Friday, June 01, 2007

BOOKS: The Ultimate Bedtime Story

The Morning News contributing writer Jessica Francis Kane laments that having a young child has seriously curtailed her reading. Invariably, she says, when she finally settles down to read late at night, she falls asleep after ten pages.

But she has a solution:
But where can you drop off your kids if you’d like to read for an hour or two? Shouldn’t reading be as important as getting groceries, exercise, or Swedish furniture? Why don’t bookstores have a room (the Baby Bindery?) where parents can leave their children while they enjoy some literary solitude? Even if the store turned the place into a marketing extravaganza — Harry Potter tie-ins everywhere — parents would no doubt be so giddy with gratitude for the sunlit reading time, they wouldn’t mind.
As I told my friend Libby when she sent me this link, I feel oddly guilty. Other than those early kookoo-bananas months right after Sam was born, my reading habits have remained pretty much the same. This is where chronic insomnia is your friend. Also sloth. Not to mention indolence.

But my heart goes out to you parents who aren't lucky enough to be a lazy insomniac with low-to-middling cleanliness standards. Hence my counter-solution. Until bookstores come through with reading rooms for parents, I offer you the ultimate bedtime story:

(Via Apartment Therapy)

10 comments:

raidergirl3 said...

lucky enough to be a lazy insomniac with low-to-middling cleanliness standards

I'm not the only one!

Petunia said...

I love how the writing on the sheets starts off big and gets small the closer it gets to the eyes. But turning pages must be a chore.

landismom said...

When you said that we are the same person, you were right. Low-to-middling standards, indeed!

BabelBabe said...

Ah, I have found my people at last! Wanna come over for coffee in my not-so-pristine house and discuss books?

people always want to know how i get so much reading done - i always answer, "I breathe, I eat, I read. Sleep is optional."

Steph said...

Cleaning is for people who can't think of anything better to do with their time.

Amy Palko said...

I had my 3 kids whilst studying english lit as an undergrad, and I found that the hours that I was up in the middle of the night breast feeding were prime reading time. Just me, the baby, and DH Lawrence. Bliss!

Dave said...

Ah, sweet indolence.

My suck factor (in regards to reading, that is) is quite high these days, but I stand to inherit the Library of the Gods in about two months, so the crushing weight of so many pretty books (I'm sure) will make me a good reader again. Complete works of Graham Greene: here I come.

Anonymous said...

Cleaning's for chumps. I'd take a dirty room with old mugs and a pile of dusty books beside my bed any day over a clean room.

Diane Dehler said...

This made me think about how I enjoyed reading under the covers as a kid with a flashlight. I do like the writing on the sheet thing. Why sleep when you can read?

Anonymous said...

I felt a little odd when I read that, too. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who ranks Books over Vacuuming in the list of priorities!