But seriously, what ARE YOU reading?

I'm always looking for guest bloggers! It's this easy: type about what you've read recently - old or new, any genre - what you liked about it, and why you'd recommend it. Or not.

Please contact me if you're the slightest bit interested.  I welcome your reviews, and your fellow readers will appreciate it, too.

Reluctant Readers Will Read

As long as they have good books! For a good look at what makes a book hook a reluctant reader, please see this post from Notes from Room 145.

Dear Kindle, I Love My Paper

I didn't want and didn't get a Kindle for Christmas. My former mother-in-law wasn't so lucky.

She didn't want one, but she got one.

My ex-hubby, who gave her Amazon's wonder product, is still laughing. He thinks it's all about age and says he's enjoyed "watching her struggle" to master the third-generation electronic reader. I defended the woman, as I always will a fellow reader and book lover. Notice how that's no longer redundant. (Before I continue, said ex-MIL is no luddite. If she wants to read an LCD screen, she'll manage.)

And that distinction - that you can love to read and have no affinity for the printed word - may save newspapers, the (possibly-in-need-of-a-new-name) publishing industry, and life as we (who cut our teeth on board books) know it.

My daughter, and too many of her Facebook peers, professes to "hate" reading. I hope that's a miscommunication, that they really loathe the form - OMG! my mother reads books - and not the function. That is, the reading.

Once again, I'm a tweener. While I'm tech-savvy enough to conduct my own Facebook research, thank you, my life-long love of books won't easily translate to the pixelated page. Paper feels good. Smells. Not always good, but it's a smell. It's real. Ink can smudge. In short, reading hints at being alive. It's really, really, really personal. Sure you can make notes in the margin of a Kindle. But you can't dog-ear the pages. And what about the bookmark, like a steady hand guiding me through the rough passages, patiently holding my place while I'm away?

I'm realistic enough to accept/smart enough to be thrilled by digital accessibility. Libraries are jumping on Kindle (and competitors) as well they should.

But reading the Sunday paper at the breakfast table, its form changing as it follows me throughout the day, is a joy I won't abandon anytime soon. I don't need batteries or a protective case for The Plain Dealer. In fact, those as-yet-unread sections I carry can protect me from a sudden shower, dirty dog, or unwanted conversation. As opposed to Kindle, which at that cute toddler stage only invites chitchat.

Yesterday, I lingered over coffee while marveling at the optimism of building a $33 million aquarium downtown, read Terry Pluto's wonderful column on Jesus's messed-up family in the car, and toted the Arts Section (with its book reviews!!) to the evening's soccer game. Sure, I could have taken Kindle along. But the paper is so much...softer. Sweeter. Pulpier.

But pulp free progress marches on. Perhaps some of us will acquiesce and turn to the shiny reader as early as this month. Thanks to the International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts Thursday, the price is sure to drop on Kindles and all electronic readers (as well as the uber-cool iPad).

Til then - at least - the books are piling up on my nightstand. Which is exactly how I like it. Thank you, dear friends and fellow readers, for not giving me a Kindle. Just yet.

Please support libraries and your local booksellers in 2011.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Library Cuts HURT - Let's Try to Help

Dear friends and fellow readers. You know I love libraries. Please consider contacting Governor Strickland and our representatives to urge them to maintain as much funding as possible for our libraries. My letter follows contact information, below.

For More Information http://saveohiolibraries.com

Governor Ted Strickland
Governor's Office
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6108
614-466-3555
http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx

Senator Kevin Coughlin
Senate Building
Room #222, Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 466-4823
SD27@senate.state.oh.us

Representative Mike Moran
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
(614) 466-1177
district42@ohr.state.oh.us

: : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Dear Sen. Coughlin and Rep. Moran:

I am requesting that you reconsider the proposed cuts to library funding in Ohio. I understand drastic budget reductions are required, and cuts hurt no matter where they are made. That said, I suggest that cuts in library hours, services, and staff will have long term, expensive repercussions for Ohio residents of all ages, stages, and socio-economic levels.

