If My Father Were Still

I Can Think Of Few Better Ways To Introduce A Child To Books Than To Let Her Stack Them, Upend Them, Rearrange Them, And Get Her Fingerprints All Over Them.

To Use An Electronics Analogy, Closing A Book On A Bookmark Is Like Pressing The Stop Button, Whereas When You Leave The Book Facedown, You've Only Pressed Pause.

When The Irish Novelist John Mcgahern Was A Child, His Sisters Unlaced And Removed One Of His Shoes While He Was Reading. He Did Not Stir. They Placed A Straw Hat On His Head. No Response. Only When They Took Away The Wooden Chair On Which He Was Sitting Did He, As He Puts It, 'wake Out Of The Book'.

Pen-bereavement Is A Serious Matter.

You Can Miss A Lot By Sticking To The Point.