So one of my new year resolutions is to read more books. This is easier said than done. When you are young you have lots of time to read; no housework, working and all that grown up stuff getting in the way - your time is your own and I certainly read a lot. One of the first books I can remember reading and enjoying was the Milly Molly Mandy stories. I loved the country setting and her little world with her grandparents and parents all living in the little white cottage with a thatched roof. At the beginning of the book was a hand drawn village map showing where her school was, where Billy Blunt her friend lived and even the shortcut she took to school (only used in dry weather)! It was a world I loved escaping to, getting away from the bullies at school and family conflicts at home. However, I found as I began to get older reading became less, shopping for clothes and shoes became more important and of course boys! Then before I knew it I was an adult having to earn money and pay bills. I was either too busy or too tired to read. However, I did not want my daughter to miss out on this fantastic world of imagination and creativity and I made sure she had lots of books to read and importantly that it was an enjoyable experience. Every night The Hubby and I would read to her complete with silly voices and I am pleased to say she is now passionate about reading.
I have started the year by reading "Shoot The Damn Dog, a memoir of depression" by Sally Brampton. Not your everyday light reading material I will admit, but there was a reason and I will tell you why in a later blog. It was heavy at times (obviously), but a very good insight to the subject matter and I learned a lot.
My next book is yet to be decided - I have always stayed clear of "chick lit" and tended to read biographies/murder mysteries (Agatha Christie is my favourite), but in the spirit of my resolution I'm going to give them a go. My sister-in-law has given me "This Charming Man" by Marian Keyes to start with. Is this a good choice? To help me along with this resolution, I would love your suggestions for books you feel deserve a try. You can tweet suggestions @TheMum_TheTeen but make sure to start your tweet with TM!
Thanks for reading my first blog,
The Mum
The Teen:
My earliest memory of being introduced to books was lying inside my bed, tucked up warmly and The Dad or The Mum by my side reading The Gruffalo to me. The Dad was great at doing the voices for The Gruffalo and he tended to do the Fox in a Birmingham accent which I found quite amusing! To this day, I still love The Gruffalo and I think it's a great book for children. It's given me many memories and hopefully when I am older and I have children, I will someday read The Gruffalo to them.
Whichever book I used to listen to at "Bed Time", I was always captivated by the imagination published in one small book, on one small page and now, it has inspired me to write stories of my own...even though they may not be terrific!
At the moment, I have started to read "The Classics" in particular, Charles Dickens. I recently asked my English teacher if there was a Charles Dickens book in the school library at our fortnightly reading session. He said to me that in his 25 years of teaching, he has never came across anybody in my year that has requested a Charles Dickens book. He waddled off and came back with a book nearly as thick as The Bible! It was "The Old Curiosity Shop". I agreed that I would attempt to tackle this and I borrowed it to read. However, I found it rather difficult to sink my teeth in to. So, I returned and suggested that I attempt to read "A Christmas Carol" which The Mum has an extra special copy of. So, I have been reading that lately. But when it comes to winding down, it can sometimes be a challenge to concentrate and take in the wording that Charles Dickens uses. I also have read Agatha Raisin mysteries by M.C Beaton. I find them a laugh! I have been through the Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy books many times and sometimes, I fancy picking up a good love story. It's just finding a good one to read! Any suggestions would be very welcome so please tweet me at - @TheMum_TheTeen and start your tweet off with TT.Thank you for reading,
The Teen x
pictures from www.antiqbook.com and www.clubs-kids.scholastic.co.uk
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