At the library, my 5 year old is learning to read, sing, wait his turn, share, and use a computer. My 13 year old is learning about everything that piques her interest right now- with an eye toward high school, college, and job opportunities. My 80 year old mother and 78 year old father visit the library, separately and together, to learn new skills, meet friends, browse the large-print books, and get answers to questions about taxes, medicines, TVs, telephone/internet service, and more. As a writer, I use the libraries (and their staffs, and resources) at least twice a week in the course of my work - and I've visited the library to help find work - as well as simply for relaxation. I've also benefited from the chance to offer input regarding government projects during meetings held, you guessed it, at various libraries.

Libraries are safe, bright, inviting spots that inform and enrich the lives of Ohio's citizens and therefore, support and enhance the quality of life in our entire state.

Please speak up, work hard, and do everything you can to support ALL of our libraries, especially during these difficult times.

Thank you for your consideration and dedication to the people of Ohio.

You Go, Girl

I've been on something of a kick reading about adolescent girls, Hold Me Close, Let Me Go (by Adair Lara) being the latest. Of the pile I've read so far, it's been the least illuminating but most personal. I found it disappointing, in that I had hoped for a whole book along the lines of Lara's wonderfully clarifying essay referred to in most reprints I've seen as The Cat Years.)

Reviving Ophelia surprised me the most - I didn't want to read it, rather, I thought I should. I had dismissed Mary Pipher's book as "just" the seminal diatribe on adolescent girls and eating disorders, when it is quite a bit more than that, and much more palatable than Queen Bees and Wannabees. (Which scared and scarred me, I'm telling you.)

As the admittedly anxious and confused mother of a teenager, I'm still open to suggestions for reading materials that might make the next few years of my life a little saner and a little safer for us all...

Golf is Bad 4 U, Fixing the Root of the Problem, and Other Interesting Topics

Alas, a new year dawned on my old pile of magazines, finding it nearly as deep as ever. I'm still wading through...and I've learned:

Golfing can make you deaf. (Discover Magazine January 2009)

The hottest treatment for heart attacks is hypothermia. (This link to NYT article dated December 4, 2008; a longer article in Popular Science is quite good.)

The stem cell answer may lie within. (Discover Magazine January 2009) ...

...and I have too many $#%& magazines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Reading More! So, What?

The New York Times reports that we're reading more books - and specifically, fiction.

When I saw the headline, I thought, well, there's one benefit of this economic disaster. But the experts who comment on the National Endowment for the Arts' annual report don't go there...instead, their scholarly opinions seem to be, who knows what that means?

They're probably right. The increase, the first seen in 25 years, is just one increase. According to the report, conducted by the US Census Bureau, just over 50% of adults surveyed said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem, or play in the previous 12 months. In 1992, nearly 57% answered "yes" to the same question.

I'm not going to second-guess the experts; I can only hope that means we're not as dumb as we've been told.

I will hazard a guess (and hope!) that we'll find ourselves spending more time in libraries. My son and I read and played away two hours at our local library last weekend, and we had a blast - for free. :)

The Answer is ...Too Much!

I'm reading too many things, and I'm enjoying them all. You know what that means: library fines are mounting. I'm in the middle of, almost in the middle of, or almost finished reading A Mango-Shaped Space (yes! another YA), How Does It Feel To Be A Problem?, and Girls Will be Girls.

I'm just beginning Sound Reporting and this month's National Geographic...

Stumbling Over Smart Guys and Trendsetters

Charles Murray's Opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, For Most People, College is a Waste of Time, is worth a read. Somebody, get this guy on a committee to reform education...and quick.

And I stumbled on this blog entry today - yeah, it's almost eight months old - and thought, yep, he's right: the iPhone and iTouch could replace a lot of retail sales people. (Sorry, guys.)

Then I thought, wait a minute. The technology I use isn't working quite so well. I subscribe to a couple of "trendspotting" newsletters, one RSS feed, and have three different Google Alert settings, yet I literally stumbled across these articles.

Sigh. See, this is why I like to keep track of my favorite reading material. Nobody else is really doing it for me...

Just for Kix

Ah, 'tis true: I do read cereal boxes.

Did you know Kix cereal is a very healthy choice?

A 1-1/4 cup serving has less sodium and fat and more potassium than a serving (1 cup) of Cheerios, and the same amount of fiber (3 grams) and calories (110). Huh.

