After flirting with Angry Birds and declaring a truce with Draw Something, I've returned to my old addiction: word games. Lately I've been spending a little (too much) time with Word Dynamo.
Time to 'fess up: where RU wasting your reading time these days?
---- oh and PS, get your kids addicted and I'll betcha they get better SAT scores (you're welcome) ---
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Turn to Books for Mother's Day, Graduation
Want to get mom a page-turner for Mother's Day? Give a grad a good book? Well, of course I wholly support that notion.
You could go for the easy choice - a book about moms, like the ones I reviewed for The Plain Dealer a few Mother's Days ago (now available on Kindle). Or wrap up the resume-building book of the month for your grad and cross 'get a gift' off your to-do list.
Or you could take a different tack and not point out mom's mommy-ness (trust me, by the 6,000th time you've heard yourself referred by your parental moniker instead of your name, you get it) instead, celebrating what mom is in addition to all that maternal goodness.
Similarly, while the grads you know will surely appreciate money, awesome business card holders, money, briefcases, money, how-to-get-a-job books, or money, perhaps they too would welcome a chance to shake off the label ("student" or "graduate") they've worn so long, and would revel in a little token honoring their personhood.
To stir your imagination, then -
Is mom a shutterbug?
Beyond Snapshots and several other nice titles for moms who are ready to take their fancy cameras off the Auto setting and take awesome photos of children (theirs or someone else's) can be found at my favorite photo-tip site, Digital Photography School.
Speak to her romantic side...
Book clubs are snapping up and tittering about 50 Shades of Grey and it's the first of a trilogy, so there's more where that came from if she likes it. ("It" being erotica, aka soft porn, but quite well written - at least, so I've heard.)
Or maybe mom's into yoga, beekeeping or blackjack. I think you get my point. Before she was a mom, that woman had her own personality, her own interests, her own je ne sais quoi - and she still does. (It's just really, really hard to see behind the mommy mask.)
Take the same approach to shopping for a graduate, and your gift is sure to stand out. You can go for the obvious - pick one of those well-timed 'how to get a job' books - or you could think, what does he like to do? Where does she wish she could go? and go from there.
If you can't come up with a title that's a perfect fit, you can always fall back the cliched but pleasingly psychedelic Dr. Seuss title, Oh! the Places You'll Go! It appears on everyone's annual what-book-to-get-for-a-grad lists, but frankly, I think giving that as a graduation gift screams "amateur," don't you?
On the other hand, there are those grads you have to buy a gift for whom you'll never really get to know (boss's son, for one) and such standard fare is appropriate in those cases. Maybe The Naked Roommate isn't appropriate for the boss's son, but I couldn't leave it out of this piece - it's my all-time favorite title for a high school graduate. OK, now off to shop, ya'll. You have some gifts to buy!
= = = = = = = = = = =
What to get the teacher?
I'd be silly not to mention this great title for a teacher gift: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of .... OK, Cleveland comes to mind (I know the author, wink, wink) but several dozen other cities also occur to me. That's because the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of .... books are available for Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and oodles of other major metro areas. After a long school year, I'm pretty sure most teachers would love to spend a few hours on a nice, quite, peaceful trail that doesn't have to be graded, copied, or discussed at a meeting. Just sayin'.
You could go for the easy choice - a book about moms, like the ones I reviewed for The Plain Dealer a few Mother's Days ago (now available on Kindle). Or wrap up the resume-building book of the month for your grad and cross 'get a gift' off your to-do list.
Or you could take a different tack and not point out mom's mommy-ness (trust me, by the 6,000th time you've heard yourself referred by your parental moniker instead of your name, you get it) instead, celebrating what mom is in addition to all that maternal goodness.
Similarly, while the grads you know will surely appreciate money, awesome business card holders, money, briefcases, money, how-to-get-a-job books, or money, perhaps they too would welcome a chance to shake off the label ("student" or "graduate") they've worn so long, and would revel in a little token honoring their personhood.
To stir your imagination, then -
Is mom a shutterbug? Beyond Snapshots and several other nice titles for moms who are ready to take their fancy cameras off the Auto setting and take awesome photos of children (theirs or someone else's) can be found at my favorite photo-tip site, Digital Photography School.
Speak to her romantic side...
Book clubs are snapping up and tittering about 50 Shades of Grey and it's the first of a trilogy, so there's more where that came from if she likes it. ("It" being erotica, aka soft porn, but quite well written - at least, so I've heard.)
