Reading Together

I took a little vacation from blogging to prepare some presentations I am making later this month.

Those presentations are about reading (wonder why they asked me?). I will be doing two classes at the Fresno Zoe Conference. One on Good Books for Families (good books for children) and one on Good Books for Spiritual Growth (good books on the spiritual disciplines). Then on the last day of the month, I will speak to the Mothers of Young Children at Otter on 17 Ways not to Raise a Reader (books for toddlers). So, you see, I have been inundated by books!

Rereading all my material on these subjects has caused me to notice how long I have been at this--for nearly 40 years!!!!! I do hope I have helped the cause along the way--it has been fun and continues to be.

Julius Lester, the poet. has the most wonderful quotation about this topic: Reading together links our souls like pearls on a string, bringing us together in a shared and luminous humanity." That about says it all; it is true of families reading together, Christians reading together, and even book clubs reading together.

I was so excited when I went to Borders to spend my Christmas gift card-- Geraldine Brooks, one of my favorite authors, has a new book People of the Book. It is the story behind an ancient illustrated manuscript of the Bible--all the people and events surrounding its many years of history. So far, I am loving it. Brooks also wrote Year of Wonders and March which won the Pulitzer. She is a historian and very descriptive writer. I recommend all three books.