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Boys, Books, & Beloved
by Rebekah King
You walk into a book store, and? This
question intrigues me. How on earth do you
ever choose a good book to read? Sure one can
ask for direction from the staff, and yes, most
likely the clientele who enter are looking for a
specific author, genre, or the next book in the
series. But for those of us who just want to get
lost in a good book yet neither have a second
to waste on poor literature nor know where to
begin, the questions flow. “What’s behind that
cover, or that one, or the one over there?” What
new characters will jump from the page and into
our hearts? What new worlds await discovery
to shake our very own? The “what” behind the
cover always fascinates.
The little, sometimes big, collections of
words recorded on pages bound in either hard
or soft covers have fascinated all of mankind—
truly the stories outlive their masters. My earliest
memories include books. Growing up without
TV, I read. From Nancy Drew to Little Women
and definitely Little House on the Prairie, I loved
my animal books like Charlotte’s Web and Black
Beauty. Books about horses filled my days with
delight and kept me out of trouble! In being in
love with horses, I had no time for those old
yucky boys! Spending a great deal of time at
the Book Store on Broad, I remember sitting on
the steps now leading to the Creation Museum
where Lynne once offered a huge selection of
used books; I read for hours. Oh the luxury of
childhood’s abundant time!
As the pages turned so did the years on the
calender through school days and onto college
days wherein an English major was chosen. All
I did was read—not always for pleasure as daily
quizzes and weekly tests dampened the essence
of enjoyment. The discussions, however, with
classmates made it worth the while and over
time transfered to discussions with my children.
From childhood, to college, to career, to once
again children’s books shared with my children,
my books have made a revolution.
Faithfully attending the library story time
every single Wednesday morning for years, we
slowly outgrew the programs and grew into
homeschool reading. Our favorite times shared
revolved around the books we read together
with a pot of tea and some dark chocolate
broken off the giant bar. Swirling the section of
chocolate in their hot tea, the boys enjoyed the
melted goodness with each word spoken. I can
still see my little boys sitting around the coffee
table with their chocolate mustaches smiling as I
read. From our living room we traveled the world!
Just as books remember favorite times,
they also recall favorite people. Our cherished
book of collected poems shared at bedtime
with Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea became the
perfect ending of our busy days. Given from
a dear friend Grace Fletcher who gifted the
book when my first son Jonathan was born, the
rhyme and rhythm helped soothe the cadence of
restless hearts.
When I bought the Gazette from Reid and
Mary Ann Page, Reid had this list of books
ones he had read, ones he intended to read. A
folder containing the legal pages aged yellow
and worn with tattered edges, held the lists
handwritten in flowing cursive. The favorites
recorded a plethora of classics, historical fiction,
and recommendations from friends gathered
over time. Each gifting me a favorite from their
personal collections, Reid passed along “The
Best Loved Poems of the American People,” and
Mary Ann, the “Complete Tales of Uncle Remus.”
That old Brer Rabbit gets me to laughing, and
each time I pass the blackberry brambles on my
morning bike rides, I can see him peeking out!
Interestingly the book from Reid was printed
by Doubleday previously named Doubleday,
Page & Company, once the largest publisher in
America. The “Page” in the name came from
Reid’s family patriarch Walter Hines Page, US
Ambassador during WWI, journalist, diplomat,
publisher, and local whose grave can be found
in the Bethesda Cemetery in Aberdeen. From
that book of poetry, Reid shared his favorite
selections with each letter written.
Hazel Felleman selected the poems in the
book from Reid, and the first of twelve segments,
she entitled: LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP as there’s
no better place to start than with love! The first
poem entitled, “Sonnet From the Portuguese” by
Elizabeth Barrett Browning begins,
"First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write,
And ever since it grew more clean and white,...
Slow to world-greetings...quick with its “Oh,
list,”
When the angels speak. A ring of amethyst
I could not wear here plainer to my sight,
Than that first kiss. The second passed in height
The first, and sought the forehead, and half
missed,
Half falling on the hair. O beyond meed!
