From January through March our little public library attempts to motivate reading through this program. It used to inspire me more when it was called “Hot Reads for Cold Nights;” but apparently someone, somewhere had that copywrited, so no more hot reads, just snow time.
If you read 15 books during those three months and write a couple lines about them, you earn a coffee mug.
Initially I strove to earn a mug every year; but after one broke, the thrill of amassing the collection waned. Last year our librarians displayed all the past mugs during “Snow Time to Read,” and some ne’er-do-well stole the one mug that had a cute little lid. Since I happened to still have that mug unbroken, I donated mine to make the collection complete again. They gave me an extra of last year’s mug in kind. I love that mug! It’s big, handles well, and I am seriously attached to it.
This year’s mug is, frankly, boring — and I wasn’t even going to try for it. Then I saw that they were also giving out a few of last year’s left over wonderful mugs. Motivation!!!So I’m frantically reading 15 books. Now, I like to read, don’t get me wrong. Used to be that I’d sit up all night to finish a book, but I generally don’t read fiction anymore, so the draw factor isn’t quite there.
Here's what I've completed so far:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan — I already wrote about this.
Going Rogue: An American Life — Very interesting, especially after I stood in line for about eight hours on my birthday to have Sarah Palin spend 20 seconds talking to me and write a special birthday inscription!
The God of Small Things — I loved her writing. My sister lives in India, so it’s always interesting to read about that culture. Depressing though.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café — I cannot believe that it took me all these years to read this book and watch the movie. Completely enjoyable.
La’s Orchestra Saves the World — a nice little story about WWII.
Country Chronicle — Peace, joy and simple country living.
Escape — Painful to read the horrors of polygamy, but the victory of escape is redeeming.
The Help — I loved this novel about black women who kept house for and basically raised the children of white women in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. Stayed up almost all night to finish it. Highly recommended.
Greatness: Reagan, Churchill and the Making of Extraordinary Leaders — Yup, greatness!
Helmi Mavis: A Finnish American Girlhood — I bought this book years ago and finally took it off the shelf. It’s been a memory jerker as I write this blog.
Almost French — Delightful read by a non-French woman describing her journey to fit in when she marries a Parisian, and a warm reminder of my visit to France.
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul — I’ve read this before twice, but I needed it again. Every woman needs this book.
In the works:
The House of the Seven Gables — A friend is reading Hawthorne for a class, and I was jealous — loved it the first time, and enjoying it again.
The Mayor of Casterbridge — My nephew is reading all of Thomas Hardy, and I was jealous of him, too. Years ago read this on my sister's recommendation, looking forward to a revisit.
??? — I've got a few partially-reads hanging around. We'll see which one makes the cut.
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge sifting it as chaff from the grain; not so the minds and hearts of the self-confident and foolish. Proverbs 15:7
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