Dec. 8, 2016
11:30 pm
Beijing, China
I’m going to do something different and I want your opinions on it. Today’s post has nothing to do with China. It’s something you’d read on a blog written in the US or the UK or literally anywhere in the world. It’s what’s on my mind right now. I figure that 365 days of me saying “oh today I taught this class and then went to bed” is going to get really boring really quickly. So here’s something new.
What’s your favorite book? No, I’m serious. Leave me a comment or send me a message on Facebook. I want to know everyone’s favorite book. I’m not saying I’m going to read them all or anything, I just want to know. Why is it your favorite? Is it because you read it as a kid and it stuck with you? Is it a hand-me-down from your mom? Is it just a book that transports you from the real world and away from everyday problems?
My favorite book is a hand-me-down. It’s A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was my mom’s favorite book as a child and I love reading it. As a little girl, I loved any book that featured a young girl with a big imagination. Books like this taught me that it was okay to dream big and that, as long as you have an imagination, you’re never stuck in a bad situation. I don’t know if I’ve always lived by those lessons, but I remember them often.
I once read a post somewhere on the Internet that said something of this nature:
Do you ever notice how books get bigger the more they’ve been read? It’s almost like a piece of you got stuck in the pages and added to the story. That’s why it’s hard to pick a favorite, because every time you look at a book, you’re looking at a piece of your soul.
That really hit me when I read it. It reminded me of the Harry Potter series. No, I don’t mean horcruxes, although that also makes sense. I mean the effect the series had on me. I don’t remember reading Harry Potter for the first time, but I do remember developing a love of reading from it. I liked reading as a child, but I think I discovered the true power of books as I devoured that series. I grew up with those books and the characters were often going through a lot of the struggles I was (boys, friendships, school becoming harder, etc.). Reading through them again reminds me of the things I was experiencing back then.
So why did this topic come up? Well because reading is wonderful, and it’s also my favorite thing about not being in school anymore. For all of college, books were put on hold. Unless I was on a school break, the only books I touched were for school. There were a few exceptions, such as a new book from a series or something that was being made into a movie. But, for the most part, I wasn’t able to read much. It was a lot easier to stop myself from watching the next episode on Netflix than to stop myself from reading one more chapter. Now that I’m out of school, though, reading has once again become a strong presence in my life. It’s part of the reason that I will never complain about the fact that I can’t do much lesson planning at home. I like the fact that once I leave the office, work is relatively done. There’s still a bit I can do, but I like leaving work at work. Once I get home, I’m free to spend time the way that I want to. No papers to write or tests to study for (okay I have one test to study for currently, but still). I can come home and relax with a book.
Tim Smith gave me a book at the Columbus airport on the day that I flew to China. He said that he’d read it and thought I’d enjoy it. I thanked him, but said I probably wouldn’t read it on the plane. This was a true statement. Actually, my carry-on got checked in Dallas, so his book was actually in the cargo hold for most of my traveling. Once I got to China, though, the book made it’s way into my bag. Man, it is an awesome book! I really don’t even know how to summarize it. A quote from the New York Times says its “Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.” It’s about a kid who is trying to solve a quest within a video game, a quest to win the creator’s vast fortune and the ability to save the “world” as he knows it. The author’s ability to grab your attention and transport you to the world of 2044 is astounding. I started reading it about a week ago and I couldn’t put it down. I’ve lost a few hours of sleep trying to finish this book. Tonight, I did. I was a bit angry when I finished. It is one of those books that makes you want to know the ending, but you don’t want the book to end. If anyone is interested in reading (and I promise it’s a lot better than my bad summary made it sound) the title is Ready Player One and the author is Ernest Cline. It’s available on Amazon Smile in hardcopy, Kindle, and audiobook. I’m sure you can also purchase it on the book’s website and possibly in some local stores. If you do buy from Amazon, please use Amazon Smile, as a portion of your order will go to the charity of your choosing. Anyway, I’d really recommend the book.
So I return to my original question. What’s your favorite book? Which book transports you? Which book makes you forget that you’re even reading? Which book makes you laugh and cry? Which book threatens to whisk you away and never return you home? Which book makes you examine your beliefs or pushes you to consider new things? Which book changed your life in ways you never imagined a book could do?
You know what? I’m going to take back what I said earlier. I’m going to try to read people’s favorite books. So I have a request to ask of you. Please leave a comment, either here or on Facebook, or send me an email at kristen@mckell.com and tell me the name of your favorite book and why. I will try to read as many of them as I can. You can think of this as your Christmas present to me. It will cost you nothing more than a piece of your soul. 😉
Words to Remember: Exodus 3:1-6
Challenge: Day 4 — Have you ever had a “burning bush” moment? What was it like? How did you experience Abba’s presence? Ask Him to reveal himself to you once again, but in a new way. As you go through today, be open to Abba’s presence. Pay attention to what’s around you and p–y that He uses the average, ordinary things of the day to make His holiness known to you.
Happy Holidays!
Kristen
Quick note:
My dad mentioned that some people showed interest in sending me Christmas letters. Unfortunately, letters are a little tricky here. They don’t always get delivered correctly. As a result, my parents are collecting letters for me at their house and then sending them over in a package all at once. The package is going out on the 15th, so have your letters delivered by 12/14/16. The address is:
Kristen McKell
PO Box 1869,
Chillicothe, OH 45601
You can also scan your letters and send them to me via email at kristen@mckell.com. Finally, you can send your letter to me personally if you have it delivered in a UPS-type envelope. My center is the best place to have stuff shipped to since everything in China has to be signed for, but they don’t accept letters. A UPS-type envelope or a physical package is okay, though. The address is a bit tricky. For all US forms, use this address:
Kristen McKell
EF Kids and Teens Yizhuang Center
3rd floor, West Zone, Hualian Shopping Center,
No.8 Ronghuazhonglu, Yizhuang,
Daxing District, Beijing 102600
China
That address will only get the package out of the US, so you also need to have the Chinese address written in characters. Copy and paste the following address and phone number onto a word document and make the font fairly large. Print it out and put it on the package where it will definitely be seen. If the Chinese postal service does not see this address, they will simply throw the package away. Also, if you fill out customs forms, make sure to put that the package is worth somewhere under $100, otherwise I have to go pick it up at the airport. As you can see, it’s a lot of work to mail me a package. So, if you have a Christmas card for me, just send it to my parents and let them do it all at once.
Kristen McKell
英孚少儿英语
华联力宝购物中心3层西侧
荣华中路8号
亦庄经济开发区
大兴区
北京市电话18310226231
