Bingo and Birthdays and Books! Oh, My!

I've got a birthday coming up soon. Sometimes this makes me cranky, but this year I came across a cartoon that made me smile (and okay, a little teary) for a few reasons. 

It reminds me of my maternal grandmother. The woman loved a good Bingo game. Whether it was at the church hall or at an Atlantic City casino, she was ready to play. 

It reminds me of my godmother. Sometimes for my birthday, she took me into Manhattan to what felt like a giant Barnes and Noble store and let me pick out lots of books. And she never questioned or censored my choices. 

It reminds me that I am not alone in my love of all things books and reading. 

(Check out the Introvert Doodles website and the book - which I own and love! - available a number of places, including Barnes and Noble.)

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How do you feel about birthdays? Any big ones coming up? Any favorite birthday memories? How do you celebrate? (For me, just let me loose in Barnes and Noble with a gift card in one hand and a chocolate cupcake in the other and I'm good. I am soooooo good!)

Birthdays and Books

When I was a kid - and I'm talking about 30 years ago now - my godmother would sometimes take me out for my birthday, and my favorite excursions were when we'd go to Barnes and Noble. 

It was always an event. We'd take the subway into Manhattan, an experience in itself. I'm wondering now if the store we went to was a flagship store because, at least in my eyes, it was huge. My godmother and I would find the young adult section - or whatever it was called, back in the day - and she would leave me to it. She'd go off and look for books for herself, checking on me occasionally, while I happily chose and stacked books for possible purchase. Not once do I ever remember her telling me I couldn't get a book because it was "inappropriate" for me.

Laden with shopping bags, we'd go to dinner, usually for Chinese food but one time we went to a French restaurant where I had french onion soup for the first time - yum!

On the train home, my godmother would open one of her books and read, while I scanned the car making sure no one was about to try and steal the shopping bag of books at my feet. (Hmm, maybe some of that paranoia came from books that weren't so appropriate for me after all….)

Now, these many years later, I'm the one who buys books for my godmother. I wrap and pack them up - usually with some chocolate! - and send them up north where she lives in assisted living. Next month, I'll start listing books to pick up for my nephew's birthday. And in the Fall, I'll do the same for my niece. And I hope one day, my nephew and niece will remember those gifts of books, of reading, of stories the way I remember mine - with a smile. 

Do you have any birthday memories that make you smile? Are you the person in your family or circle of friends who buys everyone books? Do you appreciate the person who does?