Or maybe mom's into yoga, beekeeping or blackjack. I think you get my point. Before she was a mom, that woman had her own personality, her own interests, her own je ne sais quoi - and she still does. (It's just really, really hard to see behind the mommy mask.)
Take the same approach to shopping for a graduate, and your gift is sure to stand out. You can go for the obvious - pick one of those well-timed 'how to get a job' books - or you could think, what does he like to do? Where does she wish she could go? and go from there.
If you can't come up with a title that's a perfect fit, you can always fall back the cliched but pleasingly psychedelic Dr. Seuss title, Oh! the Places You'll Go! It appears on everyone's annual what-book-to-get-for-a-grad lists, but frankly, I think giving that as a graduation gift screams "amateur," don't you?
On the other hand, there are those grads you have to buy a gift for whom you'll never really get to know (boss's son, for one) and such standard fare is appropriate in those cases. Maybe The Naked Roommate isn't appropriate for the boss's son, but I couldn't leave it out of this piece - it's my all-time favorite title for a high school graduate. OK, now off to shop, ya'll. You have some gifts to buy!
= = = = = = = = = = =
What to get the teacher?
I'd be silly not to mention this great title for a teacher gift: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of .... OK, Cleveland comes to mind (I know the author, wink, wink) but several dozen other cities also occur to me. That's because the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of .... books are available for Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and oodles of other major metro areas. After a long school year, I'm pretty sure most teachers would love to spend a few hours on a nice, quite, peaceful trail that doesn't have to be graded, copied, or discussed at a meeting. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wiser Wednesday
It's Wednesday, and if you're like my friend Janice, you know that means it's time for more brain exercise!
Don't worry, it's not heavy exercise today. Just a little stretch and warm-up.
The What kind of reader are you? quiz was almost pure fun. And, I'll admit, not terribly insightful. I learned I am a dedicated reader who is "convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more."
Now that you're warmed up, how 'bout a little speed reading? See how you do compared to the 'average' (whatever that is) with ReadingSoft's free online test. If you clock in at 1,000 wpm, let me know; I'll change the headline to Warp Speed Wednesday.
... and they're off!
_____________________________________________
URLs, in case the links above don't work for you:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_kind_of_reader_are_youhttp://www.gotoquiz.com/what_kind_of_reader_are_you
http://www.readingsoft.com/index.html
Don't worry, it's not heavy exercise today. Just a little stretch and warm-up.
The What kind of reader are you? quiz was almost pure fun. And, I'll admit, not terribly insightful. I learned I am a dedicated reader who is "convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more."
Now that you're warmed up, how 'bout a little speed reading? See how you do compared to the 'average' (whatever that is) with ReadingSoft's free online test. If you clock in at 1,000 wpm, let me know; I'll change the headline to Warp Speed Wednesday.
... and they're off!
_____________________________________________
URLs, in case the links above don't work for you:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_kind_of_reader_are_youhttp://www.gotoquiz.com/what_kind_of_reader_are_you
http://www.readingsoft.com/index.html
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wiser Wednesday
Wednesday is a great day to work your vocabulary muscles!
Warm up with GetWords.com then see if you're smarter than an 11th-grader by taking the SAT vocabulary challenge and then, if you just haven't gotten your fill of words, consider The Word on Words, a self-published book that received a starred review* from Kirkus review.
*See, they're out there.
Warm up with GetWords.com then see if you're smarter than an 11th-grader by taking the SAT vocabulary challenge and then, if you just haven't gotten your fill of words, consider The Word on Words, a self-published book that received a starred review* from Kirkus review.
*See, they're out there.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Why Social Media is good for reading
JK Rowling finally did it (well, her publisher did) and now that all seven Harry Potter books are on available for e-readers, we can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Not that the books are available, but that because they are, we may finally be free of those silly articles predicting the death of e-readers.
Actually, next to the prediction (made by every generation since Socrates, at least) that civilization is coming to an end thanks to "today's youth," the assertion that reading is dead is probably a close second. I disagree.
Kindles and all manner of screens mean we may be buying and turning fewer paper pages, but we're reading more. What evidence do I have for this crazy idea? My teenager has bought two books, with her own money, to read on her iPhone. If I'm crazy, well, so is the rest of the world.
In fact, I'll prove it by saying this: social media is making better readers of us all.
