Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Read



I started reading when I was a young girl, my Mother driving me to our local library where I would spend hours perusing the books, followed by hours of reading at home and I have never stopped.   I did the same with my children and they have in turn, done the same with theirs.  I read stories and poems and essays and limericks and greeting cards and books upon books of quotes.  I have read things by rich and famous writers and I have read things by up and coming authors who only have their words on an e-book.  When my children and grandchildren were young, I would read to them out-loud, it's fun, adding drama and different voices to each character.  I love to sit comfortably on the back screen porch in the summer-time reading away a Sunday afternoon and not feel a bit guilty.  If provided I always read the Scripture readings during church on Sundays.  I try to read the fine print but sometimes that fine print is just too fine.  Read signs, if you have been in any decorating shops lately the new trend is signs, usually printed in fashionable black & white.  And especially read everything you have ever written yourself and save it.  Pull it out a few years later and read it again.  Sometimes I amaze myself.  Don't read something just because it is on the NY Times Best-Seller list, read something that someone you respect and admire recommends.

We have this wonderful independent bookstore in our town and twice a year, Spring & Fall Carol & Kathy, who work at Anderson's (the bookstore) present to a huge crowd of mostly women and mostly bookclub members a list of recommended great books to read for pleasure as well as for great bookclub discussions.  Criteria is they must be in paper-back or soft-cover, wonderfully written and bookclub worthy.   Today was the Spring presentation and not only did we get a great line-up from Carol & Kathy, but David, a rep from Random House was also on board to delight us with even more goodies.  All of them, the ladies and David have a way of presenting each book that makes me want to read them all.  I thought I would list some of these books today, because I have a strong feeling that some of you who might read this blog are book-readers too.
  • White Tiger - Aravind Adiga
  • The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsaka
  • The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
  • The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats - Jan-Philippe Sendker
  • Faith - Jennifer Haigh
  • The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  • The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown
  • Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante
  • Silver Sparrow - Tayari Jones
  • The Story of Beautiful Girl - Rachel Simon
  • The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb - Melanie Benjamin
  • Doc - Mary Doria Russell
  • Juliet - Anne Fortier
  • The Bird Sisters - Rebecca Rasmussen
  • Clara and Mr. Tiffany - Susan Vreeland
  • The Night Strangers - Chris Bohjalian
  • Vaclav and Lena - Haley Tanner
  • Blood, Bones & Butter - Gabrielle Hamilton
  • In the Garden of Beasts - Erik Larson
  • Until Tuesday - Bret Witter and Luis Carlos Montalvan
Great line-up, huge diversity of subject matter.  All but the last two are fiction.  I did not include any synopsis because if any appear interesting hop on over to Anderson's and read their brief descriptions and praises.

After receiving a Kindle as a gift most of my book reading has been on the e-reader.  But I was missing the feel, the look, the handling of a book so yesterday I purchased "The Language of Flowers" not knowing it was going to be on the list today.  And then today, while at Anderson's I won "The Bird Sisters" and purchased "The Night Strangers".  That should re-fill my need for a "real" book for awhile.

"I find television very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room
and read a book."  ~  Groucho Marx


Until next time.....


10 comments:

  1. Great list! I've read and LOVED The Language of Flowers and also Clara and Mr. Tiffany. Definitely looking forward to reading some of these you listed. Thanks, Deanna.
    (I also loved your post about Galveston. I grew up there and still live closeby. It's so fun seeing it from another's eye.)

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  2. I Love to read as well....reading The Long Walk Home right now. I haven't heard of these titles and will definitely keep the titles in mind. Great photo too

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  3. I love books. I love how they feel, how they look, the smell that they have and I love to read. I still read to my son. We are currently reading a good mystery together. The Kindles are a neat idea but I like a book. One that you turn the pages in, and get the occasional paper cut.

    @3Beeze Homestead

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  4. I love your new header photos! Such wonderful colours. I love books! My husband is always puzzled when I give him my christmas list and its mostly books I want. I can't succumb to a Kindle. I even started buying books from the charity shops as I was spending so much on reading books. Oh well there are just some things you can't change.

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  5. I can't tell you how many books I have stacked up "to read." Just never gets done. My bad.

    Oh, nice new header! Lol.

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  6. hi Deanna, your photo is so lovely..just perfect! And a big thank you for sharing the list from Anderson's bookstore. I just love how this independent can do so well with the big box is just down the street. the first thing i am going to do this morning is print it off and start reading!!!

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  7. Thanks for sharing. I've got your list on one tab and the library open in another tab. :) Going to fill up my hold list.

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  8. I've never been much of a novel reader, but give me a book on nature, bugs, anything science and I will be occupied for days. I do need to find a short one though maybe to start with.

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  9. Now that's a list.. I do love to read but to be honest I have a hard time finding time.. I always read before I go to bed. The problem being no matter how good the book I only get two pages in and I fall asleep.. So lets just say it takes me awhile to finish a book. But I do finish.. And I do love to read.. Thanks for sharing your list with us!

    Hugs~

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  10. My grandfather passed his love of reading to my mother, who in turn passed it to my sister and me, and we, in turn have passed it to our children; my daughter has passed this love of books and stories onto her almost-5-year-old daughter. Now that I'm the daycare provider for my granddaughter, we spend a lot of time reading. When given a choice of activities, she almost always chooses reading aloud. She's learning to read but she loves being read to. Right now we're working our way through Nancy Drew mysteries. Yes! Can you believe it? But she understands the stories and loves them. I do try to bring some (feeble) dramatic flair to the dialogue. This is one of the greatest gifts I will ever give her.

    Hugs,
    Dotti

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