Monday Memories—Rivals

Thanks to Lanita’s excellent suggestion, I’ve been listening to Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. My goodness, what a book. It’s about the men who contested Abraham Lincoln for the Republican nomination in 1860 and then joined his cabinet. Though it has 36 discs, I’m really enjoying it and look for opportunities to listen to it—yard work has never been so anticipated and walking Seemore tonight I considered an extra lap or two . . . though only briefly. Although audio learning is not my primary learning method, I’m slowly getting more adept at it.

I love to pleasure read, but I do have a stigma attached to it. I think it comes from childhood, for though my mother was a reader, if we were found reading a book we were fair game to run errands for her—“Run to the fruit room and get a couple of cans of green beans.” “Run out to the shop and tell your dad supper is ready.” “Come burn the trash.” “Come put the clothes away.” However, if we were watching TV or playing a game of jacks, it was more like we were on base—without a dvr we couldn’t pause the show and a stalled game of jacks made two mad kids instead of one—hence it made the most sense to give the reader the chore; therefore pleasure reading must be a second rate, less important activity.

Unsound logic, I know. In fact I consciously corrected it with our kids and chose last the child who was reading to run errands, so academically I understand that I should throw out the notion; it’s intellectually debilitating. But pleasure reading still nags at me emotionally when there is work to be done. Rival thinking in one brain. Remember how Abe Lincoln’s father used to get mad at him for reading books when he should have been working? Poor boy. Poor dad. I see both sides. In the name of Lincoln family harmony, that family needed audio books.

Do you listen to audio books? When? Where?
Which books are your favorites?