Friday 2 August 2013

I Love To Read!




I vividly remember struggling to read while all the others around me seemed to be catching on so quickly.  I recall counting the children sitting ahead of me in my reading circle and trying to figure out what page I would be called upon to read aloud.  I would work through the words until I felt ok and then hoped I had figured it out properly. "See Bob wave to Jane.  See Jane run to Bob." I must have done OK because I passed first grade. However my mom was concerned and put me in an after school class.  It was during that wonderful class that I learned to read.  We studied from a small hardback book which I think I still have around here somewhere.  I scarcely remember the teacher except that she made it all seem so easy.  After I got the process down, there was no stopping me and I read and read and read. Junior High School opened up a whole new world to me because I could check out books by the armful. I recall reading all of Little House on the Prairie and felt that Laura and I were the best of friends. In High School, Pearl Buck and John Steinbeck were my favorites along with an author by the name of Phyllis Whitney, if I remember correctly.  Ms Whitney's tales were always the same: a young heroine who goes off to some ghostly house and there meets a mysterious  man with a tragic secret and, yes, somehow the girl makes everything right and wins the man's undying love, and of course, they end up inheriting the house and living happily ever after.  I remember reading a lot of those until I became bored with the very predictable plot.  In some way though, they filled a need in me, perhaps to peek into windows of what I fantasized could be my future and see romantic possibilities I was far from experiencing in my 15 year old life.  Pearl Buck was my absolute favorite.  I loved to read about the Chinese culture and was fascinated by the lives of her characters.  I read every book she'd written  in our library and when I was finished I felt that I had somehow lost a treasured friend.  John Steinbeck was very earthy and raw.  I remember learning a little about  human drama and of very adult situations that I probably should not have been reading about at such a tender age. 

I still need a good book on my bedside table at all times.  I just finished "The Guilty One" by Lisa Ballantyne.  Oh, it was good!  Ms Ballantyne is a new author and I look forward to what she comes up with next.   Now I am reading Jewelweed by David Rhodes and it is also terrific.  I so admire the gifted writers in this world and I have truly enjoyed reading throughout my life!  I think of the worlds and cultures I have explored.  I'm grateful for the tales of sorrow and joy that have made me feel both empathy and gratitude.  I have loved so many characters in the books I've read and miss them when their story ends.  I have loved the classics as well as countless contemporary writings.  My favorite thing  is to go to the NewArrival Section in my wonderful library and see what people have come up with.  I almost always find some new treasure.  So thank you to that sweet lady who helped me after school develop an absolute love of reading and to my mom who cared enough to make sure it happened.  Thank you, thank you.  Now I must go read...

3 comments:

  1. Hey! This is a new illustration! I love your words. I can't fall asleep at night without a bit of a read! x

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  2. I so enjoyed our Thursday morning. xo

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  3. You are so dear to comment. xo

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