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I Like to Read


I like big-print books, I cannot lie.  Mentally I jump with glee when I find a new big-print book that I want to read at the library.

These days, my near vision is a laugh. I read by holding the reading material inches from my face, unless it's a big-print book. It's the most comfortable way for me to read, which isn't comfortable at all. The increasing kink in my near vision may be caused by the cataracts developing in my eyes, particularly the left. Until I got new lenses last year, I blamed the rips and tears in my old glasses for me not seeing clearly. Ha! I only had to put out $600 for the new eyeglasses to find out how wrong I was.

The Husband has cataracts too. Worse than mine. He'll have cataract surgery for both eyes (one at a time) in the Spring. Once he's settled, I'll get at least the left eye done. I'm glad that both of us are on a decent Medicare Advantage plan.

Fictional Characters I Like
Speaking of books, which I was at the beginning, here's my list of top 13 fictional characters whose adventures I enjoy reading and re-reading.
• Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
• Elizabeth Bennett (Jane Austen)
• Miss Wilhemina Zukas (Jo Dereske)
• Hester Latterly and Monk (Anne Perry)
• Mary Russell (Laurie R. King)
• Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)
• Anne Shirley (L.M. Montgomery)
• Junie B Jones (Barbara Park)
• Ramona Quimby (Beverly Cleary)
• Sharon McCone (Marcia Muller)
• Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
• Maggie Hope (Susan Elia MacNeal)
• Jo March (Louisa Alcott)

Half of these characters are gumshoes, amateur or professional. Back in the 1980s, a friend introduced me to a mystery book with a female protagonist and so began my journey into reading mostly mystery books with female leads, especially those based in California, the San Francisco Bay Area in particular. It's only within the last few years that I've expanded my horizons to reading something other than mysteries, cookbooks, and children's books. That is how I finally read Jane Eyre which pushed Pride & Prejudice to second on my short list of favorite tomes.

Belle Yang
I like, no, I love this gouache painting called Creation by Belle Yang, which I saw at the Monterey Museum of Art (in Monterey, California) last month. I love the colors, the artist's style and imagination, and, most of all, the picnic scene of two young women and their cat enjoying the day, themselves, their food, and books. Delightful.

Ms. Yang is also an author. Her website states that she has written children's books and adult nonfiction. Guess whose books I shall be looking for?

Today I'm hanging out at I Like Thursdays, hosted by LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color, and  Thursday Thirteen, hosted by Country Dew of Blue Country Magic and Colleen of Loose Leaf Notes. Please check out the memes, as well as the hostess' blogs. Thank you much, Lovely Hostesses!


Comments

  1. You'd like Molly Murphy series by rhys bowen. Molly is a detective living in 1890's NYC. I can't wait for the next one! Sandy in England in our Like Group just got her cataracts done... talk to her...

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    1. I've enjoyed a few Molly Murphy tales. I had to choose between buying books about Molly and Lady Georgie and went with the latter. I may try Molly again since I lost interest in whether Georgie and her guy would ever get together.

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  2. I need new glasses, too. I don't enjoy reading as much as I used to because I get such headaches trying to read. It sure takes the fun out of something I love. Did you read Sue Grafton's books? I enjoyed those. A shame we will never get to Z.

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    1. I followed Kinsey until about letter M and started again at letter S or T. I'm glad the family decided not to find someone to do Z after Ms. Grafton died. It wouldn't have been the same.

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  3. The Dad here will have his one cataract removed in February so hopefully he will be able to see better!

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  4. The big print issue is how I became a devoted ebook reader.

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    1. My eyes go crazy reading electronically. So, does my comfort, for that matter. lol

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  5. Did you know you can adjust the font size on ereaders (and tablets) to be as large as you like? Well, I suppose there is a limit to the size, but you can make it bigger.

    You know a book you might like? If you liked Jane Eyre, I found Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier to be practically the same plot. With some notable exceptions, of course. And, one of her books was made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock.

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    1. I haven't tried adjusting the font on the iPad. Be something worth exploring just to read websites and such. I prefer reading physical books still.

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    2. P.S. You've sold me on giving Rebecca a try.

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  6. Anne Shirley is painfully "unknown" to many Americans. When I mention it, people go "huh?"

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    1. Does it register if you say Anne of Green Gables? There have been so many movies on her, I'd think people would know who you're talking about. Movie Anne is far different from the Anne of the books.

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  7. New lenses here, too, that took some adjustment; the 'sweet spots' not being exactly where they were with the old pair. We're makin friends, though. I also like large print, but only cuz I'm lazy.

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    1. Lazy, hahahahaha. There is that element, too, with me.

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  8. Harder and harder to read the fine print. I mostly read memoirs as of late so I can't think of any fictional characters I like.

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    1. I've met some amazing characters in the last few years. Interestingly, the novels I randomly picked up after the Mama died were stories about women and men dealing with death in the family. The characters were like a grieving support circle for me.

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  9. Good Morning! I love to read as well, and always have since a small child. Thankfully, everyone in my family did as well so it was just the norm for us. I went to the library every Friday after school with my much older sister. We took the bus downtown, returned our book and picked out as many new ones as allowed. Then we went to a local diner for a turkey club or BLT sandwich. Then we took the bus back home. Oh how I looked forward to the end of each week! I certainly wish you and DH good luck with the cataract surgery, and wish you didn't need to wait. Vision is such an important thing and one that is rather taken for granted until you don't have it. Happy Friday to you. ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. Thanks for sharing your sweet story, Roseanne. I can just imagine it. That was wonderful of your sister to take you to the library and the diner afterwards. :-)

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  10. I'm getting my two-year checkup for my eyes, next Wednesday. I know my sight has deteriorated since my last checkup, but how much remains to be seen . . . you might like the Kate Martinelli series, also by Laurie King. And just as a teaser, her latest book, The Art of Detection just might tie in this series with Mary Russell. :)

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    1. The eye doctor last year said she my eyesight can't be improved anymore which surprised me. I would've pooh-poohed her if the Husband hadn't got a similar decree about 8 years ago. I suppose if my eyes got very bad I would learn to enjoy books on tapes.
      I've put The Art of Detection on my list. If the library doesn't have it, I'll buy it the next time I need to purchase stuff at Amazon. Thank you!

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  11. Great likes. I never had to read the "classics" in school over the years I try to pick one up and read it now that I am much older. I recently read Rebecca which was pretty good. As to mysteries one of the first supposedly of the genre was The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins---which I recently read also. Hope the cataract surgery goes well.

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    1. I've put The Woman in White on my list to read, thanks. You've inspired me to find a "classics" list from my school era. I read only a few back then, even though I was a voracious reader. Yup, I'd say I was. Anyway, if I couldn't get through the first two chapters, I put the book down. Be interesting to see if the same holds true if I tried reading them now.

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  12. A great I LIke Thursday post. Got me thinking. There are so many books whose characters I like.

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  13. A list of favorite characters -- what a great idea! I think I'll work on the same :). I just got a new prescription for reading glasses -- eyes are not getting any better with age. I hope the cataract surgery brightens things up for both you and your husband!

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    1. Thanks, Sharon. It's fun to revisit favorite characters.

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  14. Yay for being able to read. Ooh. I'd have to think about who my top favorite characters are. So many good books!

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    1. I thank the Mama and Daddy for encouraging me to read. They let me buy a Golden Book or activity book nearly everytime we went to the Five and Dime when I was a kid.

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Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

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