On reading ...

11 July

BBC Breakfast this morning was interviewing the writer of The Gruffalo, just as I came to turn the telly off. I had put it on so that I could see what the weather was going to be like today, (not great around here again), so I hung a wee bit to find out what was the days last story. A recent survey of what books all kids should read while they are kids, has been released; top of the list was all the Harry Potter books. The interview was about finding out what makes a good kids book. Top and bottom, it’s pretty much the same as adult books really.

To Kill a Mocking Bird is on that list, yet I wouldn’t have thought that is a kids books really. I read it about 15 years ago and enjoyed it, but as a kid I’d probably not even heard of it. But there again folks, I didn’t do a lot of reading at all as a kid, in fact I only started reading properly until I was about 16/17 when I found the Dennis Wheatley books. Since then I have never been without a book close to hand.

Mam read very infrequently, usually Jean Pready (?), and mainly at night. Dad was an avid reading of westerns, with the occasional crime fiction. I did try a couple of the westerns but I found them very boring and repetitive, so I haven’t bothered since. The thing is, me and Dave never had a story told us or read to us, and that is supposed to be the very best way to get kids reading on their own. However, I had used to read to Tom every night, but he rarely bothers now at all, so there are exceptions to the rule.

Come November/December time, I look out for grandparents out buying books for their grandkids ready for Christmas. That cheers me up no end; those kids are the lucky ones. The only relative of ours who bought us kids books was Uncle Ron, a lecturer in maths at Oxford Uni. The one I remember the most was Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in a white hardback edition. I did try to read it but never actually got anywhere finishing it. I also remember getting A Tale of Two City’s and Dave got The Last of the Mohicans. In between those book I do remember buying other books too, but sadly none of them got read, and I doubt Dave read any of his.

Are kids being read to these days? I hope so but I do know one lad who got fed-up with being read to after less than a minute. That lad is still not reading for the fun of it, only what is needed for school work, and that makes me sad. But there again, that is exactly how I was as kid, so why should I complain about it. Of course it’s oh so easy to look back and see the mistakes we make as kids and wanting to interfere to make sure others don’t make the same mistake. If only it was that easy hey? And reading has a lot to contend with these days, what with lappys, smart phones, tablets, games machines … … … Ah well.

Yesterday we sat and watched a movie I recorded on Friday evening, Big Driver. It’s based on a Stephen King story and it was a great movie, even if it had no big names and was a TV movie. It’s based on a novella that’s in a four story anthology of Kings and it’s well worth looking out for and giving it a go, either the movie or the book, Four Past Midnight.

Today’s photo …

Another chimp at Twycross

Today’s funny …

Did you hear what happened to the guy who couldn't keep up payments to his exorcist?
No, what?
He was repossessed.