In all of this pandemic, I am always looking for something that is uplifting and makes me smile. I love the New York Sunday Times book review where I learn so much information about people I would least likely read about.
Last week I read about Loretta Lynn in the By the Book section. It’s a very popular column where they ask the author out of the ordinary questions about their writing. The column definitely has its pretentious moments which makes this interview with Loretta all the more enjoyable. And finding being too pretentious myself when it comes to writing, I found her real refreshing.
It was discussing Loretta Lynn’s new book “Me & Patsy Cline Kickin Up Dust”. I am not a big country-western music fan and would probably never in a million years pick up this book even though I know about Loretta Lynn. But in reading about her philosophy about life I think I may have to git me one.
When asked how she organizes her books she replies, “Heck if I know. They’re all over the place.” Sounds like someone I know. Very well…
Her favorite booK? “The best book I ever got was my family Bible my husband Doo gave me in 1966. It means the world to me. My daughter downloaded a dang vampire book on my Ipad. It was nasty as heck and rated X. I made her remove it.”
Gotta love a country girl who speaks about the Bible and a dang X rated vampire book in the same thought. My kind of gal.
Asked which three writers, dead or alive, would she invite to a dinner party? She said she wouldn’t. “You build people up in your mind. I want to keep the stories as is and not know the ins and outs of their work.” How many times have we built someone up to be disappointed when they are nothing like what you thought they would be? Much like in life.
But my favorite quote was this when asked what book you were supposed to like and didn’t? In that matter of fact, down-home, pure and simple country way, she replied, “Self-help books make me crazy. Seems like everyone wants a quick fix. My advice is to go outside, hug your child, and thank God you got to see another sunrise!
Yep, I’m becoming a country-western fan after all. As one country-western song says, “There’s dust on Mother’s Bible.” Not in Loretta’s house. Her Bible, I’m sure, has a special place all by itself and she knows exactly where it is.