My Love of Books & the Spurts I Go On

I think I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE TO READ & have been a reader since Kindergarten. My first grade teacher was faced with a challenge because I was the only one in the class who could read at the beginning of the year. Throughout middle school, we'd get those Scholastic Reader order forms & I would easily order 10 books at a time. I'd pick up another 10 or so every time I went to a book store. I much preferred reading over going outside. I always had my nose in a book & always had one w/ me in the car or wherever we went.

Nowadays, I go in spurts when I read. Sometimes, I may read 10 books in a month. Other times it may take me three months just to get through one book. If I start a book & am just not captured by the second or third chapter, I stop reading it. There are SO MANY GREAT books out there, that I don't want to waste time on something that is just not interesting. However, if it is something that has been recommended or has gotten great reviews, I may revisit it at a later time. (It took me three tries & several years before I finished Little Women...not that it wasn't a good book, I just couldn't focus on the story the first few tries.)

Also, I usually don't re-read a book for the same "so many great books" reason. (Obviously The Bible does not count in this category...that's one GREAT book that I'll re-read forever! And of course, children's books...who hasn't read the same book over & over & over & over & over...?) There are a few that I've read twice, but not many. And usually if I do re-read one, there are many years in between readings.

Another spurt I go through is the type of books I read. I may be on a kick to read a bunch of novels, religious books, non-fiction, etc. This leads to my current run of books...autobiographies! Now, I am not one to watch all those entertainment shows or read the magazines. I have no interest in reading what the media has to say about the private lives of the stars. Most of the time, they just make up stuff or only report one side of a story. But, if there is an autobiography about a star I like, I will read it.

Last Fall, my dear friend Lawgirl let me borrow her copy of Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert. I LOVED Little House on the Prairie as a little girl & even remember having the portable B&W (that's black & white for you young'ns) TV brought into my bedroom so I could watch while I was sick. (It was the episode when the blind school Mary & her husband ran caught on fire.) In the book, Melissa Gilbert was honest about the addictions she faced (& overcame) growing up & continuing into her adulthood. And, did you know that, even though Laura Ingalls & Nellie Olsen were rivals on the series, they were best friend in life?

Fast forward to this past month & the last three books I've read have been autobiographies. I read Kirk Cameron's Still Growing (yes, I thought he was a hottie when I was a teen!), Home by Julie Andrews, & The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

In Still Growing, Kirk talks about his rise to fame as an atheist actor & how became a Christian. He & his wife, Chelsea Noble (who played his girlfriend on Growing Pains), have six children...the first four adopted. I love how they chose to adopt first so the kids would know that they were really wanted.

Home is Julie Andrews memoir of her early years...her birth until she was cast in Mary Poppins. Her mother (a pianist) & her stepfather (who sang) realized that she had an incredible, coloratura voice at an early age. She started performing on stage in their shows & once others heard her voice, she started to get many offers all over Europe & the US.

Now, The Glass Castle is one I'd not heard about. A good friend of mine mentioned that it had been one of our library website's recommendations & she read it. I didn't know who Jeannette Walls was, but her story sounded intriguing...a child of nomadic parents who had some strange ideals on life & raising children. Her father considered himself an inventor of sorts & was always looking for that big gold strike. Her mother was an artist, who preferred painting over cooking meals & was an "excitement addict." Despite the drunken episodes w/ her father, the lack of parenting skills causing the children to fend for themselves, & the constant moving (usually in the middle of the night), she & her siblings found ways to make it on their own. She has gone on to become a journalist & contributor to MSNBC.com. What I really liked about this book was that, even though many people would consider her childhood years as full abuse & neglect, you can tell that she felt loved by her parents & loved them greatly in return. Her father was a smart man, & even when the children were not in school, they learned a lot just by living & exploring the world around them.

I suppose you're wondering what I'm going to read next! Well, I have both of Carol Burnett's books on reserve at the library (one is waiting to be picked up today!), Sean Connery's Being a Scot (Do you think it was written w/ his beautiful Scottish accent?!?!), & I also have a book about Shel Silverstein. Although it's not an autobiography, I thought it sounded interesting. Who knows what my next book reading spurt will be...