Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Marilyn Johnson at her home in Rosburg for the 33rd installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book.

Marilyn wanted to share her personal fave, the Bible, a book which she has consistently read over the years. "I would say in the past 25 years, I've missed just a handful of days of reading it," she said. For Marilyn, it's one of the first things she does each morning before she gets busy with the day. "I read for about an hour in the morning, and reading the Bible is part of that," she said. "It's my grounding. Sometimes something will really strike me, and I think, 'I guess that's what I needed to hear today. I'll read it historically, chronologically, more focused on the Old Testament and New Testament, or maybe the Psalms and Proverbs. Some scripture (Bible) I can share with others, and some I know to keep my mouth shut. It's about learning to be an example."

By example, Marilyn means "being kind." She went on to say, "That is the biggest thing. Not speaking ill-will, not to join in, but learning how to apply what you read. The entire book is God's love letter to us."

While Marilyn has enjoyed various ways of reading books in physical, digital, and audio, she enjoys reading her Bible online using a Bible app she finds to be very user friendly.

When asked, there were two books which Marilyn recalled enjoying years ago: "The Thorn birds" by Colleen McCullough, is an epic novel of an Irish family living in Australia on a sheep station. "It's a really good novel," said Marilyn. "It brought out a lot of emotion." Marilyn also discussed "The Clan of the Cave Bear" by Jean M. Auel, a prehistoric fiction book about interactions amongst two groups of humans. "It's a whole progression of this hero who overcomes," said Marilyn. "She discovers that she's different. She's a strong spirited person. Her characteristics were very interesting."

Marilyn also enjoys many other genres and authors. She said, "I like Christian romance novels. 'Little House on the Prairie' series. I like Sci-Fi, the 'Dune' series, J.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis books and his 'Chronicle of Narnia' series. We read [it] aloud to our girls, who are now avid readers themselves. My oldest daughter's second word after 'da-da,' was 'book.' My older sister told me when I was in second grade, 'You gotta read aloud what's really interesting to you,' so I learned to read aloud with a lot of inflection. It wasn't the teacher, it was my sister. I'd read 'See Spot run!' with lots of inflection."

Marilyn became aware of something else a year later in the third grade. "I was about eight years old. And I read 'Nurses Who Led the Way' by Cateau de Leeuw. I knew that's what I wanted to be, a nurse. Books do influence you."

Marilyn also mentioned her enjoyment of John Steinbeck's books and writing skills. "He's amazing," she said. "The way he paints a visual picture. Like you see in his book 'The Grapes of Wrath.' I love his style of writing." Marilyn indicated she had read many of his books.

As for finding a time and space for reading. "You gotta be still to read," she said. "Letting your mind expand with something different. That's my plan for this winter."

So, Wahkiakum readers, may you find the time and space to read a book which you might want to share with others or, if not, maybe just for your own personal enjoyment.