The Challenges of Reading Aloud..

   For the past several months, Mayre and I have been reading various fiction books aloud. That is to say that I have been reading, and she has been listening. This has brought about some distinct challenges.

   Now you must know that we have always loved to read, and, it seems, there were always two or three books in various stages of progress around our home. Lately we have stuck to one book at a time, and have tried to use a book series to keep the characters the same. That method has seemed to work well for us at this stage.

   Our current series is written by Louise Penny and is identified by the subtitle of A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel. The various plots revolve around the exploits of a Quebec Police inspector as he seeks to solve various murders in a town (village) south of Montreal and near the US border.

   Since the settings are in the Province of Quebec, the language of the people, although written in English, is sprinkled throughout with French phrases. Even without a working knowledge of French, the meanings are mostly clear through the context of the speakers. The problem is in the pronunciation as I try to read along. I understand the "Oui" as meaning "yes", and can pronounce that word, but past that, I am perplexed. So I stumble through and keep moving. French phrases with multiple words may just be skipped in their entirely.

   But there is another problem, and that has to do with choices of English words used. Mayre and I are not fond of foul language, and this author uses one "four letter" word with some regularity. It is not prominent, just there.

   So what to do? I can skip it, or I can substitute another word or phrase, but the main problem is seeing it coming. I need to read ahead in my mind to catch it before I have to use it, then, without missing a beat, decide to skip it or substitute, do that, and keep reading on.

   Makes for some interesting times, but luckily I am the only one who knows what I have done.

   I like the stories, and the characters are witty and unique, so I want to see what happens, to solve the mystery and laugh at the ways the people interact.

   So I sharpen my "reading ahead" skills while keeping the story moving, and we both enjoy the reading aloud.

   Another challenge dealt with...

   Sometimes very inexpertly..

   But, no one knows except you and me.