Earlier this year I took up reading again. I was an avid reader as a girl, but somehow just quit reading along the way. I have found it's a great way to relax, take your mind off things, and get those eyes tired for sleeping! As a girl I was so jealous of librarians as they obviously had the best job in the world. I was jealous that they might get first dibs on the newest book. And the best part: stamping the books with a due date on those cream colored library cards! I went back and forth as to which ones were better- the white or cream? I even saved my money to go to the little local drugstore and bought my own date stamp. My mom would drop me off and let me have an hour to lose myself among the land of the lending. Then there was the card catalogue. Oh the card catalogue! It was a scavenger hunt that made me feel I had won a prize when I found what I was looking for. I liked to see how fast I could search! So, here I am, taking up reading again. It seemed appropriate that I start where I began. Not Dick and Jane though. That's so first grade!
Island of the Blue Dolphins- I can't tell you how many times I've read this book. Gazillions. I'm sure of it. Even my husband picked it up. I forgot to ask what he thought of it though. It was a first for this type of book as it has no dialogue. A Newbery Award winner, you have to depend on her interior voice. It always keeps you wondering what will happen to her next. The main character may be a girl, but everything that happens to her is oh so 'boy.' It brought me comfort, when as a girl, I felt I needed some solitary time. This book should be required reading and will always remain a part of me.
Little House in the Big Woods- I loved this series as a girl and read each one over and over and over. I mean, who didn't have a crush on Almanzo! I secretly hoped that he would jump out the pages and whisk me away to a cabin on the prairie. Pretty sure he was my first love. (Sorry David from 1st grade who moved to Texas mid-year and I can't remember your last name.) I have to admit that this time around, it didn't move me like it used to. As a classic though, it deserves my respect.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet- Oh. My. Gosh!!! What a mesmerizing read! The protagonist plays a dual role here. He is telling the story as a chinese boy in Seattle just before World War II. Close by, was Japantown. At the same time we are following him 40 years later. The characters are so well developed it has you hanging for more. It held me captive to the final pages and had me wishing for just 1 or 2 more chapters. This book makes you think and feel at the same time. Talk about a "tale of loyalties and timeless devotion." Go read this book!
Be Happy.
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