March Madness and More...

"Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book." -Christopher Morley, quotegarden.com





I genuinely appreciate this quote by Morley because I agree with his sentiment: when I buy or borrow a book I'm entering a new world, a new life that I remain in as long as I'm either reading the book or thinking about it. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) was an American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet who nailed it when he said that a book is much more than the printed page. When I am in the new life of the book, I am able to escape my own and forget all about it for a time. But a book is much more than an escape - it's a language, a vocabulary that is different than my own - and it fills up my mind and intellect while motivating me to improve my way of life so that it is more meaningful, more purposeful, and more pure. I am thankful for language, for the ability to read, and for authors who have the ability to write well. I enjoy the challenge of books as they stretch me to sympathize with a character or to learn about a historical figure who helped to make America a great nation. As long as I am reading books I will not be bored, no doubt about it.

The hot topic this weekend is the NCAA tournament. Since I was born in basketball country (Kentucky) and I still live in basketball country (North Carolina), I feel compelled to comment on my teams and the tournament itself. I've been following the men's teams of Kentucky and Duke all season and I've have enjoyed the season. It will be difficult to see the season end but I know it must. We all know, of course, that Kentucky has been undefeated all season, but they had a few scares. Nevertheless, many people predict that UK will be the NCAA champion this year. They have the height, the strength, the talent, and the amazing Wildcat fans. I think they could make history and go undefeated and win it all. Sadly, some of the players will not return next year because they will choose the NBA draft, foregoing their education. Next year will probably be a year of rebuilding for them. The Duke Blue Devils have had a great year too, although they have lost a few. They lost a few close ones and won a few close ones, but I still think they are a very good team. I've enjoyed the flow of their basketball style, the rhythm of their offense, and the depth of their bench. They should be able to go far in the tournament if they get in the flow. The other team that I've followed all year is the Duke women's basketball team. They are currently ranked 16th in the nation with a record of 21-10, so it hasn't been as great a year as some they've had in recent years. Yesterday I went to see their first game of the NCAA as they played Albany and won by only two points. They had a very tough time with Albany, even though they had the home court advantage. Albany deserved to win because they played much better than Duke. Duke had so many turnovers and missed shots - it was unbelievable! Anyway, they advance to their next game on Sunday, and the Duke men play their next game on Sunday as well. I won't be able to watch either game live tomorrow though, because I'll be participating in the annual CROP walk of Durham, a distance of 4.8 miles that begins at Duke Chapel. I'm glad that all three of my teams have advanced in the NCAA tourney so that I can enjoy them a little while longer.

And now, getting back to books...as I stated last week, I'm currently reading Some Luck by Jane Smiley. Although I said that it would probably not make my Top 20 list as a great novel, I have enjoyed it a lot. Smiley is a Pulitzer prize-winning author, and it shows as she depicts a farm family in Iowa beginning with the year 1920. The story is well-written and relaxing as it depicts a hard-working family who raises their children throughout many struggles. The joy in their lives always comes through, even though they've had many personal trials befitting a family during this time period in American history. I only have about 100 pages to go to complete this book so I plan to finish it this weekend. Incidentally, this book was just published last year, so if you want to get it from the library as I did, you may have to get on a waiting list. I think Some Luck was worth the wait though, and I think you will too. In the coming weeks I plan to rewrite my list of best books, but I want to give you two different lists: one for the top 20 novels, and one for the top 20 non-fiction books. I also plan to discuss some of the great children's books that you may want to get for your children, grandchildren and friends.

In my free time, when I'm not reading or doing other things, I've been watching "Downton Abbey." Yes - that's right - I have recently become a "Downton Abbey" addict, so I have to divide my down time between the shows and my books. Several of my friends commented that I would enjoy the series, but I was skeptical because I was told that the series was about a rich family and all of their drama. But I finally caved.  It's a little late, but I am now watching the series from the beginning. We bought Season 1 because our library system did not have a single copy, but now we plan to get the others on loan. We're now on Season 2, Episode 2, and we will probably watch at least two episodes tonight. My husband likes the show just as much as I do so it's something that we can watch together. I love the language of the Brits, their costumes, and the beauty of the scenery. The story lines are much more interesting than I thought they would be, and each episode keeps me wanting more. So, although I was a Downton skeptic, I'm enjoying it and I get why it's so HUGELY popular. I'm glad that I finally stopped to see what all of the uproar was about.

And now, the next ten books in my catalog are:

1. The Final Confession of Mabel Stark by Robert Hough
2. A Simple Christmas by Mike Huckabee
3. I Am Potential by Patrick Henry Hughes
4. Humor for the holidays by Shari MacDonald
5. Humor for a Woman's Heart (several contributors)
6. A Pattern for Life by Archibald Hunter
7. A Widow for One Year by John Irving
8. The Matter of Grace by Jessica Barksdale Inclan
9. Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff
10. Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams

Until next time,
Melissa