historical nursing text

Yesterday I read Cherry Ames- Student nurse, first published by Helen Wells in 1944. (If it is about nursing it doesn't count as wasting time...). This classic series has been reissued about a year and a half ago, and my local library has the whole set. I had read articles about the books- apparently they inspired many young people to enter nursing, and the new copyright holder hopes that that will indeed be the case again. So I decided to check them out of the library on a regular basis, to keep their circulation numbers up- I helped in a library so I know this matters.
But I kept forgetting, until they practically fell off the shelves at me the other evening.
So this was my first actual reading- I think maybe I put if off because I was concerned that I wouldn't like it, but it was pretty good. Some of it is very dated- nurses are not trained in that overly controlled hospital based way anymore-living there and being told off because her apron is untidy, but that was actually some of the most interesting parts for me. Obviously it is fiction, so it is not a historical report, but I find that often fiction describes the mood and culture better than a listing of facts alone.
The story itself is written in a windswept excitement sort of fashion, but I reminded myself- it is not intended for adults, it is juvenile fiction, and with that reflection I can say, again it was pretty good. I am intending to get the next one in the series on my next visit, because there must be lots more to go through before she even graduates, and afterwards she seems to do everything in the 18 or so additional books- jungle nurse, flight nurse, camp nurse. I wonder if she ever returns to teach other nurses?

you might remember this

I also wasn't supposed to read Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella this past week, but I had requested it from the library and once I picked it up I only had it for two weeks, since it is so new. So obviously I had to read it.
It was alright- but I guess the problem with any amnesia premise is I keep waiting the whole book through to see if the person is going to 'wake up', and really, either way it seems slightly unsatisfying. So I don't know what to hope for the character. This one seemed to end with some hope, but only if you exclude certain essentially blameless people from consideration.
That and at least there weren't any children involved- I don't know what would be worse- not remembering you own child, or being a child and having your Mother not remember you...

choices and consequences

I grabbed a book off the library book store shelf because the suthor wrote a screenplay for a movie I thought was fantastic. Julian Fellowes wrote "Gosford Park", and I don't know what that screenplay must have looked like, because the movie- while fantastic- was hardly linear. All the characters had their own story lines and no one ended up taking over. I had to watch the movie several times to really get all its depths.
Anyway, the book I picked up was called SNOBS. It was OK, very English class sensitive, inner circle stuff. The end had a 'reading group gold' section with author interviews and discussion questions. I like this section- do you? He said that he didn't really see the book as being about class or snobbery, but about choices and consequences.
But I thought the way the story ended in many ways cancelled out this assertion. It would be intersting to have a real conversation- instead of just a pat answer so I could challenge him on this. But I guess that is why people have book groups, to discuss among themselves. I probably need one myself, but am not even supposed to be reading, or posting here right now, as I have school work to finish... What consequences will my choice have?
Actually I believe that staying connected in with the world is the best way to learn. It is easier to make connections and gather viewpoints by staying open. Lets hope it pays off.