Books, Chapter 2 – Abide in the Vine

One day, former procrastinators, I was sitting on the sofa reading when our son came in.  He looked at me with a smile and said, “I want to see more of that around here!”  As a teen he knew the value of pausing to read – and that his mom should read more often.

We continue with books as a summer pleasure.  We have long lists of books to read or don’t know where to start.  Find recommended lists on line.  HSLDA has one.  Teachers’ lists from kindergarten to college are useful.  You can search by topic online – “adventure books,” or “novels about mathematicians.”  A friend who’s a voracious reader gave me recommendations I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.  Be discerning about what you choose for yourself and for children.

Only recently have I learned to schedule reading into my day.  What a benefit!  I’m also more inclined to go to bed at a reasonable hour if I have a book to meet me there.

Unashamedly, I write in books I own – underlines, highlights, comments, questions.  For notes, quotes, concepts I especially want to remember, I’m trying to record those in a computer folder.  Some people keep a file box – a card with title, author, and info, maybe a summary. This moves us into being “exact men” as Francis Bacon said.  (Full Men – Abide in the Vine)  I also use Post-it tabs to mark sections or write those pages in the front of the book.

Other ways to “get the goody” out of a book:  (Please tell us yours.)

Learn about the author.  His online biography might shed light on his world view and the perspective from which he writes. 

What else has he or she written?  Maybe you’ve found a favorite writer.

Try something you read about.

Discuss the book with a friend or group.  It could be a book club, or you could gather a friend or two just for the one book.  Discuss it as you go along or wait until the end.  This moves into what Bacon called “conference” as we explain our perceptions and hear others’.

If the book’s been made into a movie, watch it and compare.  Read first!  Do this with children too.

Understandably, I may take some heat for this, but here goes:  If you just can’t tackle the original classic, go to the juvenile section in the library and find an abbreviated version. You’ll miss richness of language, description, character development; but you’ll learn the basic plot and main characters. You’ll be more acquainted with it than if you never read it at all. It’s fun.

A related idea – A friend tried attending Sunday school but could not answer questions, so she never returned.  What about a good children’s Bible storybook?  Reading that would give the sweep of biblical history.  It would familiarize her with people and stories referenced in scripture. Could a family read a whole Bible storybook in the summer?  What learning!

What book(s) will you read this summer?