It’s #ReadAcrossAmerica Day!

This is just small sampling of books I own.

Today is Read Across America Day! It’s a national reading celebration that takes place each year on Dr. Seuss’s birthday. While it’s focused on getting young people to read, I never pass up a reason to celebrate books and reading.

I didn’t really “meet” Dr. Seuss when I was in school, even though he wrote several books before World War II. I can remember reading his books to my little brother, and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are was a favorite of my kids. My husband and I can still quote pieces of it and we do when our kids get a little too “woe is me” and need to focus on where and what they aren’t. Of course, the downside of that is they quote it back at us when we get a bit “woe is me.” lol

“You’re really quite lucky, ducky…”

My hubs also kept a copy of the book in his office at work and would pull it out and read about the Hawtch-Hawtchers and their crazy bee watching when some perspective needed to be restored. I’ve also been known to quote The Sneetches with their “stars on thars” —to myself and others — when special snowflake syndrome breaks out.

“…left behind by mistake in the Kaverns of Krock…”

When I want/need to learn a new something or other for my life or my business, my first instinct is to look for a book.

Reading is learning, even in so-called kids’ books. In fact, when I decided I wanted to be a writer, it was the book Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande that gave me the courage —and some very useful techniques—to embrace my dream.

“thank goodness for all the things you are not…”

Books have brought me respite in dark times, have helped me travel the world—and “explore” outer space, made me a better parent and person, and “introduced me” to people—real and fictional—in other places and times.

Books have made my world magical, they’ve made it bigger and richer and deeper and better in so many ways if I made a list it would be as long as a book. lol

I can’t imagine a life without books, without reading. When someone tells me they don’t read…well, I can’t even imagine how small and dark and narrow their world must be without Harry Potter and Gandalf and Arabella and Anne Shirley and my fictional cast of millions. Those characters are my imaginary friends who taught me important things while they were learning them. And sometimes they saved me from having to learn those things the hard way.

If you haven’t read a good book lately, give yourself a gift and read one. And if you have read a good book lately, please share it in the comments: what you read and why you liked it. 🙂 Share the book love today and tomorrow—to infinity and beyond!

You know I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value).  Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.

And before we wrap up today, please not that it’s the FIRST BLOG POST OF THE NEW MONTH! Yay! The gift basket goes to:

Veronica Scott

My thanks to Veronica and all the visitors who left a comment in February!

Perilously yours,

Pauline

P.S. Reading books turned me into an author. If I hadn’t been a reader, I wouldn’t be a writer. So if you hadn’t yet, I hope you’ll check out my books.

What happens when a twenty-first century woman on a mission to change the past meets a thoroughly 1940s man trying to stay alive in the hellish skies over war-torn Europe?

Out of Time is a book of my heart – though I love all my book babies.

Really! But this one is special to me.