My Life in Literature...50 Years of Reading

by Beth Alexander Walsh

      I grew up in a house of readers. Whether it was the newspaper, magazines or my father's paperbacks, there was always something to read. Just as a song can bring me back to a time and place, so too can a book, and every magazine subscriptions is an anthology of my changing life. I have come up with a short list of some of my most memorable reading in the last fifty years.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

     This was my first recollection of reading a story over and over. I remember staring at the picture of Sally and her brother sitting in the window, watching the rain outside and wishing for something to take their boredom away. (Be careful what you wish for!) I was equally thrilled and horrified by the antics of Cat and his friends Thing One and Thing Two, and always relieved that the house was returned to order as the children's mother walked through the door.

The International Wildlife Encyclopedia (MC Marshall Cavendish Corp)

     Long before there was Google or Wikipedia, there was the encyclopedia. Most people had to schlep to the nearest library to find information that Suri now supplies from an IPhone. My wildlife volume came from a traveling salesman my mother felt sorry for, and was my constant companion.

Reader's Digest

     In my neighborhood you were either Reader's Digest people or TV Guide people. I am a better reader for my parents choice.

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White and Highlights Magazine

     I was heartbroken by Charlotte's death in both the book and movie, and Highlights made the dentist's office less painful.

Nancy Drew

     I can remember one perfect summer where I did nothing but swim at the Medford Boat Club and solve mysteries with Nancy.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

     Oh, to be able to own that wardrobe!

Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume and Tigerbeat Magazine.

     There were subjects that were never discussed in my household growing up. Judy Blume took care of fifth grade for me, along with Tigerbeat and Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

     The teen years are full of angst and rebellion and of course hormones! Fortunately there is required reading in high school to make us think!! I loved rereading all of these as an adult.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough and Cosmopolitan magazine.

      This sweeping Australian epic was all anyone talked about in the late 70's, and I was one of about thirty women glued to the common TV in my dorm every night of the mini-series. Cosmopolitan was a luxury item that my college friends and I would chip in to buy and share.

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving, Better Home and Gardens and Country Living magazines.

      John Irving is not everyone's “cup of tea”, but he certainly was mine in the 80's. I have read all of his novels and this is my absolute favorite. The decorating magazines started to arrive shortly after I married and moved into our new post and beam house.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting, and What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff, Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Parenting and Family Fun magazines and historical romance novels.

     You can probably guess what was going on in my life by these titles. The romance novels would not be classified as intellectual literature but paired with some wine, was a perfect way to end a day of diapers and dishes.

The Oprah Books and Magazine

     Oprah's Book Club got America reading and book sellers ecstatic, and she introduced me to some great authors. I am also grateful for the many spiritual book authors that she has popularized. They have changed my outlook on life.

E-Books and The Boston Globe

     Although I still purchase print books, the majority of my reading is done on my Kindle, and I take it everywhere with me. As part of two book clubs and a writers group, my reading has taken on a new urgency, and my Kindle assures me that I will never run out of reading material. The Boston Globe has been a constant in my life. My father brought his copy home from work every night and my husband and I have been subscribers for the last 27 years.

     This brief synopsis is just a tiny sample of the wonderful books I have read over the last fifty years. It has been amazing to have the right books land in my hands at just the right times in my life. I cannot imagine being the person I am today without them.

What have been the big book moments of your life?