[speaker001:] Well, there's been a lot of publicity lately about that new Nancy Reagan book out by, uh, Kitty Kelly, the unauthorized biography. Are you interested in that at all?
[speaker002:] Not really [LAUGHTER]. I'm not much of a fan of Nancy Reagan, so I, I don't particularly read, um, biographies or autobiographies.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh [talking].
[speaker002:] I haven't read too many. I, I'm more of a fiction and nonfiction reader that, n-, n-, not of that nature though.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Well, I, the reason why I was thinking about looking at it is because it's supposed to, I'm not a fan of Nancy Reagan [LAUGHTER], and so it's supposed to have a lot of unflattering things in it. And I thought just purely for entertainment, I might enjoy that. But I, I wouldn't want to go out and buy it like, you know, the hard back copy of it.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But I might check,
[speaker002:] If they, if they had it, I don't even know that I'd probably read it even if it was at the library though.
[speaker001:] Really.
[speaker002:] I, I just, you know, I'm just not really interested in reading about other people's lives to that degree.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, unless maybe they lived a long, long time ago. For me it would be interesting to find out what life was, uh, l-, like, you know, in that period. But,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Not, not really interested [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] In biographies. Well, I, uh,
[speaker002:] .
[speaker001:] I have read some biographies. I prefer to read, if I read a biography, it's mostly because maybe I have to, uh, you know, back when I was in school I had to have information about that person or, um, preparing some kind of lesson and I need to have more information about people. But I, I do like to read some biographies, but that one just sounded like gossipy. And I wouldn't want to sit down and just read it cover to cover, but flip through just for, just to get a good laugh.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I think the last biography that I read, I'm not, I think it was, it was, um, on Lady Randolph Churchill,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Churchill's mother. And that was excellent.
[speaker001:] Was it?
[speaker002:] Um, yeah. It was, it's in two parts. I think the first one is called JENNY or something like that, uh, because that was her name. And, um,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I only got to read one part of it. And I've been looking for, you know, the other half of it and read the, I read that half where she was in her later years, and it was absolutely excellent. And it was very descriptive of, of people with money back then and, uh, affluents in England, uh, that, you know, were associated to the king and all. And it was,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] really pretty fascinating. And I [LAUGHTER], and that was actually a couple of years ago, so,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's, it's been a while [LAUGHTER] since I've read,
[speaker001:] A while.
[speaker002:] any biographies. Uh, I love to read. I mean, I'm constantly reading. I read, I like, uh, mysteries, and I like, um, as far as improving myself, uh, I haven't read any lately. But I was reading classical works that I hadn't read before.
[speaker001:] Uh-hum.
[speaker002:] You know, that you might have needed to read in school, but that I just didn't read for some reason or another, another, or that, you know, that you can only read so many in school that they make a requirement of.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And you have so many out there that, uh, that you, you know, you never get a chance to read. And so, I said, well, I think it was because I read, um, Dickens' A TALE OF TWO CITIES,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I just, um, that, [barking] even when I read it now, it still makes me cry, the ending of it.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] And I couldn't believe, I, I could not believe that it took me so long to read such a good book.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I'd read some Dickens before, but I hadn't read that one. And I, I was like, I thought to myself, you know, what other things are out there that are, that are classics,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, that have withstood time and that are just excellent, something's excellent about them, whether it's the way they were written or whether it was the material they were written, you know, that was written about. And, um, so I started reading. I had this like, you know, I had a binge of bo-, my mother, uh, I was living in Bermuda at the time with my husband, but my, uh, mother sent me, you know, like bookl-, you know, uh, boxes full of different books.
[speaker001:] Oh!
[speaker002:] And, uh, she just would get them real cheap and stuff and send them over. But she, she is constantly, was, I guess because, it seems like, uh, older people have much better, uh, in their schooling, they, they got more of the classics than I did,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. And she knows so much more of them than I do, I wouldn't even know, you know, to go look for that author or that book.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] You know.
[speaker001:] Well, I like the classics too. Uh, I think that there's a lot of books out now that are kind of garbage [LAUGHTER] books. And I, well, I don't prefer to read a lot of the things like you might find at, uh, well, like at a Target or a supermarket or something where they have a bunch of books out, paperback type books. Usually, I, I'm going to the book store for a particular reason, uh.
