My Grandma the Centanarian

Five months before Armistice Day, the official end of World War One, my grandmother Irene was born in Chicago—on June 11, 1918.

It’s hard to imagine seeing a whole century of life, and even my grandma says she can’t believe she’s one hundred years old. But here she is today, physically and mentally healthy, and soon to celebrate with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other relatives.

She’s spent her life taking care of people, loving and serving them, and even now she keeps up with what everyone in the family is doing. She blesses everyone she meets. We're so grateful that she's been with us this long! From her faith in God to her many years of wisdom and experience, she is an inspiration to me. I’m honored for her name to be my middle name.

Happy birthday to one of the best women I know!

The Great American Read on PBS

Photo by Jamie Taylor on Unsplash

On the heels of watching a funny yet sad video of Americans being interviewed on the streets of New York City who couldn’t name the title of one book, I watched the launch special of a national reading celebration on PBS. If you’re on Goodreads, you may have heard about it. They’re searching for America’s best-loved novel. One hundred choices are in the running, and we have the chance to vote for our favorites! Voting lasts only during the summer, and in the fall PBS will air seven episodes documenting the search.

I watched the two-hour program in snatches online. It was so interesting! Although I’ve read only 19 of the 100 books so far, I enjoyed the background stories of the novels and the interviews with readers on why those books are their favorites. Book talk is fascinating even if you don’t share all the same tastes as other readers. Each novel has a deep message it conveys that sinks into the souls of those who read it, for good or bad. I’m looking forward to contributing to the conversation by voting for my favorite books (you can vote every day!) and then watching the resulting episodes this fall.

Here’s the link to the program launch. I bet you’re curious which books are on the list! This link will take you to a page where you can see them all. Be sure to look at the checklist where you can see the titles at a glance.

Wondering which 19 I’ve read?

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
3. Anne of Green Gables
4. The Call of the Wild
5. Charlotte’s Web
6. The Chronicles of Narnia
7. The Count of Monte Cristo
8. Don Quixote
9. The Giver
10. Gulliver’s Travels
11. The Hunger Games (the first one)
12. Jane Eyre
13. Little Women
14. The Lord of the Rings
15. Moby-Dick
16. The Pilgrim’s Progress
17. Pride and Prejudice
18. To Kill a Mockingbird
19. Wuthering Heights

And there are about a dozen or so more on the 100 list that I want to read. Out of the 100, which have you read? Which one do you think deserves to be styled as America’s Best-Loved Novel?