4. Read

I cried myself to sleep last night. I finished reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I confess this is his first novel that I've read even though I have every one of them in my classroom bookshelves. My female students LOVE these books. I saw a preview for the movie and knew that my 18 y.o. daughter Ali would LOVE this book since she loves the handsome male lead, Tatum Channing. So I bought the book, wrapped it and put it under the tree for both of us. She read it first, very quickly. I did the same, read it in three days, stayed up until 2 am last night, reading the last chapters through my tears. I haven't cried that hard in a long time. What is it about? It is a story of true love, of sacrifice and honor. It is about a soldier serving his country who falls in love with a lovely young woman of substance while home on leave on the beaches of North Carolina. It reminded me of a Spring Break trip with my girlfriends, stopping at those deserted beaches in Virginia and North Carolina. Those beaches are so much less busy than Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or Florida, teeming with tourists and the flocking, migrating herds of college kids and Sunbirds. The Outer Banks are desolate and lonely but stark and beautiful. It was a great read.

Oprah's Book Club has recommended several books over the years and I have read almost all of her choices. Often her books are difficult, they deal with a character in a struggling situation that the central character can not always resolve. She's Come Undone, written by Wally Lamb was the first Oprah recommend that I read. I liked seeing the author and hearing his own thoughts. He was teaching in middle school while writing the book and reading it to them. This would have taken a great deal of courage indeed! Oprah reads and she presents the author and the book and shares books with the world. I commend her for this. Who else on a t.v. talk show actually has a book chat? Plus, it is obvious that she has read the books by her cogent comments. A good book resounds in your brain much longer than a movie. The characters, settings and themes last longer. I think more when I read.

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

Joseph Addison

What are you reading right now?

What do you love about it?