Over the Christmas break, my daughter, Josie, was home from college. One day I walked into the living room only to find her curled up on the couch with my favorite book. Yes, she was reading Leaving Cheyenne by my favorite author, Larry McMurtry. I may have squealed with delight.
This is part of a new trend for my daughter. At 19, she is moving away from young adult fiction and coming to my side of the fence. There are no words for the joy this brings me. When she asks me for a book recommendation, I nearly pee my pants with delight.
We have no shortage of books in our house for her to read. With 14 bookshelves and counting, I can always pick a book I love—one that will suit her mood.
While I love her reading my books, what I enjoy most is discussing them with her. I love her insight and take on a particular story. I love hearing her thoughts, sharing mine and debating the finer points of each tale.
This has become an added pleasure of books I never expected. I’ve always loved to read and talk about books. Doing it with my daughter is next level.
The tables have also turned and Josie is now recommending books for me to read. I fucking love this! She knows me as well as anyone and has given me some great recommendations. On the flip side, she knows what I would hate or what would upset me and steers me away from those.
As a mother, I would like to think I have given my daughter a lot of good habits. A love for reading is one of the greatest gifts I think I have given her. The way she reads makes me so proud.
We started reading to this kid the moment they handed her to us in China and have never stopped. We still talk about her favorite childhood books and have them all stored safely away for her children. The Traver family believes reading is everything.
Rarely have we taken a vacation and not brought home new books. I remember one time in Arizona Josie bought a book about the rocks of the West at a gas station. She studied that book our whole trip. That is dedication to the sport.
I know I will never stop buying books. I hope Josie and I continue to share them. We may not always agree, but that is half the fun. When we both love the same book, I’m happy beyond belief to have shared that with her.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
