Which book should I read to a group of elderly people?
I am going to read a couple times a week, but not sure what to choose - any suggestions?
2008-05-31T13:41:00Z
I like a lot of your suggestions~ Chicken Soup for the Soul is a good idea.. just have to decide which one...lol. Also, I thought about Readers Digest..
Something by Erma Bombeck. She was a very amusing writer, who talked about her family and the things that drove her crazy. She wrote about so many things a mother could identify with. There are many books in the library probably that you could check out, that she's written. Any of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books would be good for short stories. Maybe a collection of autobiographies of famous movie stars or other famous people they could remember. Some of the more famous, like Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Mae West, etc. Or younger, like Alan Ladd, Gregory Peck, Lucy and Desi, Myrna Loy, and her bandleader husband, who I forget the name of now. Or get some old Life magazines and see which might have some pictures of well known events they can remember. You could pass the magazines around to let them see the pictures close up. They would remember Life magazines from their growing up years. Everyone likes nostalgia and looking back to times when they were young and vital. John Steinbeck wrote of a time along the coast of Monterey and Salinas, California. The Red Pony is a nice story you could read, about a little boy and his first pony on a ranch near Salinas. I recently saw the movie again, and enjoyed it. I hope that I may have given you an idea or two.
Short stories like in Chicken Soup For The Soul, Reader's Digest, etc, etc. Don't think you can keep their attention with a 250 page novel. In fact even youngsters are kept more interested with 'Short Stories' . Hexk, even newspaper articles will work along with the Obituaries, but say the last name and maiden name and ask is anyone interested so you can skip over the ones no one knows or remembers. Edirorial are great for reading too. Skip the omics if ya don't have an overhead screen to show it. Oh yea don't forget the Dear Abby / Ann columns that offer advice to people and ask for a responce from the audience "Do you think this is the right advice for the person asking the question?" This keeps them going / thinking and livened up
suggest the group choose. what I like others may not because what I enjoy are history, sociology, psychology type of books where I can learn.
Where I am there are people who read short stories and then allow a period of time to discuss what was read.
If there are light books to read perhaps Brewster's Millions, Limpy, An Irish Country Doctor are a few which might be of interest.
Thomas Kincaide and Katherine Spencer have written several books which are interesting, uplifting and amusing but have a good point and no " inapporiate " language
They would probably enjoy any of James Herriot's books If Only They Could Talk It Shouldnt Happen to a Vet Let Sleeping Vets Lie Vet in Harness Vets Might Fly Vet in a Spin James Herriot's Yorkshire The Lord God Made Them All Every Living Thing James Herriot's Cat Stories James Herriot's Favourite Dog Stories