Today included:
A completed jigsaw puzzle
A clean and vacuumed family room
Four children playing politely and quietly
Three meals prepared at regular intervals
Several hours of quiet reading time
No major conflicts requiring intervention
Some days are just quietly pleasant.
My book of the day was To Kill a Mockingbird. This choice was courtesy of the local library’s participation in the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program. They give away free copies of the book in an effort to encourage people to make reading part of their community interactions. The program has been running for several weeks and the free copies are only available while supplies last, so I expected our library to be out of copies. They had plenty. This makes me a little sad. Piles of books gathering dust because no one can be bothered to pick them up and read them even when they’re free. I brought my copy home and read it in two days. I read it when I was in high school, so I already knew the story. I’ve also seen the movie several times. Yet the book still caught my interest and I kept choosing to read it rather than other leisure activities I could have chosen. I’m glad to own a copy. Now I’m considering reading the other books on the Big Read list. I’ll bet they’re interesting too.
My cousin named one of her daughters Harper after Harper Lee.
I’ve not read many of the classics. Last year I tried to read a Jane Austen novel and just. Couldn’t. Do. It. I felt like a failure.
I saw that at the library, too–but I already have a copy of the book so I wanted to leave the copies for other people. If this is the first time the library has done the Big Read here in town, it makes me wonder if people really know what it is.
I know this is at least the second year they’ve done it. But last year was so crazy for me that it barely pinged my radar. I think lots of people don’t know what it is. I also think that the people who will respond to it are the people who are already readers, so I don’t know how effective it is in getting new people to read. But for the readers, it is nice to have lots of people reading the same book. Rather like turning the whole local reading community into one big book group.
(Of course, I should inspect said copy of the book and make sure it didn’t get damaged in the flood!)
Austen’s work meanders a lot more than modern literature. I like the meander, but I know lots of people who are just frustrated by it. It is entirely possible to be a good person and a good writer without enjoying the work of Jane Austen.
I had forgotten about the program. I’ve never read that book, and I’m told that’s a tragedy. I should go grab myself a copy.
There are tragic elements and plot lines, but on the whole I find it a cheerful book. I’d be curious to see if you agree.
to kill a mockingbird
This is one of my favorite books. It was one of the reasons I became a Sociologist (the focus of my degree was race and ethnicity). My Dad calls my #3 child Scout because she wore a page boy haircut for years and she has Scout’s wild yet tender outlook on life.
Backyard Neighbor
Re: to kill a mockingbird
I can see that I guess. But she seems more like Ramona to me.