Bookworms

Besides the obvious charm and good looks, Carter and I have something else in common: We both like to read.

Oh, I'm a bookworm from way back. I can't remember a time when I wasn't curled up with a good story. Could I have been as young as Carter when I was snatching up every Judy Blume book and sprinting through the Laura Ingalls Wilder saga? I'm not sure, but I know I was young.

Why do I like to read? There's a couple reasons. When I was growing up, it was a good option when I was tired of watching the black-and-white TV (or grounded from it) or sick of playing with my twin (imagine!). I loved to escape to the stories and live within them while I was reading.

I've always had this affection for the English language. I love to learn new words and see how they play out at the hands of different writers. It's no surprise "words is my business" in real life. I still love to lose myself in the stories -- most kinds -- and I read about 1-2 books a week. It keeps my mind sharp (no comment), and keeps this dream of writing a book top of mind. Many times when I close the book after that last page, I say, "I can do this!" and I will!

Carter surprised me yesterday. He had his head stuck in a book from the moment we got home until after supper time. He said he and his classmates each have a goal of reading 400 minutes per month. Carter did 100 minutes yesterday alone and wants to see how far he can take it.

I thought, wow, this is great. The kid loves to read. Then I see this little note from the teacher that each child who reads 400 minutes gets a free personal-size pizza at Pizza Hut. You know, that's OK. If it can get children to open a book and seek a new adventure, then I'm all for it.

When I called Carter on his game, he insisted he does love to read. He just wants to be sure their class reads the most minutes so they get a pizza party in December. Go for it, Carter!

I don't consider The Adventures of Captain Underpants in the same league with Little House in the Big Woods. But who am I to judge? They might say that about my book some day!