Cold winter evenings provided ample opportunities to settle in with a good book.
Second Impressions was written by a woman with a nom-de-plume of Ava Farmer. She is independently wealthy ( after creating, developing and selling a little company called Cisco). It is a "sequel" to Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice. Austen died at the age of forty-one and didn't write a sequel herself. This idea of a sequel is a whole genre which many authors have attempted. The back of this book jacket claims that this one,
Second Impressions, is the best of them. It was very obvious that the author had the means to devote herself to the task of becoming an expert on all things Austen. She studied at a museum in England which collects that famous authors letters and manuscripts. She must have traveled extensively in Europe because her book is almost a travel-log of a trip that Mr. Darcy and his wife, Elizabeth take with his maiden sister, Georgianna. The much loved characters from the original book appear with new adventures as they progress through life. I found it to be extremely well written and I enjoyed it. I was able to check this book out of the local library.
Incidentally, I found another book in this same genre with a fancy cover called
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. I began to read it, anxious to compare the two books. I got to page 13 and realized that it was nothing more than smutty junk and I gave it away. Definitely not anything like the other novels mentioned above.
The next novel that I reread recently is called
Villette, written by Charlotte Bronte, who also wrote
Jane Eyre. The author's sister, Emily Bronte wrote
Wuthering Heights! What a family! This is another extremely well written novel that took me weeks to read because each paragraph is so deep with meaning that there is no way to rush it. It's not hard to understand, just full of images and emotions. It is the story of a young woman, Lucy Snow, who has to support herself in the world. She teaches and lives at boarding school for girls and young women. She has to learn French and teach in that language. She is a stranger in a strange land except for the friendship of some old companions who live in the same town but who are of much higher social rank. This is a great story of hard work, loneliness and of being comfortable with one's self. The characters are very real and interesting.
Proof of Heaven, a Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife, is the true story of a near death experience of Dr. Eben Alexander, M.D. This gentleman was a nominal Christian but was mostly a sincere scientist who had an attack of Bacterial Meningitis that put him into a deep coma for seven days. He experienced many things that he felt to be angels, Heaven and God. He now feels like it is his mission to tell people about the Spirituality of a Loving God that he communicated with while in his coma. This was good and I believe what he had to say. I got the impression that he felt that Death is nothing to be afraid of, that the afterlife is actually much more real than this life. He really believes that the prayers of his family and friends all over the country helped him to return to full and complete health. He is a strong believer in God now.
I'm Proud of You, My Friendship with Fred Rogers, was really pretty silly. I felt sorry for the author, Tim Madigan, who came across as extremely needy and oversensitive. He wrote to Mr. Rogers and asked him to be his friend and to tell Mr. Madigan that he, (Fred) was proud of him. Fred Rogers continued a friendship with this gentleman for years which seemed to be mutual. What the author was trying to point out was that Fred Rogers ,the man, was the exact same person as his character on his long running children's show, "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." Apparently, Fred had an unusual capacity for human relationships and was an extremely kind and unselfish guy. He would give unconditional love to almost everyone that he met. He had a great marriage but was also very particular in taking care of himself by swimming every Saturday morning like clockwork. He had routines, like he did on his show, coming through the door and changing into his sweater and sneakers. This book was kind of interesting but very unusual.
I did enjoy Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Jeff and I used to watch it quite often. I remember that Mr. Rogers made me cry one day when he said " I like you just the way you are." or something like that. It touched me and really hit the spot at that moment. I got the impression that Fred Rogers had some very saintly qualities.
John has been reading like crazy. He loves to read and can read quickly. His new passion has been The
Warriors series, written by Erin Hunter. These books are about four clans of cats. The main cats all have names, like Firestar. They have a whole society, many adventures and battles.
In addition to these, he has read three more Redwall books that I can think of.
For class, he has been reading
Where the Red Fern Grows. He forgot his book one day and I was surprised that this classic is a book that we don't own. I don't remember reading it myself but he is enjoying it.
Our Read-Aloud has been
The One- Eyed Cat , written by Paula Fox. In this story, Ned receives a BB Gun from his uncle and shoots it one time in the dark after everyone has gone to bed, against his father's direct command. He is ate up with guilt over it, especially after he finds a homeless cat with a fresh injury which caused it to loose its eye. He lives with his secret and the responsibility of providing for this cat through a cold winter. We haven't finished this story yet so I can tell you no more! It is quite enjoyable.
The reading of GOOD books can be a wonderful use of time, in moderation, of course and a genuine source of pleasure. It has been a great way to spend time in the living room with the kids on these cold winter evenings.
