Happy Mother’s Day... and welcome to “Reading With Grandma”! This should be a fun adventure, hopefully one that will turn into something really special for the entire family.
I’ve asked Grandma Mary to supply us with a list of all her favorite books...ever. These are divided into categories and are listed in the sidebar for easy reference. We will plan to read one book per month. Some of the books on Grandma’s suggested reading list date back to her youth, and some are very current. Some are light reading and some will require a bit more “concentration”. So prepare yourself for a rich variety of subject matter.
That said, we understand not all of us have the same taste in literature, and we don’t want anyone to feel obligated to read with us every month. Whether you read with us or not, one of the most important elements of this book club and blog will be your comments. We want to hear from you and grow closer as a family.
My vision for this blog is a bit limited as I have never been part of a book club before, and certainly not one on-line. And because I am less than tech savy I will of necessity have to keep things pretty simple. But I am open to your suggestions and want your help in making a success of this endeavor. To begin with Grandma Mary will decide which books to read when, we'll put that info on the blog along with why Grandma likes this particular book? We could post that info on the first Sunday or Monday of each month, give us all a month to read, then those with comments about it could try to post them by the end of the month.
Some additional things I might like to include on the blog, and ask for your input on would be: your own lists of great reads, pictures of you and/or your families, a list of your names with e-mail addresses and any other contact info you want to add, some family news – keeping in mind this isn't intended to be a full fledged newsletter, maybe favorite recipes, and how about favorite memories of Grandma Mary and Grandpa Wendell?
OKAY! Grandma Mary's choice for our first book is To Kill A Mocking Bird! A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. One critic wrote, "In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism." Grandma says this is one of her favorites because..."it shows the importance of families, honesty and integrity. Also it shows what conditions are/were really like down south."
Happy Reading!
Love, Aunt Louise
I'm very excited to read Grandma's favorite books and keep in touch with everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE "To Kill a Mockingbird". Great choice Grandma. Atticus has to be one of the most admirable characters in literature. I'm excited to read it again.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird yet... I have been wanting to read it for the last year or so though. This gives me a great reason to get reading! Thanks Mom for getting this started, and thanks Grandma for sharing your favorites with us!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is exactly how this is supposed to work, but I've been reading this book and thought I'd post some of my favorite quotes so far!
ReplyDelete*"As for me, I know nothing except what I gathered from Time magazine and reading everything I could lay my hands on at home, but I inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb county school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I was being cheated out of something. Out of what I knew not, yet I did not believe that 12 years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in mind for me."- Scout pg.33
*"Summer was on the way; Jem and I awaited it with impatience. Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all summer was Dill. The authorities released us early the last day of school..." -Scout pg 34
*"I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with." -Scout pg 41
I've also decided I want to be like Miss Maudie in so many ways. :)
Maybe the sign of a great book is being able to read it at different times in your life and pull completely different things from it.
ReplyDeleteI have read To Kill a Mockingbird several times and I've always enjoyed it. The first time, specifically, I can remember seeing things clearly from Scout's point of view. But this time through, I am identifying more with Atticus. (Is that a sign of age, or what?)
I am amazed at his ability to stay calm in so many situations, and not reacting immediately without thinking things through.
I have to laugh every time I think of Scout and Jem describing their father as "satisfactory".
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ReplyDeleteI remember reading this book when I was young (about a thousand years ago!) - and of course I totally identified with Scout - she didn't want to be "ladylike" and wear dresses, she loved following her older brother around and doing everything he did, and she was bored in school. Now, I think Miss Maudie is my hero - a small house with a large garden - sounds good to me!
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