tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35940445.post802456276168323694..comments2024-02-22T02:16:57.837-06:00Comments on Morgan Mandel Shares Books, Blogs, Dogs, and Networking : MoneyMorgan Mandelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35940445.post-77497247839855301772008-11-21T15:41:00.000-06:002008-11-21T15:41:00.000-06:00I've been an avid reader since childhood and I've ...I've been an avid reader since childhood and I've gone through different phases of reading. When I was younger I read almost all fiction, and then for 15 years I read almost all nonfiction. Now, I read both--which is helped by the fact that I review books.<BR/><BR/>Right now I have 3 novels and one devotional in my to be reviewed pile.<BR/><BR/>CherylCherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35940445.post-68435694885039653372008-11-21T13:27:00.000-06:002008-11-21T13:27:00.000-06:00Great post, Morgan. I often question what I can do...Great post, Morgan. I often question what I can do to help others. Donating books is big, of course. But a very nice lady shared a snippet of her past with me, and I've never forgotten it. Over twenty years ago she was a young mother of two, living with her family in a trailer in the middle of nowhere. One day her husband packed up and left. It was winter in Minnesota and she had nothing. It was hard, but her kids needed Christmas gifts, so she got a bag for each at a local charity. In the bag someone had placed a box with a tag reading 'For Mom' on it. The gift was a small, inexpensive bottle of perfume. Her thoughts were on presents for her kids, and she hadn't even given herself a passing thought. She sat down that day and sobbed witih joy. She still mists up remembering. Her kids are now grown, she's remarried and has a lovely home. But that drug store bottle of perfume remains her favorite gift ever. <BR/><BR/>I now get something 'For Mom' when I donate.<BR/><BR/>CynAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35940445.post-33546351017517779602008-11-21T07:07:00.000-06:002008-11-21T07:07:00.000-06:00You make some great points, Morgan. There are pla...You make some great points, Morgan. There are places we can escape to. Like I can venture up ta Maine anytime I want. All I have to do is open a Stephen King book. I spend a lot of time in Faerie with great urban fairytale writers like Charles De Lint, Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling, Holly Black and Jonathan Carroll. Faerie is an incredibly dark place, but it's also happy sometimes, and so different than things are here. I spent a lot of time with King Arthur, and sometimes I even hang out in Middle-earth. I don't read as much romance, but I have a couple of friends from my writing group who write for Cerridwen Press and Ellora's Cave, so occasionally I enjoy their work. <BR/><BR/>I read because when I was a little girl my mom wouldn't let us sit in the house and watch television. She made me head outside with a book. At first this felt like a punishment--reading was hard work, let me tell you! But as I became a stronger reader I found that the stories inside those pages were far more stimulating to my overactive imagination than the television. I still read for that same reason today. My imagination requires it. :)Jenny Melzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11235663870008150355noreply@blogger.com