I am a reader. Let me re-state that...I AM A READER. I always have a book open and have ever since I learned how to read. I get so engrossed in books that I may stay in my pj's all weekend and read. A good book, a fresh baked loaf of bread, jam & Ovaltine. I make no apologies. (this is how I spent this past weekend, as a matter of fact) I have an eclectic bunch of favorite authors...John Irving, Richard Russo, Larry McMurtry, Gregory Maguire, Anita Shreve, Elin Hilderbrand, Ursula Hegi....too name a few..and anxiously await anything that my fave authors are releasing. I also enjoy the ever increasing flock of first time authors. One of them could become my next favorite.
I appreciate a good book, but I do finish reading most books even if they end up being not so great. There have been very few books that I will not finish reading. Some books I will read half-way or more and decide that it is such a labor to finish, that I skim the rest to see how it ends. I don't regret these types of books. I always think I absorb some good out of even a mediocre book. Some sliver of insight into peoples lives, a footnote in history, or an author's style.
I always read reviews of a book, so I can have a feel of where the author will take me before I buy. Books are expensive. I visit my neighborhood library every couple of weeks, but don't always find what I am looking for. I may have to go on a list and wait until it comes back in. Sometimes that list is long.
Which brings me to my new toy, the Kindle. ( a most excellent Christmas gift from all my kids) Almost any book I want, right there in my purse. A whole library at my fingertips any time of day or night. Books range from $0 to $20 or more. Now , yes, you could go to Borders with a coupon and get a deal on a book. But I have never walked out of Borders with a free book. So I think this new techno library/bookstore is awesome. For every book there are plenty of reviews. I enjoy reading the reviews, it is like being in a book club, so many insights on any given book. One of my favorite Kindle apps. Love my Kindle.
So the "moral "of today's blog is this: Please pick up a book or get yourself a Kindle. Better yet put it on your Wish List...even if you can only find the time for a chapter a day or even less. It stimulates your mind more than anything else I can think of. And do your kids a favor, read to them and have them read to you. In pj's with a warm cup of Ovaltine.
Oh.... PS....the book I read this weekend? Salt Dancers by Ursula Hegi. One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read..and I have read many, many books. This author can grab you and not let go until you finish the book. And then you are not quite finished because you have to sit and think about it for awhile after. The story of a broken childhood and the chance to mend it, 23 years later. I got trapped into these characters lives like I was living in the same house with them. I don't know how Hegi does it, how she can write about something with such authority, without having lived it. I guess that is what a great author does. Great book, great author.
Peace ..and please stay tuned.
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