1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?

(I’m guessing #1 is an easy question for everyone?)

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read?
Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

1.There is never enough time to read.  Part of my problem these days is that I don’t want to get involved in a book only to be torn away from it in five minutes when someone needs me.  Not much of an excuse, I know.  But there it is.

2.I would read a variety of things if I had all the time in the world to read.  My preferred reading is fiction…clean romantic with a mystery twist.   However, I also am learning to enjoy some deeper fiction and educational books.  So I would split this hypothetical time between many different genres.

Inspired by Booksplease

Whether you usually read off of your own book pile or from the library shelves NOW, chances are you started off with trips to the library. (There’s no way my parents could otherwise have kept up with my book habit when I was 10.) So … What is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have you any funny/odd memories of the library?

Oh, what a great question! The library, with its odors, bookshelves, silence, and precious, precious books, is handsdown on my top-ten list of places to be (without small children). I love to browse the stacks, seeking out the old books that have made it through the purges, turning their pages and treasuring them for the classics they are. I also love to pick up the new releases, feel the crispness of their covers and wonder if new friends await me inside. When I was a child, my joy was the fiction stacks, and while I still love to read a good story, I find myself in the non-fiction section more and more often.

My earliest memory of a library was our elementary school library. Because it was a former high school, the elementary school was a mishmash of rooms that were built to be something else. The library was in the old auto shop, with a cement floor, steps that led down into it, and great acoustics. My memories tell me that I questioned the librarian for several minutes about the placement of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. I’d been told repeatedly that they were autobiographical, yet they are filed in the fiction section of libraries. She had some nonsensical explanation that I don’t remember; I do remember, however, that I didn’t believe what she said and I walked away firmly dissatisfied in both her answer and the organization of books in a library.

My very most favorite memory of a library (besides seeing Belle open her eyes in that scene of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast when the Beast gifted her with his library) is when I was about fifteen years old. A school paper sent me searching the library for books and articles about geotropisms. Because it is such an odd topic, we had to go to the big library downtown in the nearest city. I had never gone there before, mostly because the hours were fairly limited and the area wasn’t the safest. When I walked in, shock and amazement overwhelmed me. Two full stories of books, with a catwalk along the upper story greeted my book-thirsty eyes. My mom and I walked in and I stopped in my tracks with my jaw hanging down to my knees and my eyes as big as dinner plates. Book-lust overcame me! I spent about two hours perusing the library, and only found one reference to geotropisms. I also found my respect for libraries returned and my love for books thoroughly affirmed.

What about you? Have you found yourself in awe of the books in your library? Or do your memories of the library tell a different tale about your life?

As mentoring my own children was at the forefront of my mind while I read Laddie, I would like to focus briefly on the mentoring styles of several of the adults in Little Sister’s life. Mr. and Mrs. Stanton and Laddie all had a profound effect on Little Sister’s education.

Mr. Stanton had a hunger for knowledge and a desire to use that knowledge for the good of his family, community, and nation. He was always in the process of educating himself; because of that, he inspired both his wife and children to seek education for themselves. As the children began to attend the local school, he encouraged memorization of their lessons by a family showcase each evening. It was during these events that Little Sister memorized poems, stories, and songs that gave her the words she needed to express her thoughts about the world. Because of the natural inspiration provided by Mr. Stanton, Little Sister’s early education was nearly effortless.

Mrs. Stanton was no less a mentor to Little Sister than her husband, although her mentoring spoke of a different focus. She inspired in her children respect and hospitality for people from all walks of life. When the wealthy Pryors moved in at the neighboring house, Mrs. Stanton was quick to offer a welcoming visit; she was just as comfortable chatting in her own home with an ostracized neighbor. She also instilled in her children the importance of knowing and following scripture. Her schedule on Saturday evening prepared her home and her family for the next day’s focus on God and Christian hospitality. The house and children were scrubbed clean and scriptures were memorized. While some of this may be considered a vain effort, it showed the family how important Sunday was by placing extra importance on the preparation for it. Because of Mrs. Stanton’s emphasis on Christian love and diligence in providing both religious instruction and inspiration, her children grew to be well-respected, successful adults.

Laddie, in many ways, mentored his Little Sister by providing for her a hero to look up to. Little Sister remembered often that Laddie was the first to love her. He had a deep understanding of human nature that helped him to know exactly what Little Sister needed and when she needed it. He also placed a lot of trust in her to keep his secrets and help him when he needed it. This trust had a very positive effect on Little Sister. Laddie’s love mentored Little Sister’s heart just as their father’s intellect inspired her mind and their mother’s faith nourished her soul.

“We are not going at children in a way to gain and hold their interest and make them love their work. There must be a better way of teaching…” Mr. Stanton already had the answer to his quandry and implemented it with Little Sister, and she grew in love, grace, and intellect. My hope is that I inspire my children to grow like Little Sister and that they fulfill the mission the Lord has placed on their lives.

Thank you, Mrs. Stratton Porter, for a lovely story and convicting inspiration.

Sincerely,
Barbie

Part One of this letter.

Dear Mrs. Stratton Porter,

I have recently finished reading your book, Laddie, A True Blue Story. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found much inspiration within. You see, I am embarking on my own education as a leader, according to the guidelines laid out in A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille. Hopefully along the way, I will become capable of mentoring my children and inspiring them to work for their own education. Laddie has proven to be excellent inspiration for me of mentoring, freedom in education, and the general raising of a leader.

I appreciate the childish innocence of Little Sister, the narrator. She is on the cusp of youth, in that stage we, in the modern day, call Tween. She is learning to recognize the difference between a child’s thoughts and actions and those of an adult. The scrapes she finds herself in usually come about because her childish ways have confronted an adult atmosphere. She takes her lessons from these occurences and ruminates on her future as an adult. She knows that, in time, she will be an adult and vacillates between looking foward to it eagerly and dreading it.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, the brave little narrator’s parents, are both strict and loving; what I like to term “benevolent dictators.” They have rules that are enforced for the good of their children. They had raised a slew of children before Little Sister came along and were well rewarded for their efforts with intelligent, successful offspring. Mr. Stanton, a minister and farmer, had descended from a noble English family and I appreciate the way he used that information to inspire his children to bravery and perseverance, rather than to puff up their pride. He is the epitome of a gentle man, both broken before the Lord and balanced in his lifestyle. Mrs. Stanton, too, holds a remarkable gentleness. She brooked no nonsense, but that attitude is rarely from selfishness. Her hospitality and preparedness is an inspiration to me, as this is an area that I am sadly lacking. She takes a great sense of pride in the haven that she provides for her husband and children. The appreciation shown by husband and wife to one another is well-deocumented in this story, in a way that made me admire their love for one another.

Laddie, Little Sister’s hero big brother, makes for an excellent example of Mr. and Mrs. Stanton’s mentoring of their children. I am very impressed with his attitude. He is a manly son, a generous lover, a kind-hearted brother and a man of action. Laddie is almost too good to be true, but there is still an admirable believability to his character. He is who every good mother wants her son to be, and who every good father wants his daughter to marry.

Princess, or Pamela Pryor, is the woman who catches Laddie’s eye and snares his heart. She is also a troubled girl whose family problems affect the Stantons greatly, especially Little Sister and Laddie. Princess is an intelligent, well-bred young lady who is hungry for the siblings’ companionship. Little Sister admires her greatly, both for her physical beauty and her gentle manner. The love story between Laddie and the Princess propels much of the plot along, while her gently mentorship of Little Sister, and Little Sister’s of her, add depth to the story.

Part two of this letter.