The Stories Behind the Books
This year, for Read Across America week, we asked the Serenity team to each share a book or series that means something to them. Not one book in this group is similar to another. Each one chosen for unique reasons with unique meanings to the individuals. I am so excited to not only share the books with you, but the stories behind them.
First up is the owner of Serenity Appliance himself. Kyle chose Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, an American classic. Kyle was intrigued after reading the short form story of Frankenstein in a high school text book with his class. He later went out and purchased the full version. He was struck by the nuances littered throughout this story we had all grown up hearing about, the multiple perspectives and lessons that could be derived from it. The deepest meaning to him being the question of how one would be able to decipher the moment ambition became a negative in a world that only seems to see it as a positive. When is it simply ambition for ambition’s sake? Now more than ever, as a business owner with a family at home, he sees that this is a balance that must be lived out. Taking the time to set aside ambition in favor of enjoying and investing in his family as much he can every day.
Secondly, I (Katelyn or Mrs. Serenity Appliance, the Social Media Manager) chose Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle. Typically found in board book form, it is a children’s book originally published in 1967. Once you have read Brown Bear, Brown Bear you can also read Polar Bear, Polar Bear and Baby Bear, Baby Bear and Panda Bear, Panda Bear too. All of the books are great, but Brown Bear, Brown Bear specifically, is very special to me. I remember it being read to me in school and it was one of the first books I purchased for my baby when I found out I was pregnant. My first born ultimately loved it even more than I did. I soon was able to recite it fully without looking at the words. While I may have tired of it at one point in time, it deserves much of the credit for helping my child start to recognize both colors and animals by name.
Thirdly, our Customer Service Representative, Mrs. Mae wanted to share with you a book that she just recently discovered titled Livin Good Daily by Dr. Livingood. We should make it clear that no one associated with Serenity Appliance is a medical professional. We are not giving medical advice, nor are we qualified to do so. That being said, as someone who has been a caretaker both professionally, and to those within her own family, the medical system is not something that is foreign to Mrs. Mae. Considering this background helps one understand why a book written by a physician who believes there is a better way of treating illnesses in our body, would hold great value to her. It takes a different approach to daily living and health as a whole. Pointing out that managing sickness and disease could be avoidable if one understood how to build health.
Finally, Mrs. Allison’s children never really outgrew being read to. While habitual consistency serves her well in her data entry profession, it is far from the only place she has put it to use. She began to read to her children when they were very young and continued reading out loud to them all the way into their high school years. One of the series that stands out in her memory is The Lord of the Rings trilogy accompanied by The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. It is a series that became an obsession within her home. The movies soon began to play endlessly, and her daughter even used odd creatures within the story to help her with a vocabulary test. To this day she recites the definition of grotesque as “strange orcs ugly in shape orcs appearance”.
In conclusion, these books are more than just the stories within them but also the memories that surround them. Are you interested in creating your own memories with any of the books mentioned above? Which one peaked your interest the most? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you!
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