‘The simple act that brought my daughter and I closer together after divorce’

I’ve always been a reader. My parents were readers. My parents were both storytellers with tales of growing up during the Depression, of Coolgardie Safes and shooting rabbits to put meat on the dinner table. The family home was always full of well thumbed books.

However the nature of my reading changed after a marriage breakdown more than 20 years ago. Up until then reading was just an interest, a hobby, a pleasant way to lose a few hours.

My daughters were both at primary school at the time and my youngest found the resultant changes difficult to navigate, particularly with her mum having to return to full-time employment.

During this time I purchased a copy of 1001 Books To Read Before You Die, a compilation of books recommended for reading that included a brief summary and history of each book listed. As my daughter sought solace in books, I gifted it to her as a reward for positive feedback from school. Little did I know that I was about to create a monster!

My daughter and I quickly bonded over this book. 1001 Books To Read Before You Die helped to heal our relationship. Not only did we read the books from the list together, we discussed their contents and compared our thoughts. This led to us having special mother-daughter time on weekends when we would visit second-hand stores and book sales together in search for long ago published books from the list. It was pretty standard for a Devonshire tea to be part of the deal.

My daughter, Cait, now in her 30s, continues to collect and read books from the list. Among her friends she is renowned for being the aunt that gifts books to all the Little People and for spreading the joy of reading. She volunteers at regular Bookfests in her home town, has a blog in which she discusses books and donates books to children in other countries in an endeavour to educate and promote cultural exchange.

My love of books has evolved over the years too. In an attempt to better understand my (long gone) dad who flew Lancaster’s during World War II, I collect books about Bomber Command, as well as Australian Prisoner of War diaries. The concepts behind my favourite movies generally originated from a book so it has also been an interesting exercise tracking some of these down. Do you remember John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in the movie The Quiet Man? This was originally a book called Blackcock’s Feather by Maurice Walsh. Can I tell you just how excited I was to come across this gem in an antique store in a little country town.

Since retiring I instigated the development of a Little Community Library in the local reserve in my suburb. You’ve probably seen these in front yards during your travels. The premise is to borrow a book and leave a book; no questions asked.

As I reside in a cul-de-sac with little foot traffic I took the concept of a Little Library to my local Councillor. She encouraged the local Men’s Shed to become involved as well as a local youth worker with an artistic bent, and some months later we have a hugely successful addition to our community, and one that fosters both communication and a love of reading within the neighbourhood. Many of the children enjoying swapping their small toys and on Anzac Day someone had left small bouquets of Rosemary to share.

Books remain the one constant in my life for which I must thank my parents. I’m not happy to report that there are still more than 400 books to locate from the list though!

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