I LOVE Books!!

It has been said that "a house without books is like a room without windows". And that, "reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body". I complete agree with both of these statements. Since I was a little girl books have been a way for me to learn, make friends, and challenge my thinking.

Last night I finished To Kill A Mockingbird for the umpteenth time. I think perhaps since I first read it in high school I have devoured it at least three times a year. It is one of my favourite books of all time. It is a book about social justice or perhaps injustice, gender roles, racism, role models, courage, innocence and coming of age. I suppose that it stirs in me a desire to change for the better. A desire to reevaluate myself, who I am, where I come from and to examine the values, ideals, and even prejudices that dictate my thoughts and actions. It is interesting to note that Harper Lee described her own novel as "a simple love story".

Kinsey invited me to go to the movie "The Help" with her. I had not heard anything about it, so of course I googled it. Naturally, this movie is based on a book. I am a firm believer that you should never let a movie ruin a good book and so I decided to read it first. I only just started it, but it seems that it may have similar themes as To Kill A Mockingbird. This book is set in Mississippi, and "the help" refers to black maids working in white homes. I am sure that it will be a book charged with racial tensions, complex relationships and ultimately a call for radical change.

There is an old Chinese saying that says, "to read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one". So, it was nice to meet my old friends Scout, Jem, Atticus and of course Boo Radley again, and here's to new friends I have yet to meet in the book The Help!!