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Who else loves when family members join you in your crazy obsession with books?! My nieces, specifically Haidyn, love to read! Every Christmas I’ve gifted her books and there’s something so special and nostalgic about gifting books that YOU also loved to read as a young girl, like Junie B. Jones and Ramona Quimby. For her last birthday we got her a gift card to her local bookstore and picked out some chapter books together. Seeing the passion she has for reading melts my heart! There’s nothing more prideful than when you find out your niece utilizes the time spent riding the bus to and from school to read her book! Proud aunt!

My sister and I grew up with a school teacher as a mom, so you can probably guess how much of a priority school took in our household. She was always encouraging us to check out more challenging books from the library and that passion turned into an obsession in my adult years. It was so fun to discuss books with my mom as an adult, swap titles and recommend books to one another because we knew exactly what we liked and disliked.

When I read, I think of my mom. And I read a lot. When you associate a positive reaction to a situation or action, you’re probably more likely to be more loyal to that action. Right? It’s heartwarming to think about my journey with books and how I’ve blossomed into the reader that I am today. Reading with my nieces and sister is such a calming and wonderful experience to share together and it helps me feel closer to my mom.

There’s something special about the bond people share over a similar love for books. Book people get each other and there’s no one quite like a dedicated book nerd (and I say that with the utmost pride and respect!). If your family is full of readers, I urge you to cherish the time you spend with one another reveling in your shared love of books. If you’re the lone book nerd in your family, I challenge you to persuade someone to pick up a book or join you in a buddy read.

Give yourself some of those nostalgic memories that ring so close to my heart when I pick up a book. I love that this is the association I pair with reading and I hope that whatever your family situation may be, you feel surrounded by support, love and bookish fun!