Friday, September 19, 2008

100 years later...

...brilliant writing is still brilliant.

Daughter Annie recommended Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" as our next read-aloud. I had my doubts about a book first published in 1889 -- not sure it was quite what we were looking for after a satisfying diet of Harry Potter and Alex Rider. But she promised us we'd love it, and she's usually spot-on about what the boys and I will enjoy.

Funny, irreverent, sarcastic -- filled with dry, British wit. I find myself marking passages to read to Craig, like this gem:

"Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone who loves you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing."

You can read more about the man and his stories at the Jerome K. Jerome Society web page - and if you like to laugh, take a trip with Three Men in a Boat.

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