DavidVea: Last year for Christmas my son gave me a wonderful book called "A Reader's Book of Days" by Tom Nissley. There is a reading for each day that includes a summary of important literary events on that day, along with the names of authors who were born or died on that day. Each month begins with an essay that examines important books published that month, along with a list of other books. December's essay honors Charles Dickens for his central role in ushering in many of the modern holiday traditions observed in England and the U.S. It also recognizes Dickens for celebrating the art of storytelling. Like many of you, my holiday traditions have changed in recent years as my family changes. That means there?s been an interesting mix of hope and fear, loss and possibility, and much more. News stories are emerging. Here's to all of the storytellers on this site. May whatever traditions you observe at this time of year bring you joy and peace. |
||
|
DavidVea: Two of my favorite books in recent years I've read because my son was reading them in school. One was To Kill A Mockingbird (Yeah, I know what you're thinking - How could I have gone this long and not read it? Don't know but unfortunately I did). The other was Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. I love this quote from it - "When the man was sick, the word shaker allowed a single teardrop to fall on his face. The tear was made of friendship - a single word - and it dried and became a seed, and when next the girl was in the forest, she planted that seed among the other trees." Has there every been a better way to describe the importance and possibilities of well-chosen words? If anyone asks me who I am, I'm going to say I'm a word shaker. |
||
| ||
| ||
|