Reading Aloud

 

Reading to each other was one of our favorite pastimes. It was more than the story. It provided the opportunity to discuss the story, or a paragraph, or a sentence.

Choosing what we’d read aloud was part of the fun. Martin Amis and Elmore Leonard were perennial favorites. Aside from favorite authors, there were books we wanted to share. A couple were memorable, not just because they were great books, but because Donna gave them such a great reading. One was Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ She knew how to voice it without any of it sounding overdramatic. I often wish I had recorded her reading. But then the act of recording would have detracted from our shared experience. Another of Donna’s great reads was Julia Child’s autobiography ‘My Life in France.’ Julia Child is one of my heroes, so giving voice to her words had special meaning. Donna knew just how to do it. Perfect.

Elmore Leonard’s novels were always mine to read aloud. Donna insisted on this, and I didn’t disagree. I understood the cadence of his writing. Also, we had a lot of fun discussing his paragraphs. We admired his knack for making every word count. And any word that didn’t count wasn’t on the page.

We shared the reading of Martin Amis novels and nonfiction. Both of our voices worked for his writing, and it is so much fun to read aloud. One necessary accessory to a Martin Amis book was a dictionary. Amis used words unfamiliar to us, or maybe we’d seen them before but weren’t quite sure of the context. Much like reading Elmore Leonard, we’d return to favorite passages, give them a second read and discuss them.

Reading aloud went beyond books. Donna would read me articles from the New York Review of Books and I would read from a wide assortment of papers and periodicals. We also would read aloud correspondence. When a letter arrived, we’d set it on the coffee table. Once we were done with the day’s activities and chores we’d sit down and open the letter. Again, we’d decide who would read the correspondence. And discussions would ensue. Often this took place as we read the letter. We’d pause to discuss a particular message or paragraph.

Reading aloud through all the years we shared.