Books Have Souls Too!

Today, my younger daughter and I had the rare opportunity to go and enjoy an indulgent breakfast together at our favorite local pancake house.  I say rare because she was actually awake before noon on summer vacation and was antsy to get going.  So, off we went to stuff ourselves on crepes and stuffed French toast--all things one must have when someone else is doing the cooking.

On the drive, I was telling her that she needed to go through her room as I have scheduled a moving sale in two weeks in order to weed out the things that won't fit our new city lifestyle as we get ready to move.  I lamented the fact that I had to go through our library (yes, we have a TINY library where we stash all the titles that have piqued our interest over the last 12 years) and put books in boxes to sell.  "Not the books", she cried.  We all have a deep seated love of reading and novels or non-fiction can be our oxygen.  They become friends if I have really enjoyed what it had to say and many times, find myself going back to re-read a favorite and in oddly enough, find that the same book can feel very different the second time around.  For example, many years ago, I read Madame Bovary by Flaubert and was blown away by it. How can a MAN of all things, practically 2 centuries ago write about something that I was able to relate to as a woman on a very profound level.  I picked the same book off the shelf about 4 years later, anticipating that I would be so filled by it, read it again and wasn't nearly as moved by it as the first time.  My sense of self, place whatever you want to call it was different and so was Madame.  

Another book like that for me is Under The Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayes.  I read it right when it came out and felt that it was contrived and forced and how could all that really happen to her?  Then I saw the movie which I liked even less and still thought how all that could have really happened.  BUT......

I am reading her newest book, A Year in the World, and yes, I am convinced that ANYTHING can happen if you want it bad enough.  Maybe it's age or acquired wisdom, but I understand what she is saying and this book will take you everywhere you have ever dreamed of going and while you are sitting in your armchair reading it, you just might be  motivated to get up off the seat and walk out the front door.  First one to the airport......

Photo credit:  Irina Troitskaya