[speaker002:] Pro-, probably you read a book review or something.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] A review on it.
[speaker001:] Yes, and, and, uh, I buy some of the, not self-improvement books, but, uh, self-help books like, we just bought a new house, so I bought a couple of books about how to buy a house and what to look for, you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, or how to repair this or repair that in your own home. I bought that for my husband [LAUGHTER]. And, or how to, how to do something books, you know, for reference. And, uh, and those are really helpful I think in helping, um, well, you know, like some, w-, symptoms, medical symptoms, like when, how do you know when to take your child to the doctor or not,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] type books, which I use as reference and have been real handy. But purely just for enjoyment, I, I had a major in English and linguistics, and so I ha-, have a lot of books in my home that I can read from the classics, and I do enjoy those quite a bit. And, um, so I tend to, for reading just day to day, uh, you [break in sound flow] know, I have a particular book I'm looking for or I just enjoy, uh, you know, the newspaper magazine.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] It's handy.
[speaker002:] Well, what I do is I usually have two books at one time. I have a classic which I have to work on, basically,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] you know, uh, just depending, well, some authors I can just, you know, basically drink in,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but others, eh, I really do have to work at them. And then, um, whether, you know, they're a foreign author or whatever, um, or if it's their style or, or just understanding the material. And then I, you know, i-, some of those, it's like I said, it's like school, you have to work at it.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] But to me it's worthwhile in the end. I feel good about it, and I usually remember those a long time later. And then I have books that I read just purely for enjoyment,
[speaker001:] Light reading.
[speaker002:] you know. I mean, yeah, just light reading that are, I particularly like Dick Francis books, and just some of the, the authors that are, uh, for mysteries, just, you know, just, uh, purely for entertainment,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. That's it, I'm not really expecting to get anything out of it,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] except to be momentarily pleased, you know, because I don't, I can never remember,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] the plots or anything,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] later on those books.
[speaker001:] Well, I think that's good because you do have to use your mind and imagine up the circumstances and things. It's not like, uh, most television where you, you know, you just, you can sit there and not even pay attention very much but,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] still understand what was going on.
[speaker002:] Yeah, that, television, it gives you everything.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So, it's ber-, basically mindless. I mean, all your, y-, the only really thing you are having to use is connecting the things that they give you, you know,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] what you're hearing and your, your si-, uh, your sight. But they give you everything else.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And it's usually, the television that we see nowadays seems like that it's, it's, it doesn't even have some of the underlying, uh, things to it, you know, that maybe the old movies and things had, you know, the underlying themes and stuff that maybe you had to kind of figure out.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Or, you know, like with Hitchcock or something where you're, you're, you're either expecting something or w-, I, I don't know, it just, I don't really care much for T V at all. I just,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I mean I sometimes get hooked into it, but I really, I really get mad at myself when I do, because I r-, I realize fully there's no really redeeming value for,
[speaker001:] Not too much.
[speaker002:] T V. No.
[speaker001:] Not too much. Well, that's right. Well, I think it is good to, to read books and, and, [throat clearing] because even if it's, like you say, it's light reading, you are still getting some, uh, mental exercise [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah. You're developing your imagination.
[speaker001:] [Cough].
[speaker002:] You know, when you develop your imagination, that can take you into a lot of other areas, because you've developed, uh, your, your, your mind in, in seeing things, you know,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] even if it's your own set way, you know, it's, you're, you're taking words and developing a picture in your mind.
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] So, I mean,
[speaker001:] That's good.
[speaker002:] It's, it's excellent. I, I'm, we haven't got children yet, but I hope to, uh, set an example for ours that, you know, that reading is, can, it can be your best friend,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] basically. I mean, even if you haven't got a, a f-, a human friend around, you can pi-, pick up a book and, and,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] be with somebody, basically.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. I think so. Well, I guess I'd better close now so I can,
[speaker002:] It sounds like your kids are doing stuff [LAUGHTER]. Or are you a teacher?
[speaker001:] Uh,
[speaker002:] I gathered you might be a teacher.
[speaker001:] Well, I, I was. I'm home now,
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] full time.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But, uh, so, yeah, we're, we think books are important around here.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Well, you have a good day.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] Stay out of the rain.
[speaker002:] Okay. You too.
[speaker001:] Bye-bye.
[speaker002:] Take care. Bye-bye.