Thursday's Thought for the Day....

Reading makes me feel I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. ... Reading is bliss.” 
                                                                         ― Nora Ephron

Growing up, summertime was the the opportunity to read books of my choosing, though titles were often suggested by a school Summer Reading List.  I can recall riding my bike to our local library, which at that time was located in an old house.  Carefully going down the concrete steps to the basement section where the children's books were kept, I suspect I lingered as long as I could given the rising heat outside and the soothing cool of the book stacks.  One of my absolute favorite finds?  Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It's still a favorite.

Currently, I am rereading a series called Thrush Green by Miss Read, a pseudonym name for Doris Saint, a former schoolteacher in England.  I never tire of her books.  They are a wonderful escape to the countryside in the Cotswolds and life in a tiny village. Losing myself in one of her novels always has a soothing effect on me.

For several years my mother shared my interest in Miss Read's books and was an avid fan until macular degeneration robbed her of the ability to read.  Recently, I was delighted to find several of the books on cd's and now my mother has once again been happily transported back to the villages of "Thrush Green" or "Fairacre".

If you are looking for an escape, whether from day to day life, the never-ending political debate or often tragic news which surrounds us through multi media, why not immerse yourself in a good book. I suspect you will come away with the same experience as expressed by Nora Ephron.  Like Nora, I find that "Reading is bliss" and a gift I can easily give myself.