The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers

I picked up this little gem on a walk around the library.  I thought it would be memoir-like, but instead I was happily surprised with a colleciton of quotes and excerpts from Mister Rogers writings.

"A timeless collection of wisdom on love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty from teh man who has been a friend and neighbor to generations of Americans"

Here's a taste from each section of the book:

• The Courage to Be Yourself - "The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love.  When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged.  And what a healthy thing that is!  Without it, we would never stand up and speak out for what we believe."
• Understanding Love - "In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers."
• The Challenges of Inner Discipline - "I hope you're proud of yourself for the times you've said "yes," when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else."
• We Are All Neighbors - "The real issue in life is not how many blessings we have, but what we do with our blessings.  Some people have many blessings and hoard them.  Some have few and give everything away."  Bonus: "'L'essential est invisible pour les yeux.' (What is essential is invisible to the eyes.) The closer we get to know the truth of that sentence, the closer I feel we get to wisdom."

I grew up watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and this kindhearted man is one of my heroes.  With every page turn, I could almost hear his voice, and picture him in his foyer dolling out his final thought of the day while donning his outdoor coat.  

When I was doing a lot of paper-writing in college, I collected books like these to augment and inspire my writing.  I'll be adding this one my little shelf of treasures.  It's not one that you read cover to cover, but one that you come back to when you need encouragement or a little reminder about what's really important.

The Boys are Back by Simon Carr

I'm discovering a love for memoirs.  Well, cleverly written ones anyway.  This one certainly fits the bill.   

This is what Amazon had to say:   

"So there we are, a father and two sons in a household without role models, males together in a home different from anything I'd known--an idyllic Lost Boys' world with a house full of children and as few rules as possible."

When Simon Carr's wife Susie lost her battle to cancer, Carr was left to raise his 5-year old son, Alexander, on his own. Soon after, Hugo, his 11-year old son from a previous marriage comes to live with them. Now, this motley crew of boys have to learn how to be a family. Along the way, Carr reveals some illuminating truths about parenting and the differences between mothers and fathers. His messy household bears no similarity to the immaculate home his wife kept; his response to mothers on the playground fretting about his son's safety on the handlebars is, "If he falls, at least he'll know not to do it again." Emotionally honest and sharply witty, Carr's story is at once heartbreaking and wonderfully life-affirming.

One thing I'll readily admit:  There were some parts of the book I just didn't get.  But I won't blame that on the writing.  I'll blame it on the differences between men and women.  I think it would be interesting to discuss some of my "huh?" moments -- whether it was a joke I didn't get or an anecdote that didn't quite resolve -- with a bookworm of the male persuasion. 

One thing I really liked:  I discovered this book because I watched the movie "The Boys are Back" starring Clive Owen as Simon Carr.  And moments I loved most in the movie were taken word for word from Carr's original. I love that.  Now granted, Carr is a writer by trade.  So he's used to expressing himself through words.  But I still adore that Hollywood chose to stick with him. Not all details of Carr's life remain the same.  But I bet you that the lines that will get quoted from the movie are straight from the inspired pen of Simon Carr.

This memoir is full of clever lines and touching moments.  "Death by tetanus would have had disastrous political consequences on my theory of hygiene."  "I found myself sobbing too -- not exactly because I was unhappy, but to make him hear me up three flights of stairs, to show him he wasn't alone."  Totally worth picking up and devouring.

Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell

Do you have a "go-to" genre?  A fellow book-worm and I were talking the other day and she admitted that she always returns to epic adventures (in the vein of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc).  Actually "admitted" is not the best word.  She's not ashamed at all.  Those are the books to which she comes home.  Other literary forays are fine and good.  But when she needs revitalization, that's where she returns.

For me, it's to books like this one:  "Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering."  Only 145 pages.  And granted, it's more a work of art or a song than a book (a fact which frustrated some online reviews).  But it's pure inspiration.  I revel in the analogies and insights and questions.  They encourage and affirm a part of me that gets worn down in the daily grind.  If you've never picked up a Rob Bell book, treat yourself to this gem.  I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

I'm in grad school, so I have to do a lot of reading on the specific topic of organizational and leadership theory. I like my chosen field. Don't get me wrong. But sometimes, the required reading is...less than exciting.

I read Hunger Games earlier this year and absolutely adored it. Suzanne Collins is a very visual author. Not once did I feel lost in any of the action scenes. I felt as if I was there. I could totally emerse myself in her fictional world. It was also the kind of book that you can't put down. Once you begin, you're strapped in for the ride. It was a unique book with a great cast of characters and an engrossing (yet unfinished) story.

