Thursday, February 21, 2008

Do I read on a 1st grade level?

So tonight I wandered into the living room and found this......Many of you have seen Emilee before, but stunning though this picture is, it was the book that led to my sense of literary insecurity.
When I asked when she started the book she casually replied "Just after dinner." Just after dinner!
Granted the pages are an easy read but there are 550 of them which took her 3.5 hours.
This is my book I just finished yesterday that I started at Christmas. Total of 484 pages which are meatier, but two months..... I guess I've read a bunch of medical stuff in there too and a couple children's books each night but still.

13 comments:

Lyndsay said...

I think that we can only make an fair ruling after a read-off. You'll have to read the same book as Emilee, in the same environment. (Erik will watch your kids)
Then again, you might want to just concede the victory.

Emilee said...

Wouldn't Erik say, "I'm not touching your stinkin' kids"? That line of his is classic in the Wells house.
I have two points:
1) The book was "The Book Thief" and it is wonderful. I definitely approve the book club choice. (My name is Emilee Wells, and I approve this message.)
2) I cannot believe I am letting that incredibly unattractive picture of me remain published in cyberspace. I shall have to have glamour shots taken and posted to compensate.

Emilee said...

Let me rephrase point 2. I cannot believe I am letting TWO such horribly unattractive pictures of me remain in the public domain. I am embarrassed.

Cynthia said...

Thanks for telling us what book it was Emilee. I was just going to ask. Once I saw what it was I went online and requested it from the library. I can't wait to read it!
And your expression in the first picture just gives more credulance to how good the book is. You were so enamored by it, you weren't fully aware that Jon was about to take a picture and post it on a blog!

Denise said...

I've heard good things about that book. I'll have to give it a try. And it's fun to see a picture of you, even if it isn't a glamour shot!

mags said...

Emilee who else could look incredibly stunning in a pencil bun (I didn't see the pencil but come on that is classic em) and a "don't bother me I am almost done" look on your face. It's been 10 years since high school and you still look young and gorgeous. (you know the right way to pronounce gorgeous right?)

Anonymous said...

We have the same reading quirks in our house. I think Justin has become incapable of skimming over anything. Any bit of reading must be done slowly, methodically and be paired with memorization of some sort. Taking a look at his medical books I realize why he has grown to despise reading.

brittani c. said...

Emilee, you give me hope that I can one day lounge around reading a book even when I have 2 kids. :) I will have to check out that book (if I ever get to the library).

The Ziemers said...

I gotta say that I agree with John on this one. You are a fast reader. Of course, I have always been a slow reader, so reading that much of a book in a few hours just seems impossible. Plus, your kids must be angels, because I can't remember ever having 3 1/2 hours to sit and read a book during the whole of the time we have been married. I'm glad you can. Someone should be able to read a good book once in awhile.

Story Family said...

Em, you truly are an inspiration to us all. And I am not even kidding. Your wit, wisdom, and SMARTS have always amazed me. You go girl!

Rindi said...

Oh, Emilee...you are a girl after my own heart! The other day, as I was devouring "Pride & Prejudice," Greg looked at me and said, 'I wish I could read like that.' Well, I just looked at him confused, because of course he can read (he made it through medical school, right?) but then I asked him what he meant. He said I read so 'effortlessly,' and then told me it would take him months to make it through that book. I thought that was a great word: effortlessly. That is how I read. It is the EASIEST thing I do. It is relaxing and almost as if I am watching a movie. I get chills of anticipation in the library!! I love to read. Thank heavens for books! And, I'll have to check that one out!

Rindi said...

Oh, and I love the pictures of you. :)

Elizabeth Reid said...

Em, I just love the look on your face in that first picture. I remember that look! It is the look of, "I will pay attention to you because you are talking to me. However, even though I am with you in body, in spirit I am totally in the world of the book I am reading." That look always made me want to read whatever it was you were reading because it was obvious just how engrossed you were.