Hi There!
Before I begin my profile I have decided to let all those who care know that many of my books are in the Reading List section of Shelfari. I have put all books I own but have not yet read onto those shelves. Sigh. . .I still have a few hundred books I have read and need to be put on my cyber book shelf. It is just so darned tedious and it 'ain't much fun! Now do you want to know something of me? Read on!
I have loved to read since the age of four when my father introducted me to the alphabet and educated me how letters form words aod words form sentences of thought and emotion. I learned to transport myself into other worlds and civilizations. At the age of 7 I devoured autobiographies of many historical characters. The Cat in the Hat?? I couldn't grasp the boring repetitive nature of these "children's" books. I was highly insulted when the librarian made me prove that I could actually read the books I chose from the biography section of the library, while my peers consumed those shelves of classic children's stories. Not that I didn't have some of my own favorite childhood stories such as Digger Dan, Flipper, Nancy Drew and The Black Stallion, plus a dozen other titles I can no longer recall! I wish I could remember the content of all those books about persons of history who left their mark on the early years of North America! Now I must refresh my brain with internet research!
My favorite book at this age was The Black Stallion. Indeed! I begged the librarian to allow me to keep this book. She told me the library only donated books to private libraries when the books have become too bedraggled to appropriately grace the delightful library shelves. I kept renewing this book for the entire school year, desperately hoping I would sufficiently dilapidate this well loved book to convince the librarian that this book should be donated to my personal library. I bought the book when I was nineteen!
Now, at the age of 49 I can enjoy reading everything except Harlequin Romance Novels. I can read Shakespeare, particularly with the wonderful aid of CDs to enhance the theatrics. Some of my favorite authors include Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Lee Childs, Suzanne Brockmann, Patricia Cornwell, Roy Hazzelwood w/Stephen Michaud, J. A. Jance, Elizabeth George, Nora Roberts, Linda Fairstein, Clive Cussler (yes his Dirk Pitt character is a bit unbelievable but you have to admit he has style and humor!) Jay Bonansinga, James Mitchner, James Patterson, Mark T. Sullivan, James Clavell, Leo Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Herman Wouk, John Grisham and when I really want a good hoot and holler I read Janet Evonovich.
I have read many books pertaining to the Civil War. I still have much to learn and still more to commit to memory! My immediate goal is to learn as much as I can, or at least as much as satiates my curiosity.
Three books have changed the way I look at life. One is The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and The Firekeeper by Robert Moss. I have not yet completed my journey into the life of the Native American and the poor of India.
I enjoy historical novels, those that accurately maintain events and characters of history. My husband is a Combat Veteran of Vietnam. I have read many personal accounts of those who humped through the jungle as grunts. I have read many histories of Vietnam, one of particular note is Stanley Karnow's Vietnam A History.
My majors at the University of Pittsburgh were English Literature, Sociology with a minor in Journalism. I used my education to tudor high-school students in English Literature and Creative Writing. Now I live in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where I assist
other poets and songwriters with their work while I write my own poetry. I have won several awards for my poetry and one essay. Often I am a featured reader of my poetry at a little Listening Room in Bethlehem, Pa.
My reason for joining this internet "club" is the hope of finding others who share my interests and can either teach me more of what I do not know or who can enthusiastically share impressions of books read in common. Perhaps it is only my personal experience, but I have found that even those friends who share my pleasure of reading have little to say about a book we have read in common. This disappoints me. I want to know how the book impacted them, what did they see and feel through those pages.
My greetings to all who share my passion for reading and who love to teach and share what they have learned. I am a willing student and fellow reader!
The Poet
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