Skip to main content

Reading Places

Growing up as the oldest of five, I would have to carve out spaces for myself to hide to find peace and quiet and read.  My brother would read up in a tree in the backyard where no one could reach him.  I found an old rocking chair in the attic, and surrounded by boxes, lit only by a dangling lightbulb, I read through the Little House series.  It was a great space, all mine. 
One of the first questions I used to ask students in my reading classes was, Where do you like to read?  We would discuss places that inspire us.  At the beach, beside a tree, up in the attic.   In my current work I assist teachers in making a library, a place for children to read in a comfortable homelike environment.  Isn't that interesting?  Homelike?  We are trying to make a classroom that feels inviting, just as I am trying to do in my house, family-friendly, kid-friendly spaces.  So I'm beginning to apply the same concepts I use in creating a literacy environment at schools in my home. 
One of my favorite houses ever belongs to my husband's aunt and in it she has a large collection of picture books in a small room with a piano and little trinkets on shelves and nooks to sit and read. There is even a hammock hanging in the family room!   She is my inspiration. 
My goal this week is to create more spaces for curling up with a good book.  Here is my list of things that would be in a great reading nook:
  • a bright window
  • a soft rug
  • a comfy chair (a hammock would be even better)
  • a blanket
  • a basket for paper and pencils in case I'm inspired
  • a small place for my tea
  • lots of good books, on shelves or in baskets
  • soft lighting, soft colors

After making this list, I realized that I needed to change around my living room.  It became quite different after I tried to carry out the list.  I knew I had to make the space feel more cozy, really smaller in scale.  So I moved the couch around to cut the room off a little (it had been under the windows), and added my grandmother's bench as a coffee table.  It's not finished yet, but here is my first draft:
This is opposite the fireplace and the accent wall.  I just hope to find one of my kids lying here one day curled up with a good book!  Then I'll know I created a good reading space!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What Is Grief?

 What is grief? It is standing in the shower and  you are suddenly crying and then you are sobbing. And you barely thought about it in the two days since you heard  your Uncle Rich passed. You thought about your dad and your cousins and your aunt and how sad they must be and you checked in on your dad. "I'm so so sorry." And you went to work and you did what you had to do. And now you are ready for another day and you are thinking of all the things and then you are crying and you are little again and vulnerable  and your heart hurts. And you remember everyone. Medford Lakes and a swimming pool and laughing so hard  and dancing around a Christmas tree and fireworks by the lake at night. And you can see his face and all their faces smiling Aunts and uncles and cousins and brothers who aren't here. And you remember his voice, deep and laughing, and you remember his kindness and his advice. "Are you taking vitamin C, Joannie?" You see all their faces and you mis

Home for Christmas

  Dear College Kid and Post-Grads,  Welcome Home! You are finally here! And we are so happy to welcome you. It's been a long semester. You've faced trials and tribulations. You still need to meet your own benchmarks and others you've exceeded. But it's over now. For now, you must rest. For now, you are released from your duties and obligations for studying and group projects. You don't have to worry about homework and practice and when to wake up and when to eat. You are home. You can sleep until noon. We are here to love you back to health and wellness and give you that unmistakable feeling of home.  Some things haven't changed here at home. There will be bacon and eggs for breakfast and we will get cream donuts from McMillan's tomorrow. We will have bagels and cream cheese one morning. Some things are new to us. We will order the meat lover's pizza. We will make room on the shelf for your protein powder. Some things have changed. We painted the front d

Tomorrow We Will Make Coffee

We are all searching for guarantees.  The guarantee on shipping from our website order, the guarantee on the newly-purchased mattress, the guarantee that when we wake up the electricity will still be on, the guarantee that the weather will get nicer soon, the guarantee that my car will still be parked where I left when I get back, the guarantee of a healthy pregnancy, the guarantee of an easy child.  All the things we expect at the beginning of the day to go our way, the meeting, the conference call, the sales pitch, the ruling, the game, the score.  I see people searching for schools, looking for a guarantee that the choices they make, the selection of this school over that school, will guarantee that their child will thrive, be successful, and maybe happy.  They want the guarantee.  They expect it when they walk in, as if they were going to a car wash, that the car will be perfectly cleaned when it comes out the other end.  As if kicking the tires will guarantee the purchase they mak