The Cradle (a.k.a. The Beginning)

I’m a reader.

It’s in my blood.

I’m a reader just like I’m a frequent-flier and a frequent-faller, a tone-deaf shower-singer, a smart-ass and a rock-hopper.

Many of the above attributes could also be applied to my mom. She gave me my “lovely” singing voice. She certainly had a hand in my constant sarcasm. And if my clumsiness is anything akin to hers I’m in for some trouble.

She also gave me books.

Perhaps I’m an oddball - an engineer who devours fiction almost as quickly as she devours bagels (sadly enough both bagels and English-language literature being not too easy to come by in my present home of Madrid, Spain). But having been born into a family of English majors there was likely no other way for me to end up.

The product of equal parts nature and nurture, the fact of the matter is that I’m a reader.

I’m also a list-maker and somewhat of a hoarder. So I’ve decided that I’d like to keep track of what I read and what I think of what I read. And also of what I’d like to read in the future. Hence this blog is born.

I’m extending an invitation to my mom to see if she’d like to join me. She reads even more than I (although her three months off in the summer perhaps have something to do with that…) and I’d love for her to jot down her own impressions of the books she reads. And she’s a constant source of answers to the question, “What should I read now?”

I’m also extending the invitation to my sister. We’re an interesting study for the argument of nature vs. nurture, although as we get older our similarities become more apparent. She’s got a new baby, though, so her free time is surely precious. But she was an English major, too, so when she does read (even if lately it’s been more articles than books) you are certain to get an insightful interpretation. So I hope she joins, too, if only on occasion.

As you can see reading is a family affair. It’s something I hope to pass on one day to my own children, just as I’ll surely pass on a touch of sarcasm, although hopefully not the clumsiness.