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Family Finds Late Grandmother's Secret Code For Reviewing Every Book She Ever Read

Koh Mochizuki
Jun. 03, 2018
Family Finds Late Grandmother's Secret Code For Reviewing Every Book She Ever Read
(@laurenTarshis/Twitter)

Stefanie Dreyfuss of Westport, Connecticut, was a beloved grandmother and an avid reader.

However, relatives and in-laws weren't aware of how deep her literary passion was until she passed away at the age of 96. Dreyfuss's daughter-in-law stumbled upon a veritable treasure trove of index cards that archived every book the grandmother ever read.

"I lost my mother in law last week. She was 96 and one of my best friends," wrote author Lauren Tarshis on Twitter. "A lifelong lover of books, she kept track of all she read on index cards and recorded her opinion in code. This is the key to her code and the cards we found among her belongings."


One of the photos is of Dreyfuss's handwritten grading scale indicating she was a discerning reader who had strict standards for critiquing books.

Here are some examples of her codes determining readability specifications:

  • NFM: Not For Me
  • G: Good didn't hold my attention
  • NMS: Not my style
  • RR: Readable
  • WOT: Waste of Time




Tarshis, an editor of Scholastic's Storyworks Magazine and author of the book series "I Survived," shared another photo revealing her mother-in-law's compilation of favorite quotations.


Dreyfuss is posthumously setting literary trends.


After a few comments praising her mother-in-law for her intellect and grace, Tarshis revealed that Dreyfuss was a self-educated woman.





Tarshis's tweet has gone viral, garnering over 19 thousand likes! But, in spite of all the admiration, Tarshis has one regret:

The only sad thing about my late mother-in-law becoming a viral sensation is that we can't call her to tell her that she is a viral sensation.


Dreyfuss remains adored.






H/T - CBSlocal, Twitter