They're both fortified, so they're pretty equally plumped up with the usual vitamins. And I have to admit Kix has more sugar (3 grams vs Cheerios' 1 gram) and Cheerios has 3 grams of protein to the 2 grams in Kix.

And now I really need to go to the library, and pull something besides a cereal box off the shelf!

Boo! Book Pages Shrinking

Looks like my local paper, the venerable Cleveland Plain Dealer, has recently sliced a significant chunk off its book review pages.

Boo!

We can only hope it's a temporary change.

Yes, yes, I know what's going on in the newspaper business. It's crazy. No one really knows how to plump up profits.

But it seems sort of - disingenuous? counterproductive? well, ironic, at least - to reduce the reading space devoted to the most devoted readers.

Sigh.

You read, right? Let the paper's management know you miss those column-inches. And you want 'em back. I sure do!

Got Summer Reading?

This morning, my favorite radio station devoted more than 30 minutes to the question, "what are you reading this summer?" You can see (and hear) the answers here.

Guests and callers spoke about several genres, including memoir, but didn't mention one of my favorites, Stephen King's On Writing, which is at least as much memoir as it is writing advice. I loved the book, even though I'm not a fan of his scarier stuff.

Old Stuff & Mysteries
I'm reading the (almost) current issue of National Geographic now, enjoying a (typically) lengthy article about Stonehenge. It references several recent digs near the enigmatic structures, but oddly, it doesn't doesn't mention (nor does NGS's own website include links to) the magazine's recent articles about those digs. Did you know that one in 2006 investigated the site that probably housed the builders of the famous monument?! Gee, that sounds kinda' relevant to me.

I wonder what folks are learning in library science these days...will we ever have a system of reference for information on the web as cut-and-dried (and comprehensive) as the dear old Dewey decimal/card catalog system in old-fashioned libraries?

Will our kids learn how to cite at least three credible sources and create footnotes for their research papers? Am I just getting old and crabby?

Maybe, maybe, and probably.

So what are you reading this summer?

Read that Rx

I've been sick lately and of course, I read the (rather lengthy) material that came with my prescriptions. I had to call the pharmacy, anyway, because while it was clear I was to take a series of six pills, then five, then four (you get the idea) each day until there were no more, it was not clear if I was to take the lot at once, or spaced throughout the day.

I got my answer but the experience made me, even in a weakened state, rise up on my soapbox. (Yes, there are several soapboxes. In this case, it was the be-careful-what-you-write soapbox.)

Speaking about prescriptions, I was really taken by an AP article that ran in my local paper today: Thou shalt see a doctor. Reportedly, last month the Rev. Keith Troy made every man in church stand up and agree to go to the doctor in the next three months. Rev. Troy had had a rough week, having seen four of his parishioners die. And he knows many more will follow soon if they don't start taking care of themselves. According to CDC statistics, Black and Hispanic men are the least likely to see a doctor regularly, and not because their health is especially good.

Rev. Troy had the good judgment to make the men in his congregation not only stand up publicly - he also had them write down their name and phone number so the church could follow up with them, and help get them to an appointment if necessary.

Amen to that - and praise be the power of words.

Here's to your (and their) health!

Confessions of a Bag Lady

I love reading - books, magazines, newsletters, press releases, you name it, I read almost everything (except recipes). I guess I'm an optimist, as I typically check out more books than I can read and order more magazines and newspapers than I can digest. So, I'm trying like the dickens to read all my old periodicals before the new year and new reading resolutions take hold. That's right, I'm a bag lady.

I tote magazines, books, newspaper clippings, and other stuff in a canvas bag anywhere I think I might have a chance to read. This week, the dentist's office.

There I really got into a Newsweek article (from OCTOBER! How embarrassing!) about how killing germs may be killing us, and another about campaign reform. I also enjoyed one from the Columbus Dispatch about a restoration of an old airplane recently underway in Urbana.

Maybe you're catching up, too? Let me know...

Meanwhile, no books for me until I'm done with about five pounds of magazines including Scientific American, National Geographic, Design News, Discover... and a New Year's resolution to read them rather than pile them up. (Who knows? Someday I may be looking for a new use for my magazine racks!)