100 Books to Read Poster - Number 7

I have to admit that the Grand Plan of reading one book from each line has faltered somewhat. The title from line six I came to a shuddering halt with very early on, and the line seven one I am making some progress with, although very slowly - so slowly in fact that I have twice had to renew it at the library. Although to be fair I did borrow it before the eye op., so there was some time there when I couldn't read at all.

Anyway in an attempt to kickstart further progress I jumped to a quick read from line eight and here is the picture.

And the name of the author rather gives the game away - the book(s) were the Winnie the Pooh collection. I'm really not sure why these should feature on a list of one hundred 'must read' books, but feature they did and there they were, childhood copies still on my shelf, although the early pages somewhat vandalised by my sister and a set of felt tip pens. So  re-read them.  

It was a strange experience, partly because Pooh (along with Piglet) has become a bit of a Facebook meme, and there's a whole lot of other books that have been piled on top of the Winnie the Pooh experience, to say nothing of the rather regrettable Disney versions. So going back to the original comes as a bit of a surprise. 

For a start, which Winnie the Pooh character are you? Everyone has worked out surely which of the animals in the 100 acre wood they most identify with. And who their friends and family are most like? I have a son who is a Wol and a son who is a Piglet and I have for years identified myself with Eeyore, who I thought was a bit lonely, a bit introverted but who Soldiered On because that was what you did. Books and the internet have encouraged us to see Eeyore as a sufferer form depression and that was something else he and I had in common. Or so I thought. 

But it's no such thing. Eeyore is a miserable self obsessed old git who spends all his time trying to guilt trip everyone around into being nice to him, without doing anything to deserve it. He's not depressed, he's not hard done by, he's a lazy, misanthropic (not quite the word since we're talking about animals but you know what I mean) loner who seems to have a mission in life to spread gloom and misery. And if you don't believe me, you can always have a quick re-read yourself and check it out. 

Quite a lot of these characters aren't nearly as nice as you remember them as being, but in all fairness Pooh and Piglet at least struggle with their weaknesses and generally overcome them. If there's a  message in the books, and given when they were written there has to be a message, it is to be nice to other people and forgive their little foibles, remembering that you probably have a fair number of annoying little foibles of your own. 

And of course they're funny. Not very funny, except very occasionally. But funny enough. 

Verdict on Winnie the Pooh/The House at Pooh Corner - A hit.