What are You Reading?

One of my favorite pastimes is talking about books and hearing what others are reading.  During years of these conversations, I’ve discovered that even folks who claim not to read generally read at least one item regularly – be it newspapers, auto repair manuals, recipes, Facebook, work-related information, etc. - or listen to audio books.  I hope to learn what you are reading, share some recommendations of my own, and visit about what reading means in our society today.

Part of my job as assistant director of the Waukee Public Library is reading book reviews and purchasing non-fiction books for the library. One of my all-time favorite books is Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  Wife of the famous flyer, Charles Lindbergh, Anne was also a pilot and frequently served as Charles’ navigator.  Gift from the Sea was written on the island of Captiva off the Florida coast in the early 1950s, and was first published in 1955.  Although it is nearly 60 years old, I think this slender volume is still as fresh and relevant as when it was first published.   

As a meditation on the different and varied seasons of life, the book employs a different shell for each stage of life and each chapter of the book.  Truly, shells are gifts from the sea, washed up by an ocean that in is turn powerful, beautiful, or deadly.  Each shell brought into play in the book stands as a symbol for a state and stage of life, and each imparts a different lesson to be learned.  This exploration of balance and relationships sheds light on individuals, couples, and families.  I try to read this book at least once a year.  It inevitably provides me with a bit of peace and focus.

What are you reading?  Send me your recommendations!  I look forward to hearing from you!