From Donna, with love...
II. Books!
Grandma majored in English at Bethel. Though she never actually taught, her love of reading was always obvious to us. As a little girl, I remember going to the Newton library and seeing her working there. To me, that was one of the greatest things about my Grandma (right up on the list with baking) - that she worked in a library.
When I was in fifth grade, I started reading John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark books. Grandma read them right along with me, never questioning my parents for allowing me to read books that were likely not written for 11-year-olds. We talked about whether we liked each one, and exchanged our copies.
Of course, my memories of reading at Grandma's and with Grandma go back much further than fifth grade. These books were at Grandma's house. I spent hours with this little series, Sweet Pickles. I have to admit that they are a little cheesy; each one has a moral, like "vanity is bad" from Kiss Me, I'm Vulture. This collection is only nine of the 26 in the complete series. I'm thinking about collecting the rest - they're out of print, but you can find just about anything on amazon. (I just looked; brand new copies of some titles of these books go for upwards of $130!)
I liked the stories the first one or two times, but after that, my time was limited to the inside of the back cover. My imagination got a lot of exercise when I was younger (well, it still does...), and this book, with the map of the town of Sweet Pickles, was perfect for my made-up stories. I would create a character in my head, choose a home and occupation, and spend hours making up their life. (the picture wouldn't upload correctly!)
This is another of my favorites. My mom doesn't remember it, but when I saw it in the box I was unpacking, I could retell the whole story of the kind ogre who is a great chef, but just unattractive. I knew I had to take this copy. Seriously, it's a great story about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder (and location might matter, too). You can get your own copy here! (this picture also wouldn't flip the correct way!)
I just love books.
Grandma majored in English at Bethel. Though she never actually taught, her love of reading was always obvious to us. As a little girl, I remember going to the Newton library and seeing her working there. To me, that was one of the greatest things about my Grandma (right up on the list with baking) - that she worked in a library.
When I was in fifth grade, I started reading John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark books. Grandma read them right along with me, never questioning my parents for allowing me to read books that were likely not written for 11-year-olds. We talked about whether we liked each one, and exchanged our copies.
Of course, my memories of reading at Grandma's and with Grandma go back much further than fifth grade. These books were at Grandma's house. I spent hours with this little series, Sweet Pickles. I have to admit that they are a little cheesy; each one has a moral, like "vanity is bad" from Kiss Me, I'm Vulture. This collection is only nine of the 26 in the complete series. I'm thinking about collecting the rest - they're out of print, but you can find just about anything on amazon. (I just looked; brand new copies of some titles of these books go for upwards of $130!)
I liked the stories the first one or two times, but after that, my time was limited to the inside of the back cover. My imagination got a lot of exercise when I was younger (well, it still does...), and this book, with the map of the town of Sweet Pickles, was perfect for my made-up stories. I would create a character in my head, choose a home and occupation, and spend hours making up their life. (the picture wouldn't upload correctly!)
This is another of my favorites. My mom doesn't remember it, but when I saw it in the box I was unpacking, I could retell the whole story of the kind ogre who is a great chef, but just unattractive. I knew I had to take this copy. Seriously, it's a great story about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder (and location might matter, too). You can get your own copy here! (this picture also wouldn't flip the correct way!)
I just love books.
I loved Sweet Pickles too! Thanks for the reminder!
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