The only trouble I got into with books growing up was that I read them to the exclusion of doing other things that needed to be done. My mother would tell me to clean my room, and she'd come up half an hour later to find me deep in a book. I neglected homework in favor of reading. I'd be late for work because I was busy reading.

This was me. Of course, now replace "reading" and a'book" with "the internet" and this IS me.

I finished my second Dana Stabenow mystery, A Cold Day For Murder, and enjoyed it as much as the first. I decided to stay with mysteries and picked up Laura Lippman's In Big Trouble. I am about half way through it and enjoying it also.

I remember getting into a little bit of trouble when I was young and was pushing myself to read well above my age level. My mother had no desire to have me more alienated from my classmates. She was a teacher and really opposed to grade jumping. I was probably a full grade ahead of my first grade in all subjects and 2-3 grades ahead in English. I actually think I would have been fine moving ahead, but my older brother had been accelerated in some subjects and did not adjust well at all.

Of course, now replace "reading" and a'book" with "the internet" and this IS me.

Yup, me too. And I spend a lot less time reading these days, now that I spend so much time online.

My parents never censored my reading. My sister tried, once. She's eight years older than me, and had a book that I, as a member in good standing of the annoying younger sisters association, borrowed without permission. It involved a woman being raped by ghosts. My sister was shocked that I was reading it and even more shocked that I seemed to understand what it was about (I was around 8 at the time).

My dad's one attempt to steer my tastes was time-mangement based as much as anything. My folks were too busy one weekend to take me to the library, and I was whining about having nothing to read. Dad took me to one of the cupboards that was officially "Dad territory", and opened it up to reveal Analog Science Fiction and Fantasy magazines going back to 1950. He told me that when I finished them I could then bug him about needing more reading material.

It took me a while.

I actually think I would have been fine moving ahead, but my older brother had been accelerated in some subjects and did not adjust well at all.

that happened to me, often. My parents made me take the AP exam, but wouldn't let me test out of any of the stuff in college, because my brother did that, and didn't adjust well.

How did I miss Lions of Al-Rassan when it came out (almost 10 years ago) -- I picked it up at the library last week and could not put it down. I loved it!

(They had new paperback editions of that and Sailing to Sarantium which I also nabbed.)

How did I miss Lions of Al-Rassan when it came out (almost 10 years ago) -- I picked it up at the library last week and could not put it down. I loved it!

(They had new paperback editions of that and Sailing to Sarantium which I also nabbed.)

Lucky you sumi, what a treat! Sarantium is excellent too (it's a two-parter, the second is Lord of Emperors)

Today and tomorrow's Fresh Air with Teri Gross is a Tribute to Spalding Gray. [link]

This explains so much.

I have so little in terms of a sense of entitlement.

Please allow me that.

All I want is your books and your celebrity crushes.

The only trouble I got into with books growing up was that I read them to the exclusion of doing other things that needed to be done.

(raises hand) OH yes. Books were so much more interesting to me than my own dull life, after all.

I offer you a cute story from my early childhood: at the age of 3 or so (before I had learned how to read, mind you), my favorite toy was a big heavy Sears catalog. I would pore over it for hours... and then I would follow my parents around the house telling them long stories about what I'd been reading. I sure wish they'd transcribed some of that, because details are long forgotten.