In this short episode, we talk about us as readers, so you can know what you’re getting into with our chats about Florida books. Gramel also talks about reading to her children and grandchildren. 

[Transcript]

Tyler

In this short episode, we’re going to talk about us as readers so you can know what you’re getting into when you hear some of our chats about the books. So what kind of books do you like to read mostly?

Gramel

The first book I usually read in the morning as a devotional book. Then I read the Bible. Then I read a Bible study book, then I read guts to women, by the Clintons, and that’s just awesome. That will change your life. Then I read a devotion book on thankfulness. And then I read another Bible study book on prayer. Then I read Danielle Steele, and don’t go there with her because she’s awesome. I didn’t believe it, but I’m a convert. And then I’ve read a different book with my friend Judy from Ohio. And we have had a book club over the phone once a week. And so I love my family number one, but I share love reading. I love politics. And I love karaoke.

There was a bandstand and the center of the town and I would go to the library and I sometimes I got further than the steps of the library but usually ended up in the bandstand and I would read probably four or five chapters before I walked on home. That’s how much I loved reading even from back in my in my younger days, you could walk all over the place and I was probably seven or eight and I just loved going to the library smelled different there. I’ve read a lot to my children and my grandchildren too. And I’ve learned a lot more authors by reading children’s books to my children and till they get to where they can read to me, and we read back and forth, and then they become independent readers.

So I do read a lot and I always have, and my son who’s now passed away, said to me, Mom, the reason I learned I wanted to start reading was on a Sunday, I look good, well past your woman, you would be laughing, or I would hear you crying. And I just wondered what you would were doing that could get so many different emotions out of you. So even my children knew how much I loved reading.

Tyler

 I remember being on your bed you reading to me and then me learning to read back to you. Those are some of my first memories of reading, and really a huge factor of why I became a reader. And I remember something funny is that I used to get punished by you not reading to me. And I never realized that was strange until I got older and realized, Oh, you know, that wasn’t the most common kind of punishment. I studied English literature as an undergraduate. That was my major one of my majors and I really got into reading Toni Morrison. So, I was kind of more into literary fiction. And then when I went to grad school, I started to read a lot of nonfiction books and poetry. So that’s kind of where my reading habits lie. I read a lot of poetry. Now, one of the reasons we wanted to start reading these books together is in quarantine. And then we also wanted to focus on Florida writers because there’s a lot of great Florida writers. Yes, lots of good stuff, nonfiction poets and genre.

Gramel

Florida writers also have their own special sense of humor. Their humor is kind of like out of the corner of their mouth. So you have to be listening. Sometimes you get it maybe five minutes later that Oh, that was a joke. And go back and read it again. They have kind of quirky says to humors that I think is great sense of humor is what gets you through life. period.

Tyler

And we are going to approach our conversations with humor as well. These aren’t going to be critically analyze super duper stuff, we’re just going to be talking about the book, relating it to our personal experience, maybe tying it into some more Florida stories, a little history. We’re just here to have some fun and read some good books. We’ll be posting episodes on books every other week they’re about so I will be posting the episode order in case you want to get the books and read along with us and then listen to the podcast and let us know what you think. It’s kind of like a little book club. We look forward to reading and we look forward to hearing from you as well