Winter

With all of this winter weather lately, and the predicted wrath of Old Man Winter, it is no wonder that I (like many others) am seeking the warm comforts of the season. Yea, this blog isn't always about teaching others to read. Sometimes . . . sometimes it is about what makes moments of reading almost magical and wonderful.

I should admit that at almost anytime of year I will curl up with a good book. Well, to be honest, sometimes I curl up with not-so-good books. Reading is reading. Work reading can be beneficial, not always the most challenging or fun, but certainly worth the effort. But, in the middle of a good winter storm filled with chilling gusts of air and big fluffy snowflakes I find a good work of fiction sets the mood elegantly. While I'm known to read just about anything, my favorite book of all time is Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.

I first encountered Cold Sassy Tree in the tenth grade while in Maysville, Kentucky. The book struck me then, and it has stayed with me since. I--in all honesty--I have probably reread it at least fifty times in the past *ahem* seventeen years or so. Each time I read it, it fills me with a sense of comfort and peace. Odd for a story about a turn-of-the-century southern town filled with death, back stabbing, and racism. But, as any good story goes, the tale spins its web of characters deep within the reader's mind making it hard to put the tome away. I have been known to sit up all night rereading the book. Willy Tweedy, fourteen for most of the book, tells the tale of his youth, the family's first car, and of his grandfather (Grandpa Rucker) breaking tradition and marrying less than a year after his wife passes. Not only does he marry quickly but he marries a much younger woman. Truely scandalous for Georgia, or most places, in 1904 or so.

Anywho, since I really can't restrain myself from telling you the plot and ending of Cold Sassy Tree I'll sign off for now. In the meantime, go find your own favorite book (or read mine) and pass these bitterly cold winter days away in a pleasant a relaxing manner.