Category: Thoughts

Happy Dolly Parton Day!

Dolly Parton was a voracious reader and knew the importance of getting books in children’s hands early in their lifetimes. She created her IMAGINATION LIBRARY to do just that.

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world.

“The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

“If you can read, you can find books on anything you want. You can self‑educate even if you can’t afford to go to school.” 

It has been reported that in 2020, she had read at least 50 books even with everything going on in her life. Reading was a priority for her.

In March 2026 she shared her favorite books of all time in addition to the bible.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

An atmospheric tale of life and love in a Depression-era traveling circus.

Jacob Janowski’s luck had run out—orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was the Great Depression and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. There he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but brutal animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this group of misfits was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

This sweeping literary masterpiece by Alexandre Dumas centers on the wrongfully imprisoned Edmond Dantès. Behind bars in the eerie Château d’If, Edmond refuses to let injustice define his fate. As he uncovers a secret hidden fortune located on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he begins plotting his escape and revenge. This classic tale delivers a captivating blend of adventure, suspense and intrigue.

Oral History by Lee Smith

“The best novel so far by a writer whose growth has been steady and sure . . . . [Oral History] tells the story of the Cantrell family and the odd curse that its members believe to have hung over them. It is a tale that begins in the late 19th century with Granny Younger, the midwife, and continues well into the 20th century through several generations of Cantrells; it is also a tale deeply rooted in the folk culture of the Appalachians, a tale that in the best tradition of folklore contains ‘story upon story.'” — The Washington Post Book World

“A novel as dark, winding, complicated as the hill country itself. . . You could make comparisons to Faulkner and Carson McCullers, to The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Wuthering Heights. You could employ all those familiar ringing terms of praise: ‘rare,’ ‘brilliant,’ ‘unforgettable.’ But Lee Smith and Oral History make you wish all those phrases were fresh and new, that all those comparisons had never before been made. For this is a novel deserving of unique praise.” — The Village Voice

Black Mountain Breakdown’ by Lee Smith

Crystal Spangler lives in rural Appalachia. She’s the apple of her mother’s eye — not yet beautiful, but she will be. She’s the most popular girl at Black Rock High. She makes cheerleader, gets good grades, and is elected beauty queen. Crystal discovers God, goes to college, and falls in love. When she comes home, she’s disheveled and confused. Crystal becomes a wealthy politician’s wife. But there’s something calling her, drawing her back to where it all began, in the shadow of Black Mountain . . .

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Joad family, dispossessed of their Oklahoma farm by the Dust Bowl and economic hardship, embark on a treacherous journey to California in search of a promised land. Along the way, they confront systemic inequality, exploitation, and the harsh realities of life for migrant workers. Steinbeck’s prose paints a vivid picture of the social and economic upheavals of the 1930s, capturing the essence of a nation grappling with economic injustice.

At the heart of the novel is Tom Joad, a character who transforms from a man seeking personal redemption to a symbol of collective resistance. As the Joads face adversity with unyielding courage, “Grapes of Wrath” becomes a powerful exploration of the human condition and a scathing critique of societal inequities.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

It’s 1978, and Ave Maria Mulligan is the thirty-five-year-old self-proclaimed spinster of Big Stone Gap, a sleepy hamlet in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She’s also the local pharmacist, the co-captain of the Rescue Squad, and the director of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the town’s long-running Outdoor Drama. Ave Maria is content with her life—until, one fateful day, her past opens wide with the revelation of a long-buried secret that will alter the course of her life. Before she knows it, Ave Maria is fielding marriage proposals, trying to claim her rightful inheritance, and planning the trip of a lifetime to Italy—one that will change her view of the world and her own place in it forever.

Millions of readers around the world have fallen in love with the small town of Big Stone Gap, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and its self-proclaimed spinster. Full of wit and wonder

I am so happy that Dolly has her own day for us to celebrate her life. She was an icon with a huge heart that touched so many people. Her legacy of music, movies, and good works will live on. It has been reported that she has made sure of that.

Such a lady! Such a treasure! We are all blessed that she was placed on this earth. She fought through her struggles with grace. She leaned on her faith. She shared it all with everyone. She is missed.

Open up your hearts today! Be like Dolly! 

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