Well, because I've been ridiculously busy with readings for school, I haven't had the chance to update this; however, that does not mean that I haven't been taking notes or thinking about it!!
I thought I would suggest some discussion topics before choosing a book to read, that way people could maybe start talking about some of their favourite books and characters, and it might lead us to a good starting point. So here are some of the things I've been thinking of lately:
-Jan Berenstain, co-author of the Berenstain Bears, died on February 24th 2012 at the age of 89, and Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, had a birthday on March 2nd - he would've been 108 had he not died in 1991. I bring these two people up in discussion because it got me thinking about some of my favourite kid's books. I read a lot of Berenstain Bear books as a child, and I still watch the cartoons nowadays (even when I'm NOT babysitting my nieces or nephews). I only recently started reading Dr. Seuss books, and I have fallen in love with them. We can learn so much from children's literature. Which brings me to the question: What are your favourite childhood books? Are there any that you still read today? I've always been a big fan of Fairy Tales and Folk Tales, so I still read a lot of Grimms, Perreault, and foreign tales. Two of my favourite books from when I was kid though (and I still have them today) are The Little Old Woman Who Used Her Head and Old Bones. Are your kids readers? What books do you like reading to them? Do they have a favourite story?
-March 8th was International Women's Day, a day to celebrate all the fantastic women in your life and the world. I have a lot of favourite women authors, so it's hard for me to pick just one. In my second year of university, I had an Atlantic Canadian Literature class. We had to read An Audience of Chairs by Joan Clark. It remains to this day one of my top five books. It's the story of a woman struggling with Bipolar Mood Disorder (ironically, four years after reading the book, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Mood Disorder; no wonder I sometimes identified with the protagonist). I'm also a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I read this book not long after my diagnosis, and it was really helpful when it came to finding ways to be happy again. I still find myself following her advice almost every day. And of course, I couldn't talk about women authors without mentioning Margaret Atwood. Her book The Handmaid's Tale was the reason a friend of mine decided to become a writer. I find the book eerily prophetic when I think of our present society and where I think the world is going. Do you have a favourite female author, or several? Why these women in particular? Is it them and their personality, or their books and characters? How have they influenced your life?
-Finally, my last question for the day is: If you could become any character for a day (or a year or a lifetime), who would it be and why? Alternatively, if you could fall in love and marry any fictional character, who would it be and why? What attracts you to these characters; is it because they seem so real, or because they have qualities you wish you had? I would probably choose Sherlock Holmes for both answers because I greatly admire his intellect and observational skills, not to mention the fact that every single description of him reminds me of an old century Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, and everyone knows that I'm head over heels in love with Sheldon.
So that's it for today everyone. Hopefully some of you will answer and come up with some great ideas for books to read, or if you have some discussion topics or questions you'd like to bring up, feel free!! I always enjoy talking books, to everyone and anyone about anything and everything. Enjoy your reading all! xoxo
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