Ann Bailey: Bookin' it through another stack of titles

Aug. 14—Reading and writing, two of the three "Rs" taught in school, were my favorite subjects. Since graduating from high school and college, I have carried on the latter professionally and pursued the former in my free time.

The amount of and type of books I've read has ebbed and flowed, depending on my workload at home and at my journalism jobs. When our children were young, most of my title choices were children's books that Brian and I read to them before bedtime. When Brendan, Thomas and Ellen were infants, we read short books like "I Love You As Much," and when they were toddlers "GoodNight Moon." Our favorite books when our trio were preschoolers were Richard Scarry's books, which included "What Do People Do All Day?"

Once our kids were in kindergarten, we helped them learn to read their books. By the end of that year, they were reading on their own, and for the first few years of elementary school, they practiced their skills by reading out loud to Brian and me. From mid-elementary school until they graduated from high school, I read few books because I was too busy in my "free time" going to their extracurricular events.

The exception was when I re-read parts of some classics, like Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" to refresh my memory so I could give them some insight if they were struggling with an English assignment.

I also read the "Hunger Games" and "Divergent" series at the suggestion of Ellen. They were quick, fun reads both, and the best part was talking about the plot twists and characters with my daughter. It was a good exercise in mother-daughter bonding.

Last year, during COVID isolation, I started reading for enjoyment again. Brian gave me a gift card to the UND Bookstore for Christmas 2019. When the pandemic hit a few months later, I used it to buy a stack of books. I like historical fiction, so I picked out books that had various World War II themes, and hoped I had chosen winners. My choices were validated when I posted a picture of the books on social media and friends commented that the books were some of their favorites, too.

I devoured those books and purchased another bunch, this time choosing ones written by authors whose books I particularly enjoyed in the previous book-buying frenzy.

Since then, whenever I've traveled to a city that has a bookstore, I've added to my 60s collection — that is, books I've purchased since I've been a sexagenarian. My latest purchases were at a large bookstore in Brookfield, Wis., where I bought 12 books, four of them for Ellen.

Ellen, like me, has a penchant for reading and enjoys historical fiction. She also likes reading books about running and dogs, and I do, too, so we trade books with one another.

When we're finished with them, I plan to pass them on to others or donate them to libraries or charitable organizations. Books are some of my best friends. As such, I don't think they should selfishly be kept to myself, but shared and appreciated by others who whose lives also will be enriched by them.

Ann Bailey is a Grand Forks Herald reporter who writes a personal column twice each month.