• About Me,  Books,  Reading

    A Few of My Favorite Books

    The prompt from StoryWorth, a gift my daughter gave me for Christmas, led me to consider what otherwise I would have avoided even thinking about. “What are your favorite books?” This challenge to select from beaucoup books I have read forced me to ignore all but the top titles that came to mind without having to browse my bookshelves. To be honest, my favorite book is the book I am currently reading or else I would lay that book aside in favor of one I have read and loved. Yet there are so many books to read, too many to count in fact, and I always tell people that a…

  • Books,  Cultural Commentary,  Reading

    An Uncommon Reader Discovers Joy

    The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet is a thoroughly delightful book––a novella (short fiction)––that suggests how at age 70 the Queen of England herself became a reader. Clever use of the word “uncommon” since in British hierarchy a commoner is distinguished from royalty as anyone without a title of nobility. No one ranks higher than the Queen. Rhetorical questions: But does the Queen have time to read? Does the Queen need to read? Has the Queen read so much that relates to the business as head of state that the last thing she would want to do is read a book? To read for pleasure? To explore? To develop interests and…