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My father's books

If there is one memory that I will always have of my father, it is the one of him reading a book; he will read at all times: during the day, at night, while traveling or even during vacations. Before breakfast, he reads his book placed in a chair at the side of the dining table, before sleeping, the one located at his side, in a night table by the bed. He does not have a favorite topic; he will read whatever he enjoys and finds interesting at the moment. I will never forget the "Angels" phase, during which he, not being religious or spiritual at all, decided he wanted to learn everything about them. Or the philosophical phase, during which he discussed what he was learning every morning at breakfast (In my opinion, 7 am is not the proper time to be philosophical); the Marx phase, or the children's classics phase (when he ruined all the Disney stories for me). Or the Machiavelli phase, the Poe phase, the classical phase...you name it; I think we've been through every phase you can imagine. You see, my father loves books; he has loved them since he was a child, and he has tried to foster our love for them as well. Every week, when Sunday came, my brothers and I did not get an allowance, instead, we were taken to one of the many bookstores here in Monterrey, to pick up any book that we liked; so ever since I can remember, books and stories have surrounded me. Although I did not dislike the fact that I had books instead of money, now, in retrospect, I think that I did not appreciate and value it that much at the moment. The perseverance gained with the habit of reading at such a young age has influenced my life tremendously; and my father's constant desire to always be learning something new and different still amazes me. But the most important thing that he gave me, and that for which I will be forever grateful, is the opportunity to experience the feelings that only a good book can give you; something that everyone should have in their life. If it were not for him, I would have never gotten to know my favorite books and authors. Clearly, reading the amount of books he has is an outstanding challenge, but as long as I live I will keep trying.