephen King and Tobias Wolff). I also love books about wide open spaces (please, no Westerns). I love anything by John Steinbeck ("East of Eden" is the best novel ever written), and a couple of summers ago discovered Willa Cather. Need that road-trip fix? These are the types of books that allow the soul to hit the road at a leisurely pace.
You may not have realized it, but you have a place in your own home that reflects your passions, duties, and affiliations. It could be that stack next to your computer, on your end table, or on your night stand. Wherever your stack is located, sit down, pull out that volume you once committed to, and reconnect. That is one of the pleasures of summer.
