Read this way.....

My husband is still limping around on his leg.... that pulled calf muscle is still calling the shots on what he can or cannot do.  For the last four or five days, his ankle has turned a brilliant shade of amethyst with a dusting of chartreuse. Quite pretty, but still quite painful.

With the onset of cabin-fever haunting my husband during this muscle crisis, I thought it would be the perfect time for him to read two of my favorite books. Both of them are by Texas author Joe Coomer--- "Dream House" (Coomer's memoir about building a new-but-vintage-style home on a big piece of property with a pond on it)..... and "Sailing In a Spoonful of Water"  (the author's memoir about restoring a very old wooden boat that he now sails from Texas to Maine, where he and his wife spend their summers).

Wonderful books..... so much so that I'm tempted to find the author's house-by-the-pond up near Fort Worth.  I have this picture in my mind of ringing his doorbell with all of his books in my arms, asking him to sign all of them while I tell him how many times I've read his memoirs and his novels.... in the background, his dog is bringing me his chew-toy, his wife is pouring tall glasses of iced tea, and my husband is asking Joe Coomer about the strength of the dam surrounding his pond.

But...... back to those two books.  I took my copies of "Dream House" and "Sailing....." and brought them upstairs to my husband.  He was sitting up in bed with his ankle packed in ice and he was reading a book on the Dalai Lama.  (Nothing wrong with the Dalai Lama, but honestly... there is more to life than being enlightened. Well, maybe not.... but there's certainly more to read.)

I showed my husband the covers of the books...... the three-story Victorian house on one, the vintage wooden sailboat on the other.  Surely, those covers would tempt him into reading something besides you-know-what.  I held "Dream House" in one hand,  "Sailing...." in the other hand.  My husband looked from one to the other...... I gave him a short synopsis of both books, highly recommending that he get his mind off of his ankle and the Dalai Lama for a while.  My husband looked interested.... he told me to leave them on the floor by his side of the bed.

On the floor? I don't leave my books on the floor.  I will put them on your night-table.

I did just that, and turned to go back downstairs.  On the floor?  I turned around and went back into the bedroom....... I took two bookmarks out of my night-table drawer and put one into each of those books.

I've given you two bookmarks....... don't fold the corners of the pages.  And remember not to fold back the spines of the books too much.  And don't read them in the bathroom.  And don't use the books as coasters.

My husband looked at me.  "Do I have to return them in two weeks, Miss Librarian?"

You know how fussy I am with my favorite books.  And it should take you less than two weeks to read both of those books.

"Name me two books in this house that are not your favorites."   Very funny.

I'm keeping an eye on those Joe Coomer books.  If we ever do drive up to Fort Worth, I wouldn't want the author to see an iced-tea stained bookcover or a spine that has been bent beyond repair, or a memoir that smells like Ben-Gay.  As for my husband, he's still reading his books on the Dalai Lama. For the time being, Joe Coomer is safe.