91-year-old woman reads 1,000 books in five years”Really and truly, I tell you, that TV was my life,’ Evelyn Means says as she points to the turned-off set in the corner of the living room in her Uniontown home.
But a little more than five years ago, Means’ life changed when her niece Elinor Holland of Bakerstown, Allegheny County, asked her aunt if she ever read. “I said, ‘No, I never did.’ But Elinor said, ‘I’m bringing you two books. If you want to read them, OK. If not, that’s OK. They come to visit me every three weeks, and she said she would pick them up when she came back to visit. And that’s how it all started,’ Means said, smiling at the memory of the launch of her adventure into reading.
Her literary odyssey began in September 1999, and since then, the 91-year-old Means has read 1,032 books. She’s kept track of every title in a white, lined tablet in which she also records a comment about each book.
“I never thought when I started that day that I would love to read like I do. It’s my life,’ said Means, a friendly and cheerful woman with a bright smile.
A Uniontown native born July 15, 1913, Means worked at Murphy’s store in Uniontown before taking a job hauling freight at the Pennsylvania Railroad during World War II. She married George W. Means, who was a Teamster, and the couple had a son, Richard Terry Means, now living in Florida.
After raising her family, Means worked 13 years at the Fayette County prothonotary’s office before retiring. Her husband died in 1996, and Means became even more hooked on television.
“I remember my husband getting up at 2 o’clock in the morning and there I was watching television,’ she said.
But since discovering books, Means has little time for television, except to watch sports. Visitors are more likely to catch her at home reading in her living room in her favorite chair by a lamp and the window.
“This is my reading chair,’ she said. “I start to read one and I’m so involved in that story that I live a different experience every time I read a book.’
Means, who is a member of Third Presbyterian Church, has developed a routine for reading each day.
“If I have anything to do, I get it done and I come here,’ Means said, referring to her reading chair. “I’ve come here after lunch and sat until it’s time to fix my evening meal, and then I come back. There are times I read until 2 a.m. because if there’s something exciting in the story, I would never be able to sleep. I’d rather sit here and read and see what happens. Of course, when I stay up that late, I sleep until 10. But that’s OK. I’m my own boss.’
Her brother Ernest “Jack’ Flesher, also of Uniontown, said he is proud of his older sister and her hobby.
“Reading can be a great accomplishment,’ said Flesher, who presented his sister with a bouquet of flowers.
Means’ family and friends have kept her well supplied with books. She records them all: Elinor and Bill Holland have brought her 646 books from their local library; Means’ hairdresser, JoAnn Shenal, has brought her 255 books; her niece Melody Boyd and friend Jennifer Kopas have passed on 87 books; neighbor Dorothy Sanner has brought over 23 books; and Flesher’s daughter-in-law Connie has given her 21 books.
Means is working on “Presumption of Death,’ by Perri Shaughnessy, while a stack of books with Dan Brown’s “DaVinci Code’ on the top rests nearby.
“For my birthday, for Christmas, you know what I get,’ she said.
Flesher noted his sister reads the large-print books and uses a magnifying glass for books with regular print. But she goes through them all. Only once did she decide not to finish a book – a gruesome murder story – and she no longer remembers that title.
“Reading that scared me to death,’ she confessed.
Except for that book, Means reads everything from murder mysteries to popular fiction to biographies. She particularly enjoyed a biography of President Ronald Reagan and called a biography of Rosemary Clooney “wonderful.’ Her list also contains biographies of the Kennedys and the royal family, as well as classics like “Wuthering Heights’ and popular fiction like Joyce Carol Oates’ “We Were the Mulvaneys’ and John Grisham’s “Runaway Jury.”
“I’ve read all kinds of books. I like to read murder mysteries and I try to figure them out, but I’m usually so far off, it’s funny,’ Means said.
She doesn’t usually remember authors until asked about them, calling John Grisham “a wonderful writer.’ She said she has no favorites, but enjoys the work of many authors and many books.
Means has reached a milestone of reading 1,000 books in a little over five years because she gives so much time to her hobby.
“I can read a book in two days because I devote all my time to the book,’ said Means, noting there are times when she rarely leaves her home so she can indulge in reading.
With all the pleasure she’s received from her hobby, Means gladly recommends it to others.
“Absolutely,’ she said. “In fact, I was reading the paper on 10 reasons people live longer, and reading was one of them.
“It’s true. You don’t sit around worrying about something else,” she added. “I love to read. There’s just something to it that makes my life complete.”