Admit it; you've probably been tempted to "like," "+1" or otherwise recommend an article by one of those catchy headlines. Then after you click, you (the responsible person who doesn't want to be seen as an indiscriminate button-pushing sharer) will read the whole article. I mean, do you really want to end up in a discussion with someone quizzing you on your opinion about something in the bottom paragraph if you haven't read the article? Uh-huh. That's what I thought - a little online repartee can convince you to go back and read the ones you really just skimmed, and shared, too hastily.
And then there are books, those dinosaurs we carry (yet and still!) to read on beach vacations and in doctors' offices. How many online reading circles are out there? A lot more than there were 20 years ago, and thanks to the peer pressure applied by fellow Facebook users eager to weigh in with opinions to impress their friends (you saw The Hunger Games before you read it? OMG!) I bet that you've purchased or checked a book out of your library just because of the buzz it got from someone's Tweets or Pinterest boards. See? Peer pressure isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Of course, if you think I'm wrong, be sure to tell me. Just know this: I dare you to share this until you've read the whole thing.
_________________________________________
From Mary Ruefle, in Someone Reading a Book Is a Sign of Order in the World, comes this excellent explanation of why reading will never be passe:
Actually, next to the prediction (made by every generation since Socrates, at least) that civilization is coming to an end thanks to "today's youth," the assertion that reading is dead is probably a close second. I disagree.
Kindles and all manner of screens mean we may be buying and turning fewer paper pages, but we're reading more. What evidence do I have for this crazy idea? My teenager has bought two books, with her own money, to read on her iPhone. If I'm crazy, well, so is the rest of the world.
In fact, I'll prove it by saying this: social media is making better readers of us all.
Admit it; you've probably been tempted to "like," "+1" or otherwise recommend an article by one of those catchy headlines. Then after you click, you (the responsible person who doesn't want to be seen as an indiscriminate button-pushing sharer) will read the whole article. I mean, do you really want to end up in a discussion with someone quizzing you on your opinion about something in the bottom paragraph if you haven't read the article? Uh-huh. That's what I thought - a little online repartee can convince you to go back and read the ones you really just skimmed, and shared, too hastily.
And then there are books, those dinosaurs we carry (yet and still!) to read on beach vacations and in doctors' offices. How many online reading circles are out there? A lot more than there were 20 years ago, and thanks to the peer pressure applied by fellow Facebook users eager to weigh in with opinions to impress their friends (you saw The Hunger Games before you read it? OMG!) I bet that you've purchased or checked a book out of your library just because of the buzz it got from someone's Tweets or Pinterest boards. See? Peer pressure isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Of course, if you think I'm wrong, be sure to tell me. Just know this: I dare you to share this until you've read the whole thing.
_________________________________________
From Mary Ruefle, in Someone Reading a Book Is a Sign of Order in the World, comes this excellent explanation of why reading will never be passe:
Reading...is a great extension of time, a way for one person to live a thousand and one lives in a single lifespan.Read on, my friends!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wiser Wednesday
If you enjoyed my Matriculate Monday series, you might like this, too:
Definition a Day quiz from Vocabula.com
___________________
Link not working? Here:
http://www.vocabula.com/quiz/showDOTD.aspx
Definition a Day quiz from Vocabula.com
___________________
Link not working? Here:
http://www.vocabula.com/quiz/showDOTD.aspx
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Poets.org Unsnobs Verse
 | |
| The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934. |
With a mission "to support American poets...and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry," it sounds just a tad stuffy, don't you think? Well, it's not.
Turns out these wordsmiths foster appreciation in some very accessible ways. Mobile poetry reader, anyone? (It allows you to "Woo or woe, on the go.")
The site has oodles of references for educators (hello, substitute teachers, bookmark this: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/6) and other folks, including those (like me) who can't always tell their ee cummings from their Robert Frosts and those who'll admit (as I do) they've never read Shakespeare outside of a classroom. Poetry 101 is a lively, not-at-all disdainful or sarcastic section where I could learn a lot. But for today, at least, I'm going to browse the more bourgeois Poems for Every Occasion pages, complete with emoticons and links to the poets' Twitter and Facebook pages. #don'tjudgeme :D
___________________________________________
psssst - April is also National School Library Month. Hey I know, you could celebrate by donating a poetry book to your local school library. Bet Poets.org could recommend a few good books ...
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