Books in My Family

I have written before about my parents' love of reading and books. On 3/10/10 I wrote of the pleasure of supplying my mother with books now that she has more time to read. On 12/30/10, I wrote of my late father's lifelong love of reading. A recent visit to my mom's house reminded me of how fortunate I am to have always been surrounded by books in my parents' various homes over the years, and how long after I left home, when I visited them (and still visit my mom), I loved seeing all their books around us. This visit, I was thinking about the sheer variety of books they bought, were given, read, and kept. There are medical books (general medicine, surgery, psychiatry, etc.) (my dad was a physician), fiction, poetry, plays, biographies, art books, self-help books, books on music, reference books, books about India (where I grew up), cookbooks, books by friends (and by their daughter!), and more. All were acquired for information, education, and enjoyment. My parents were not "collectors"; they didn't think about first editions or rare books. They were unpretentious about their books; for example, there are some Readers Digest Condensed books among all the others. Most of the books are hardcover but there are plenty of paperbacks as well. My dad did have a special interest in reference books, atlases, and sets of "great books." Books are scattered around the house in various tall and short bookcases: in the living room, in what was my dad's "office" (study), and in all the bedrooms. They are a comfortable part of the decor and environment of the house. On some level I took this -- being surrounded by books all my life -- for granted, but on another level, I always appreciated and loved this great treasure trove of wonderful books of all kinds. Not only were my brothers and I influenced by this constant background of books, but also the grandchildren noticed them from the time they were small, and often took down a children's book, an art book, or an atlas to look at. And now that my niece has two small sons, and I recently saw a look of joy on the older son's face when he opened the gift of a book, I am happy about the legacy of reading's being passed down through four generations of the family my parents created and nurtured.