[guide.chat] In Reply To: Book talk
- From: "James Liddell" <james.liddell2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Elizabeth Kay" <ebeth.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Guide.chat" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:50:45 +0100
Elizabeth;
I don't know how bad your macular degeneration is, but have you ever heard of
an Ezee Reader? It's a camera which plugs into a standard TV set and greatly
magnifies the print, or turns it into a negative. It's the cheaper alternative
to CCTV, and is very simple to use. I use it to read print - very slowly - but,
sad to say, it doesn't work on comics...believe me, I've tried.
As far as school went, it seemed to me that, in Higher English, they
over-examined the books, pulling them apart and losing, for me, the enjoyment
of reading.
I'm glad I discovered Tolkien, Lewis, Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Scots Quair) Nigel
Tranter, George Douglas Brown and the classics for myself without the
dissection involved in studying them.
I'm also grateful that we never destroyed poets like McHaig, Ramsay, McDairmid,
Hogg, Burns and Lockhead...that means I now have an active interest in Scots
literature and poetry, to the extent of writing a few poems myself.
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Kay - Email Address: ebeth.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent On: 26/09/2012 12:37
Sent To: Guide.chat - Email Address: guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [guide.chat] Book talk
Talking about books: I have been a bookworm since child
hood starting with comics and children's annuals at Christnas. My cousin's
parents were better off than mine so whenever I went to their house I used to
read his books, being very unsociable by taking no notice of anytjing ekse that
was going on even if it was a birthday party. One of the classes at school,
when I was about ten years old,had silent reading for the last lesson on Friday
afternoons. It was ny favourite lesson of the week bdcause we lived too far
away form a library for me to borrow books. I remember reading David
Copperfield and Oliver Twist among many others. We had to talk to the teacher
about the book we had just read before we could choose another one.I have a
feeling children today would not be able to concentrate for long enough to do
this today but it might be a good idea if they started early enough. I was a
bit older when my grandfather came to live with us for a time bringing with him
a bookcase full of books which had belonged to Uncle Jack, my mother's brother.
He emigrated to Chile in South America in the early 1920's leaving the books
behind. This introduced me to a lot of 18th century novels. I specially
remember George Eliots "Adam Bede" and "Mill On The Foss" as well as some of
Thomas Hardy and Jane Austin.
I also readLord Lyton's "The last Days of Pompey". These were beautiful hard
back books so youreally felt priveledged to read them.I took them with me whwen
I married along with aset of Harmsworth"s Encyclopedia These would have been
worth a fortune today bot were given to a jumble sale for church funds when we
moved to a flat with no room for a bookcase in circumstances I do not want to
talk about.
When my sight began to deteriorate about fifteen years ago I was devastated. At
first I could read large print but eventially this became impossible. It was
then I discovered the RNiB Talking Book Service, my saving grace. Like James I
was annoyed at first to find myself falling asleep, partly I suppose beccause I
like to close my eyes when listening. The RNIB must have realised this happens
because the Daisy Player allows the reader to set a timer for thirty minutes
afterwhich the reading stops. You can then rewind or skip back ten minutes at a
time until you find your place again. I often do this in the middle of the
night after one of my age related problems has wakebed me up ( A small electric
kettle and a jar of Light Horlicks which does not need milk also helps).
Forgive me for mentioning this but I am passing on tips for when you get to be
94! Will tell you about what I am reading now another time. Love to all
Elizabeth
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