My husband is an avid reader. Whenever he has time and whatever he can get his hands on be it history, fiction non- fiction, best sellers, bad sellers, sports, he'll read . Recently he came across an article about Mark Twain and found his books in our little library among his saved books from his high school ( yes we even have books from his childhood). Anyway I asked him to write me an article about his latest find and here it is:
Approaching age 60, I recently read for the first time both "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the 19th century classical literary works written by Mark Twain. For some reason, they were never required reading in the schools I attended and I never had an interest to read them on my own.
I was inspired to do so by a recent article I read in "Time" magazine about the life and legacy of Mark Twain ( nee Samuel Clemens) the great American writer. It peaked my interest to read these books. I found both books in my library, apparently having owned them for many years, oxidizing and unread. Once started I could not stop reading them. Each is a masterfully written exciting tale about the adventures of young men living in the USA circa the mid 1800's. Not only did each entertain me with its clever writing style, each also gave me a vivid portrait of American life, culture and society in that bygone era.
Although I regret not having read these great American classics earlier in my life, it just goes to show you that it's NEVER TOO LATE.
The Art of Worldly Wisdom was written more 300 years ago by Baltasar Gracian. A seventeenth century Spanish Jesuit Scholar. What a great book. It has 300 aphorisms. My husband and I bought this book many years ago. Although it is old we never get tired of it. We love to read, reflect and discuss its messages. Here is a sample aphorism from the book #99: " Reality and appearances. Things pass for what they seem, not for what they are. Only rarely do people look into them, and many are satisfied with appearances. It isn't enough to be right if your face looks malicious and wrong." 