That was the chrism of love, which love’s own
crown,
With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.
The third, upon my lips, was folded down
In perfect, purple state! since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, “My Love, my own.”
How I love to ask those I meet about
their favorite book. As each answer brings
an enlightening into their worlds, a few
conversations linger. A few years ago, Pinehurst
Mayor Nancy Fiorillo shared her favorite,
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier; she reads it
every year. I remember Pharmacist Hershall
telling me that he loves biographies as one
could experience an entire lifetime condensed
in a few hours of reading. When discussing
literature with Carthage Mayor Lee McGraw,
he responded, “Isn’t everyone writing a book?”
Maybe so. Our lives no matter, if written or not
remain an open book for all to read.
My parents were readers; my mom an avid
reader of biographies and histories, my dad of
classics, art books, and theology. Ed Black, my
WWII friend, reads daily. Pretty much his choices
include books of WWII history and periodicals
such as Time and Newsweek. Ed tells after he
sustained injuries on D-day when his Destroyer
Escort the USS Rich DE695 hit a mine and then
another, he was rescued and taken ashore. Upon
waking up from the trauma endured, the extent
of his injuries both physical and mental were
unknown. When the doctor on rotation asked
him who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
Ed answered, “Mark Twain, but his real name
was Samuel L. Clemens.” Good old Tom Sawyer
saved the day!
“‘TOM!’
No answer.
‘TOM!’
No answer.
‘What’s gone with that boy, I wonder? You
TOM!’” the first words from The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer bring a smile as they set the stage
for that rascal of a boy named Tom.
Do you ever wonder how you would start a
book? Those first words set the foundation for
others to come. Remember, “Call me Ismael.”
(Herman Melville, Moby-Dick,1851) “Happy
families are all alike; every unhappy family is
unhappy in its own way. (Leo Tolstoy, Anna
Karenina, 1877) “It was the best of times, it was
the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of
belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the
season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter
of despair.” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two
Cities,1859) “124 was spiteful.” (Toni Morrison,
Beloved,1987) The chosen words speak volumes.
Excitedly, I’m just getting back in the swing
of things with "big people" books as I’ve taken
sabbaticals to raise my children, only having
time to read to them. When I heard about
the The Great American Read program my
heart soared! For those of us privileged to be
opening a book just for us, this list offers the
perfect answer to the question, “You walk into
a bookstore and?” The Great American Read list
is already compiled for us featuring 100 beloved
books from the 1600s to 2016 covering many
authors, time periods, and genres.
As you scan the list, beloved characters
draw you down the page. Ah! There’s Alice,
Anne, and Charlotte. Lucy, Susan, and Peter
of Narnia from C.S. Lewis, the best of the best!
From Frankenstein to Gatsby and Gulliver to
Pip, Harry, and Scarlett the choices continue.
And Brian Robeson in Hatchet. Ok. If you have
never read Hatchet—and you have children—
buy it, check it out, rent it, whatever you have
to do read it! My Aunt Sally and Uncle Frank
gifted us with Hatchet along with so many other
great favorites that fill our bookcases and best
of all our minds with goodness! And Jane Eyre.
Enough said. From the Little Prince, to Little
Women, to Lord of the Rings. From Moby Dick
to The Notebook. Ok I’ll stop there! Then there is
Rebecca, Nancy’s favorite.
Check out the list for yourself! No doubt
you’ll be smiling along with wishing for more
time and dreaming of first editions of The Great
American Read. With a little bit of something
for everyone, everyone also gets a chance to
vote for their favorite novel, so go for it! Today
is the day, and this is your chance to make your
words matter. The winner will be announced on
October 23rd!
And the next time the vote goes around,
maybe your masterpiece or mine, in the works,
will join the other 99 in the search for the #1. As
the launch special of The Great American Read
begins, “A reader lives a thousand lives before
he dies, the man who does not read lives only
one.” Join me in the adventure, and if you get
a chance, then email me your favorite book to
keep me company. As C.S. Lewis delights, You
can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long
enough to suit me."
No. 132 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.3