Are you a Reader?

I'm a reader. Many of my friends are readers. Upon meeting someone new, often inquiring about books they've recently enjoyed opens the door to an interesting conversation. Seems that lots of folks have favorite books, and they do enjoy talking about them, much to my delight.

I read Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees last summer and absolutely loved it. My niece, a middle school teacher, is also a reader. I recommended the book to her, and she in turn recommended it to some of her students when they needed something for required reading. Pretty soon, the school librarian was hustling around trying to get extra copies of The Secret Life of Bees, and there was a growing waiting list for the book. Isn't that awesome?

Another book I enjoyed was The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I put off reading it because I wasn't sure I wanted something that might be depressing. (I shy away from anything dark. Same with movies. Give me 101 Dalmations any day!) The Five People You Meet in Heaven was anything but dark. I love the premise that everyone you encounter on earth is somehow connected, and that the connections are made clear to you when you reach heaven. The five people answer questions you had from life once you re-visit them in heaven. It's a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

When I was telling a friend about The Five People . . . she told me about the book, The Lovely Bones It, too, is told from the point of view of the deceased. In this case, a young girl who was murdered. Her story was tragic, but you see that she is doing well, so you are able to digest what happened more easily. Plus, her matter-of-fact delivery takes you through the events as the outsider that she now is while she watches those left behind try to cope with their loss.

Of course, I had to read Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. Wow. Talk about not being able to put down a book. My nephew's advice was to be sure about what you believe before beginning it. I can see why he would say that; the Christian Faith is poked and prodded even though the author begins by emphasizing that the story is fiction. It's okay to ask questions, though, and to consider various ideas or explanations. I rather like some of the notions put forth by Dan Brown.

Then I had to follow up with Dan Burstein's Secrets of the Code which attempts to discredit or confirm some of the notions put forth in Brown's book. Burstein uses authoritative explorations into some of the research Brown used when writing The DaVinci Code, but once I'd read a few chapters and further excerpts, I had read enough. Everyone has a different opinion. And isn't that healthy? Thank goodness God didn't make us all alike. What a boring place this would be!

For mindless entertainment, I turn to anything by Jennifer Cruisie or Marian Keyes. I enjoyed Billie Letts' Where the Heart Is about the girl having the baby in the WalMart. I always like Fannie Flagg's books. Dorothea Benton Frank writes some terrific tales set in the low country of South Carolina. For awhile, I read all of Michael Crichton's books; he really has a brilliant mind.

I will keep forever Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, a gripping historical epic that is quite the page turner. James Michener's The Source is the same way. Unlike any of his other novels, this one explores the history of the Jews from the beginnings of their faith. It is riveting.

Of course, I will read and wait with baited breath for the next Harry Potter book. I have them all; I have all the DVD's. I just wish the books came out faster.

My children read as well. When they were babies we spent hours reading and talking about picture books. I read aloud to them while they were in the bathtub. We read bedtime stories. They saw me reading. We talked about what we read. We laughed at the characters. I volunteered at their schools and read Barbara Parks' Skinnybones to their 4th grade classes. The kids didn't want me to stop; we could've read the whole book during the course of one entire school day. I've kept all their books, as did my mother, so my grandchildren will have two generations of books to read as they grow up.

Reading is so important. It develops and increases vocabulary. It makes learning grammar easier because the sentence patterns and word usages are familiar. It aids in becoming observant and associating real live events with things learned through reading. It gives a child much treasured time with Mom or Dad. It teaches children that they can entertain themselves without the aid of television. The programs sponsored in communities that promote reading to children are to be applauded and supported. Go to the web site www.theliteracysite.com and click each day to provide funding for books for children who might not otherwise have access to them.

There is another web site that you should check out. It's called Book Crossing! It encourages folks to read a book, register it with the site, then "release it into the wild" for others to find. The idea is that someone else will find the book, read it, re-register it on the web site, and leave it for yet another person. Books have been left in airports, lingerie departments, restaurants, park benches, museums, and doctor's offices, just to name a few places. It's a fun site. It will even send you stickers to put inside your books with instructions about registering if you find it. Go to: http://bookcrossing.com

So let me know what you've read lately. I'm always looking for something new!