Book Notes

I knew if I said that I was on a lucky reading streak that I would break the spell, and sure enough, I have nothing to read, and it is a rainy, drizzly day. The perfect type of day for reading a book.

It’s a very uncomfortable feeling for a reader to not have a book in hand. That’s why so many of us often have 2 or more books going at the same time so that no matter our mood we have a book ready to go that suits us. I have the 5th Harry Potter at my side, but I didn’t like all his whining in that one. I want something lovely and engaging. I read a review of a book coming out soon that looks fantastic called “When we Get There” but that won’t do me any good today. So, help me out. Give me some titles of a good, cozy book to read. I need your help!

 I finally had a chance to read Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. (Read the review by Mrs. Thackeray in the comments section under the Hattie Big Sky post). And I loved it, first off. Unfortunately it became one of those books that sat around on my table for too long before I picked it up and started reading. The longer it was there, the less I wanted to read it. Most of it had to do with the cover.

I can’t help it; I know you’re not supposed to, but I judge books by their cover and their title. Who doesn’t? It’s human nature. But how do we get to enjoy books, and get others to enjoy books that are beautifully written, and suffer only from a poor design and unappealing title? The only way I can think of is through someone whose opinion you trust.

So often I have had the most glowing review of a book that just sounds weird (think talking dogs) but I have had good experiences with the person relaying the story so I give it a try and most of the time I enjoy it. (I did enjoy the talking dog book, by the way). Not always. No matter how similar we are to some people, they will always have some little reading quirk. A taste for vampire books, or a fondness for romance that just doesn’t work for you.

So what is the point? Don’t judge a book by its cover? Go right ahead:we do it anyway. But, read the first 5 pages before giving up on it. There might just be something fantastic in there that you never would have known about without taking the plunge and reading a little.

We finally got some snow the other day. A decent foot. After spending about four hours on Saturday shoveling, we got to go cross country skiing on Sunday. We went to our favorite rail trail where no one had spent any time removing snow from the parking lot. Since you are not allowed to park on the street, we did what any reasonable person would do. We drove into the parking lot. Other people had clearly been there before us, there being tire tracks. But apparently they all have much heftier vehicles than I do. We got stuck in the snow. And no amount of spinning the tires or spinning the tires while rocking the vehicle helped. There was no one around to help us so we had to figure out what to do ourselves.

Then, I remembered my favorite sleuth getting out of a similar muddy situation. Nancy once got stuck in the mud. Being in a constant state of preparation for any disaster she was far better equipped always carrying burlap sacks in her trunk. Too bad we don’t have any burlap sacks, I thought. They provide just enough traction to get the tires up and out of the slick crater they’ve embedded themselves in. I looked down. I have floor mats. “Hey, let’s use the floor mats!” I shouted. “It worked for Nancy Drew.” I got one of those sideways, this is no time to talk about literature looks. But, I was firm. The car mats came out, secured under each front tire, and presto! Freedom.

What a wonderful feeling that is. I don’t ever want to hear anyone tell me that Nancy Drew is not a well-written series. Or that they don’t want their kids to read formula fiction, which is a fancy way of saying that the books are all the same, they just change the bad guy and the item to be solved. I don’t want to hear any of it. I could still be stuck out there fending off wild animals or something if I hadn’t read every single Nancy Drew between the ages of 10 and 12. I also might not know the words “predicament” or “titian.” Highly useful vocabulary.

I think I might just go home, open up my box of Nancy Drews and pull out The Moonstone Castle Mystery or The Mystery at Lilac Inn. They’re all so different it will be hard to decide.