Here I am, at my age, enjoying books that are generally referenced as children's literature. Maybe it is regression on my part, but perhaps it is more.
As most of my readers will know, over the past months, I have taken to reading books aloud to my wife. Mayre has enjoyed this activity, and, I confess, I have too. We have for the most part taken a particular author and read all the books in a particular series.
Thus we have read the books by Alexander McCall Smith known as the No. 1 Ladies Detective series, the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, and the Armand Gabache novels by Louise Penny.
Currently we are onto The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
I confess that I had never read any of these as a child. I knew that my grandchildren had gotten a lot of enjoyment out of them, but, by the time they were into them, I figured we had moved into more adult titles.
Then I read somewhere that those of us over 60, even if we had enjoyed Lewis long before, should take another look.
So we did, and it has been a great experience.
I bought all seven in the series and began with the Magician's Nephew, a book that really lays the groundwork for the whole lot, even if it was not the first book written.
Then we read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy. Now we are on Prince Caspian, and, at the rate we are turning pages, we will finish all seven next week.
Granted, the stories are good, but I have particularly enjoyed the Christian symbolism with Aslan, the other beasts of Narnia, and the children.
Just children's books?
Just fantasy writings with witches, talking beasts, a dangerous lion and others interacting with human children?
I think not, and I might have to go back one day and read them all over again. I don't want to miss anything in the story, and there is a lot in there.
Could Tolkien be next?
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