I have loved books for as long as I can remember. Growing up an only child, books were my constant companion. I have vivid memories of late nights car trips, me bundled in the back seat, desperately trying to read by the light of the passing street lamps – catching a word here, another sentence there. Stop lights were eagerly anticipated, as I could sometimes read almost an entire page lit by the orangey glow of the sodium lights.
I read anything I could get my hands on and had worked my way through my mother’s home library by the time I was 12. I wouldn’t say that Sidney Sheldon is appropriate reading material for a tween, but it was there & I was bored.
Much as songs can evoke memories of a certain time & place, so do books. Late in jr. high school, I read Gone with the Wind. It transported me from the beaches of Southern California to the warm red hills of Georgia, complete with hoop skirt and garden party hat. High school opened the door to the world of Stephen King (and yes, I've been a little afraid of the dark ever since). College brought the revelation of C.S. Lewis (so much more than Narnia). Post-college, I read a number of awful, post-apocalyptic novellas which mirrored my personal relationships. The Harry Potter series was consumed while waiting for the birth of Big Sis. So many wonderful hours perched on the love seat, novel balanced on my belly. Iowa delivered to me the gifts of Pride & Prejudice and To Kill A Mockingbird.
I’ve been experiencing a dry spell of reading. I am desperate to return, to drink from the fountain of knowledge and water the parch of my boredom.
What are your favorite reads?
4 comments:
I remember reading this book in the fourth grade. I read it many times. Later in college while taking a children's literature class I wrote a paper on it. It's a juvenile book but will always be one of my favorites, Number the Stars.
We have been reading some great books in book club. My latest fave is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
I used to sneak and read under my covers with my alarm clock as a light. It only illuminated enough to read one line at a time, so the clock would move down the page as I read.
You already mentioned my favorite book with my favorite literary character ever: Atticus Finch.
I can't wait, I'm finally getting around to starting "Chronicles." That's how bad my reading slump has been lately.
You've listed many favs already, but "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver is definitely one of my top five. Also love "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, but that one is not for the lighthearted. One thousand pages, fairly intense at times. But to me it was inspiring.
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