Comments on: Books: A Lifelong Learning Key

By: Yvonne DiVita

Yvonne DiVita — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:23:50 +0000

Wayne, books are everything! Books are our friends. They are our companions. They take us places we could never go, otherwise. Books have a feel and a smell that evokes happiness or tears – books are the essence of the human spirit. People who surround themselves with books surround themselves with caring, hope, and love.

By: Karen Wallace

Karen Wallace — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:35:50 +0000

PS – I went scrabbling in old old files in the bottom of my cupboard and found the list! It is List of 100 Books – from The Pleasures of Life by Sir John Lubbock, 1887. I googled and found the list here – http://www.authorama.com/pleasures-of-life-7.html

By: Karen Wallace

Karen Wallace — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:13:59 +0000

Thanks Wayne – this is very inspiring, and it seems that ‘compulsio literosa’ IS rife throughout the Ho’ohana community! (yes, EM – this one is going to stick in my mind!)
I have some classics on my bookshelf that I discovered in second hand bookshops way back in my uni days (when I couldn’t afford anything else) but never actually got into. I’m going to carve out a little time and start to read them. [I, too, never got to read classic novels in school - the English curriculum was much more 'modern' and eclectic at my school - unless you can call Henry Lawson (a quintessential 'Aussie' writer) a classic? :]
I remember when I was about 16, my best friend and I had a list of the top 50 or 100 books to read before you die – most of them classics. You’ve reminded me to contact her and see if she’s still got the list!

By: Wayne Turmel

Wayne Turmel — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:11:07 +0000

Wayne, thanks for this. Yes, literature is full of great lessons for all of us. When I wrote A Philistine’s Journal-an Average Guy Tackles the Classics, i thought I was alone, but in writing the book, I found dozens of people who were doing the same thing I was- reading the classics to see what they had to say about today. You can check out my book at http://www.achismarketing.com/APJ.html but more importantly, go check out something you have heard of but haven’t read. You’d be amazed what’s waiting for you.

By: toni

toni — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:03:40 +0000

Mahalo Wayne for capturing so eloquently the feeling I got when I first walked into the New York Public Library and at any BIG bookstore. I, too, believe that books are a portal (or Harry Potter’s portkey – Mahalo to Steve Sherlock for the connection) to another world, mindscape of great teachers that we cannot meet.
Your post was very poignant for me because I was always a math/science geek in school, so I actually never read the classics in school. For some reason though, when I was 27, I started to pick them up. My journey is not very organized, but I am loving each stop. Each story I have found to be riveting and touching. There is always something to learn in each tale.
Can I ask what is everyone’s favorite classic so that I can update my reading list?
Great article Wayne. Mahalo for reminding all of us about the power of books.

By: Wayne Hurlbert

Wayne Hurlbert — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:45:17 +0000

Reading the classics provides so many rewards to the reader, it’s difficult to list them all. From life lessons, to better reading comprehension and writing skills, to improved creativity, to the sheer pleasure of the read, the classics have endured the test of time for good reason. While I am a strong supporter of reading informational non-fiction works, I thought it important to remind people of the great classic novels as well.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:22:50 +0000

Wayne, you’ve hit on something which has constantly been on my Someday/Maybe list taunting me- Read more classics. It is up in that category of things I am eternally grateful a teacher had “made me” do in school, yet it only cracked open the door, and I have not walked back in as often as I should have.
Thankfully, I have a current motivator: Talking with my daughter when she asks me to proofread papers she is writing for her own college lit course now. We’re currently on Candide, and her analysis of how Voltaire ridicules Dr. Pangloss’ optimistic philosophy despite all he has endured.
To read these great works with my children (my son and I last read through most of Faulkner) is an added treat. I love to be their challenging protagonist, and they love to debate me!

By: Steve Sherlock

Steve Sherlock — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:51:14 +0000

I have to admit that it takes GREAT restraint to go by a book store without stopping in for a minimum of 20 miuntes or so, and even more restraint to leave the store with all the books back in their place on the shelf.
Classics are a portkey to another world.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:43:32 +0000

Ahhh, Wayne. How many times I’ve paddled down the Mississip with Tom-n-Huck! And every time that I visit a bookstore time stands still as it vaporizes. Such clear truth to the points that you relate today!!