Reading

Look to the Mountain has been read, with great nostalgia for New Hampshire. It was completely unfamiliar to me, after all these years, and I enjoyed being in it this time, more than I did the story, as I recall I loved when I was much younger. Place names are always magical. Maybe because I have moved so many times, the names of streets, towns, landmarks are the unbreakable ties, threads that weave my life. In the book, the main character was given a piece of land to farm, and on the deed, it said "100 acres more or less." It was explained that once the community grew enough, the land would be surveyed, and if it were less than 100 acres, he would take enough adjacent land to make up the difference, and if it were more than 100 acres, he would give back in the same way and in both cases the parcel would be of his choosing. The land was chosen with this in mind - an adjacent good piece of land as a possible addition, or an easily lopped off hilly piece to give back.

My grandfather bought his summer farm from a family named Littlefield, and it had been in the Littlefield family since it was awarded as a Revolutionary War bonus. That's the story. The deed was supposed to say "100 acres more or less." Now I wonder if that phrase didn't come from the book, or was it an original deed with that wording on it, and coincidence that the wording is exactly the same. Thus is history made.

Grandaddy named the farm Hill Acres Farm and as a child I was sorry that he didn't name it Littlefields. In fact, it is comprised of many little fields, so the name would have been apt. Just over the bushes from the farm house is the Littlefields graveyard - a beautiful spot. Debby and I spent hours there (where the grownups wouldn't find us) reading the names on the graves, sharing our secrets.

Tonight I find myself not knowing what to read next. I started Dr. Rat, and it was too grim, written by a lab rat, who deftly describes all the horrors I've never wanted to imagine. Dogs are in it too. I took that one off my Kindle quickly. And started another bookbub.com book called Pam of Babylon. That starts off with adultery; shut that down quickly as well. I've got some books coming from the library - Open and The Tender Bar, both memoirs or autobiographies. (What is the difference between memoir and autobiography?). When they come in, maybe tomorrow, I'll have to read them first - I only have two and a half weeks here! I also have a book on order, Snatched from Oblivion, by Arthur Schlesinger's ex-wife. 

So tonight, what do I read?