In short, I was counting the days until the sequel.

Catching Fire did not let me down. After impulse buying it from Amazon, I forced myself not to read it as soon as it arrived (since I'm being such a diligent student). But last week I decided to take a brain break from my organizational theory and just read a chapter. Two chapters. 100 pages. Just 15 more minutes. Half the book. Well, since I'm halfway, I might was well keep going.... Yep, I read the whole thing it in a few hours without putting it down and LOVED every bit of it. (Sorry school work! I tried to resist, I really did!)

Some twists I saw coming. Others I did not. But I truly enjoyed watching these characters navigate the challenges presented to them. Stephanie Collins doesn't back away from complication. She dives in headfirst; which makes for an adventure story that's relatable and relevant, even while it's larger than life.

In short: at the end of my second helping, I'm eagerly looking forward to a third.

(I'm also wondering if I can find a real-life Cinna. I love him. And when he said "Don't worry. I alway channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself," he immediately made me think of the quote "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence." What a wonderful little nugget of truth from a fantastic character! ...I want more!)

Fellowship of the Ring

Sometimes, one just needs to come home to a book. And that’s just what this series feels like to me: home. There’s just something about the characters, the world, the story, the adventure, the humor that pull me in each time. How can you not love a book in which the author writes in the forward:

“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer. But even from the points of view of many who have enjoyed my story there is much that fails to please. It is perhaps not possible in a long tale to please everybody at all points, or to displease everybody at the same points; for I find from the letters that I have received that the passages or chapters that are to some a blemish are all by others specially approved. The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being fortunately under no obligation either to review the book or to write it again, he will pass over these in silence, except for one that has been noted by others: the book is too short.”

It’s been a while since I’ve picked up these stories. I’ve been distracted by book clubs, reading challenges, and school demands. But as I strolled through these pages over the past week, I was reminded why time spent in Middle Earth is never wasted.

It was fun to remember all the bits that are different in the books than in the movies. For example, one of Gandalf’s most quoted lines – “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” – isn’t spoken in the depths of Moria. He makes this statement in Frodo’s living room at Bag End at the very beginning of the journey. Also, while Sam is recruited much as he is in the movie, Merry and Pippen aren’t random tag-alongs. They help Frodo prepare to leave the Shire, and then insist that they come along with him (kind of like the scene in Rivendale). They were always in it together.

Also, in the book Aragorn is never unsure about who he is or where he’s going. In the movie, the members of the fellowship gaze in awe at the statues of the Argonoth. It was nice to remember that in the book, everyone is pretty much intimidated by them...except for Aragorn.

“Frodo turned and saw Strider, and yet not Strider; for the weatherworn Ranger was no longer there. In the stern sat Aragorn son of Arathorn, proud and erect, guiding the boat with skilful strokes; his hood was cast back, and his dark hair was blowing in the wind, a light was in his eyes: a king returning from exile to his own land. ‘Fear not!’ he said. ‘Long have I desired to look upon the likenesses of Isildur and Anarion, my sires of old. Under their shadow Elessar, the Elfstone son of Arathorn of the House of Valandil Isildur’s son, heir of Elendil, has nought to dread!’”

And for some reason, I absolutely adore the moment when Galadriel gives the Evenstar to Aragorn when the Fellowship is leaving Lothlorian. To me, it bears that much more weight that Arwen’s choice wasn’t a secret, but a precious gift given not just by her, but by her family as well.

I love Tom Bombadil too. (It’s hard not to.) I understand why he’s hard to incorporate into radio dramas and movies…which makes him that much more of a treat to read in the book.

And I love how the book doesn’t wrap up nicely. It stops in the middle of the confrontation at Amon Hen. Sam and Frodo crossing the river. Boromir sent to look for Merry and Pippin who are looking for Frodo. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli scouring the mountain for the ring-bearer too. It’s a lot of chaos, which makes me want to pick up Two Towers and keep right on reading. (Sounds like a great idea!)

My favorite quote this time through? [Frodo to Pippin] “Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones. At all costs we must keep you away from the Golden Perch. We want to get to Bucklebury before dark. What do you say Sam?’ ‘I will go along with you, Mr. Frodo,’ said Sam (in spite of private misigivng and a deep regret for the best beer in the Eastfarthing).”

(Probably extra hilarious just for me because I’ve been told I’m a blend of Pippin and Sam.)

Do you have books that feel like “home” to you? Or books that you enjoy reading more than once? Because not every book is a book like that. Some you can read once and move on. Others, like this one, become part of your literary landscape for a lifetime.