Classics

Did you hate some of the novels that were required reading in high school and college? Maybe it wasn't so much hating them as the fact that you might not have understood some of them. Kind of like when you read Shakespeare's plays. Pretty words but what the heck was he talking about? My suggestion is to read some of them again.

I belong to a Book Club. Seven women, long-time friends, who decided to spend one morning a month discussing a book we've all read. We select the books for several months and read at our own pace. At least once a year, we include a classic of some kind. Books written by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck and others. For most of us, it was the second time in our lives we'd read these books. The first time as teens or young adults because we had to and the second time as senior citizens because we wanted to.

And guess what? At this end of life, we look at these books in a completely different light. Books that were not high on my reading list of long ago have now become favorites. After years of life experiences, we come to appreciate many things, and the stories these master writers have left for us are certainly one of them. Right now, I'm reading Death Comes For The Archbishop by Willa Cather, published in 1927. It's still a good story today.

Next time you go to your library, pick up one of the classics from your teen years and give it another read. I think you'll find a new perspective and an enjoyable read.

And guess what happened?