There is always a book. On the coffee table, stacks of them on her bedside table, shelves of them in every room, one in her hand. Though the books are about God, Raising Teenagers, Romance, Thrillers, Fiction, Non-Fiction, they really only fall into two Peg-categories - (1) "that's a good book" or (2) "crap." Whichever Peg-category of book you are reading- no judgment here - except, you should ALWAYS have a book.
When the family is going to the second movie in the theater for the day, during the wait before the previews (you always get there early) . . . . that is when you read your book. On the beach, you read a book. You read a book on the potty. When you watch tv, you also read a book. You read a book to fall asleep. Sometimes the book keeps you awake it is such "a good book."
During summer vacations, she takes you to the library behind Scoopers, to the bookstore and to the used bookstore on Laurens Road. This is how I learned to twirl a batton - yup- bought a book on it. Also how I learned to tie a scarf in the 7th grade - a fashion decision I have only now grown into.
This is also how I read all the Stephen King novels during the summer after 5th grade - got 'em at the used book store. She was there, just looking at some other kind of book and didn't notice I was reading Pet Cemetary.
OH, if the book is crap - you can quit reading it. You really don't have to finish it. But don't assume other women in your family will think it's crap too. Put the book in a grocery bag. If it is pre-May 15, 1999, the bag of good books and crap are delivered to 316 Wyman Street in Estill, SC so Noni can read them first. (She really liked the dirty books best). When she is done with the bag of groceries, they are disbursed to everyone else. You don't have to give them back. Please, for God's sake don't give them back.
If it is a good book, and you are almost done, she will ask you "How's the book?" When you ignore her, she will insist that you STOP and tell her about the book! It is a Lawton family inside joke.
Peg married a reader too. So there are OTHER kinds of books all over the house - about Latin, Calculus, Robert the Bruce, the Civil War, Magic Tricks, How to Tie a Fly Fish, How to Solve A Rubix Cube. These are a third category: "your Dad's books." As in "the whole house is going to burn to the damn ground because of your Dad's books."
When we were little, Mom and Dad would take these trips out of town. Without US! It was so surprising. Why in the world would they want to go somewhere WITHOUT US! Like to the beach! Or the mountains!! WE liked the mountains! Or on plane rides to places like Curacao. We like Curacao!! Why wouldn't you want to take a 10, 7 and 6 year old to the tropics?
Peg said: We read lots of books. We read them OVER AND OVER again.
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