Book Blog Hop, Follow Friday, and TGIF (7-27-12)

Happy Friday everyone! Are you ready for the Olympics this evening? I know I am! I love the Olympic Games and cannot wait for the Opening Ceremonies to begin. I even requested the day off so that I wouldn't miss a second of the pageantry! Now, onto the Friday fun ...

Parajunkee asks:

Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. No contest!

GReads asks:

Christmas in July: If Santa were to come down your chimney in the middle of summer, which books would 

you want him to leave for you under the tree?

Wow, there are so many! I really want some of the leather-bound copies of the Barnes & Noble classics. So, I would love to find those under the tree!

Jen at Crazy For Books asks:

Blogging Question: What is one thing that your blog readers probably do not know about you?

Great question! I think that there are lots of things that my readers don't know about me, but I will go ahead and share this little tidbit: I used to work at Walt Disney World. I love everything Disney and could sit and talk about the company for hours and never get bored. Honestly, I'm one of the biggest Disney geeks that you might ever meet!

So, what was your favorite required reading in school? What would you like for Christmas (in July)? What don't I know about you? Let me know, and have a great weekend!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: June 2010 (originally published in 1960)
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: purchased at Borders


My Rating: 10 stars! (how could you expect any less?!?)


Synopsis (from goodreads.com): "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.


My Thoughts: For a book that is truly an American classic, there are so many things that I could talk about. But since this is the first time that I have read this book while having a book blog, I will try to keep it simple. What it is that draws me back to this book, year after year? It's the way that it instantly transports me back to being a child. As I read the book, I am back to being a six year old, still playing make-believe but starting to wonder about the world around me. I don't fee like I identify with Scout, I feel like I am Scout. Harper Lee's writing removes that barrier between reader and characters (at least for me), and I am with Scout and Jem as they await the arrival of Dill each summer and create dramas with one another. It seems cliche, but the book takes me back to a simpler time. A time when I wasn't concerned about who was calling/texting/emailing me, when I didn't care what I would eat for dinner that day, when I was unconcerned with what my laundry situation was like. As long as I could, I imagined and pretended to my heart's content, unaware of the world around me. For that reason, To Kill a Mockingbird will always be one of my favorite books, not because of the characters or setting, but because of the ability to make me a child again.