Dolly

Summer reading goals have made me excited me whole life. I love book goals. Currently, I am at a time in my life where I don't need a summer break to get in some recreational reading, I just get to read whatever I want all the time (and to be truthful, I read more Whitney books than school books most of the time anyways). But there is something lovely about being able to read whatever you want whenever you want, without feeling guilty you should be reading something else. Right now my current goal is just to read every book I actually own. The ones that have been ready and waiting for me on my bookshelf, but before I have time to read them, I buy some more.

So my list of books to read gets bigger and bigger, even if I have 5 books going on a the same time, I don't seem to make a dent. So along with my goal to read everything I own - I am not going to buy anymore books. We shall see how long that lasts.

In the last year I have read some really fantastic books, and I always want to blog about them - in book report fashion - but somehow always get overwhelmed at the idea of adding my own words and thoughts to the books I love. I just don't feel like I'll do them justice.

Last night I read the first four chapters again in a book written by Dolly Parton, entitled "Dolly - My Life and Other Unfinished Business". I read this book back in October, I had bought it off Amazon for like a nickel or something (thank you Margaret McGill from Wichita, Kansas! - her address sticker was inside the cover), I thought, 'what the heck, I'll read about Dolly.'

Well, I loved the book! The first four chapters especially, where she writes about her childhood. She is a pretty special lady, and I love her outlook on life. It was life-altering really. I feel like this woman still views the world the same way she did as a child, and that is pretty magical.

I've been wanting to write a post about this book since October, I guess today is the day. Reading this book made me miss being a little kid, and made me long for the same wonderment I used to view the world in. But at the same time made me love being a woman. I love how Dolly is super feminine, and seems to have a good sense of humor with her all the time. I think that is a rare and beautiful combination. I bet if we met her, after getting over the shock of her, we would just love her. It's like she says "there's a heart beneath the boobs, and a brain beneath the wig." I truly believe she might be one of the smartest woman out there.

Let me charm you with some excerpts from the book:

She writes about her big family and how they used to stay entertained being poor out in the sticks... Another thing we loved to do was to catch June bugs and tie them to a string. I'm sure it was more fun for us than the poor weighted-down June bugs, but we had a ball flying what we called our "'lectric kites." You tried to get a real good fat June bug with a lot of lifting power. Sometimes you could just fantasize about him being able to lift you right off the ground to where you could soar up among the clouds and look down at the trees and fields. That kind of blissful thought would sometimes come to a sudden halt when your June bug would sacrifice his leg in the name of freedom and buzz off across the pasture. In the blink of an eye you could go from being a kind of daring Smoky Mountain astronaut to being just a kid with a bug leg hanging from a piece of thread. I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all those five-legged June bugs for those dreams, fleeting though they may have been.

Isn't that wonderful? I love the world I used to live in as a child, and really do remember abrupt moments like the one above where you are brought back to reality.

She also writes at the VERY beginning of her book... I hope to tell in this book how I have become the best Dolly Parton I can be, largely through trial and error, I can assure you, but it is up to you to be the best (your name here) you can be. If I can help in any way, then I feel good about taking your money for this book. If I don't help, I still feel okay about taking your money because I think you will at least be entertained. Besides, I need the money. As I always say, "It costs a lot to make a person look this cheap."

I love that. That's some good truth right there. I just have to be the best Whitney I can be. Which is summed up best in Dolly's words (which aren't in the book, but are my favorite of hers), "Figure out who you are, and do it on purpose."

Thanks Dolly, I will. Here's your nickel.