Reading...

Books have always been an escape for me... I went to a small rural four room grade school (no I didn't walk four miles through snow up to my chin). The Brown County Library system had a bookmobile that came to our school every couple of weeks. I remember getting my library card and thinking I held the key to a whole world... ah the freedom to unlock a whole imagination was right there in my pudgy little hands. So off to the book mobile I trudged... and I checked out books. Man, did I check out books. By the time I hit 8th grade, I had read every book on the bookmobile. The librarian was reserving books for me and bringing me a stack of them every time she came. I read Roots, Centennial, and every other book I could get my hands on. Throughout the years, some of those books have stuck with me, and I have enjoyed them again and again. Here is a list of some my favorites - not ranked in any order and includes some recent reads.

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain To this day, I enjoy Twain's satire and view of the world. One of my favorite authors of all time.
2. The Encyclopedia Brown Series - Donald Sobol
3. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
5. The Hardy Boys Mystery Series
6. Iron John - Robert Bly
7. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
8. Absolutely anything by Stephen King
9. Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett An exceptional book, well written and captivating.
10. All Creatures Great and Small... As a farm kid, I could relate and laughed often.
11. The Last Catholic in America - John Powers. Yes, I was raised Catholic, and yes, I could totally relate.

Next time around, I will actually write a review. What I will say is I have always enjoyed books on all subjects and of all genres. Books are an escape, an ability to travel to far away places, travel in time, and to challenge the imagination. My daughter is a book worm also, and like me you will often see her with several books started. My son, at 15 months, loves to sit on the floor and flip through his books. I can only hope they will learn, enjoy and share my passion for books.