Grandparents never cease to amaze us with their remarkable lives. One of the greatest joys of having grandparents is discovering the unknown history and stories about a world we never knew. The artifacts and memories they preserve are priceless sources of knowledge. Recently, a man took to Twitter to share his grandmother’s lifelong list of every book she’s read since the age of 14, captivating not only him but also the online community.
Taking to Twitter, a user named Ben Myres, gave us a glimpse into his 94-year-old grandmother’s lifelong reading journey. She has been meticulously documenting every book she’s read since she was 14, which Myres described as an “Amazing archive of one person’s mind over nearly a century”. Interestingly, the list begins with books from 1943 and is mainly composed of German literature. The thread also included an English list documenting the books she read while serving as a refugee in Germany before migrating to Australia. Myres further disclosed, “The total number of books listed is 1658 (nearly one per fortnight over 80 years). Not bad for a person who never had the opportunity to finish school. In a different world she would have studied philosophy at university.”
My 94-year-old grandmother has kept a list of every book she ever read since she was 14 years old. Amazing archive of one person’s mind over nearly a century pic.twitter.com/Cu9znTgkJO— Ben Myers (@_BenMyers_) March 20, 2023
Thanks for all the interest in my grandmother’s reading! Here are a few more pages from this early period when she was a refugee in Germany, followed by her migration to Australia pic.twitter.com/IKOOcevgmA— Ben Myers (@_BenMyers_) March 21, 2023
The total number of books listed is 1658 (nearly one per fortnight over 80 years). Not bad for a person who never had the opportunity to finish school. In a different world she would have studied philosophy at university— Ben Myers (@_BenMyers_) March 21, 2023
Users on Twitter were impressed and intrigued by Ben Myres’ grandmother’s lifelong reading list and asked for more information. One user asked if she only read books in German and English, to which Myres replied, “Serbian books on very rare occasions, possibly some Hungarian ones too.”
Absolutely love this thread! Did she read in other languages too, besides German and English?— Adeline Mz (@Adeline_Mz) March 21, 2023
Serbian books on very rare occasions, possibly some Hungarian ones too (I haven’t looked carefully yet, I only got the list from her yesterday)— Ben Myers (@_BenMyers_) March 21, 2023
Meanwhile, fascinated users couldn’t stop showing their love for his grandmother, with one commenting, “Omg! This is amazing. What a thing to get to know, see about your grandmother.” Another user wrote, “So beautiful! Your grandmother sounds like an amazing woman!”.
Wowza!— Mary Beth Schneider (@marybschneider) March 21, 2023
Dude, ur grandmother is awesome! What a rich piece of history. ❤️I miss my Nanna - the only woman to love me no matter what I did wrong. My biggest fan!— Nick (@NickDThomson) March 21, 2023
This is absolutely wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing with us.— Jennifer Egan (@Egangoonsquad) March 21, 2023
Some even shared their own experiences with similar archives, such as a user who mentioned their grandfather’s handwritten list on tiny pieces of paper. Another shared, “How wonderful. My grandma is 95&an avid book buyer. She didn’t keep a list but I discovered on the back page she wrote the date & what she thought of the book each time she read them.”
My grandfather did this (less organised…), handwritten on tiny pieces of paper — alannah travers (@AlannahTravers) March 21, 2023
How wonderful. My grandma is 95&an avid book buyer. She didn’t keep a list but I discovered on the back page she wrote the date & what she thought of the book each time she read them. Some of the comments are hilarious. pic.twitter.com/lgxiE2g1Px— Naomi Dickinson (@TastyTooGood) March 21, 2023
Isn’t it wonderful how our grandparents have so much wisdom and experiences to share?
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