Kids' Stuff: Reading & Typing

Summer reading. It's highly recommended by teachers and parents everywhere. Yeah, yeah. We know. While I'm a very enthusiastic supporter of the whole reading thing, I'm taking a break from that lecture to remind parents that keyboard skills are important to a child's education, too.

Here's a fun typing game for kids I found recently. Maybe your kids will appreciate a break from your particular lecture repertoire, too?

http://www.clubhousemagazine.com/games/type-logger

Several Shades Better

You want to be like everybody else? Carry 50 Shades of Grey to the pool this summer. If you want to read a really good book - albeit one that might qualify for a chick-lit label - heft Diana Gabaldon's Outlander wherever you go. The author's storytelling skills guarantee a great deal of escape, and an equally well-written bit of smut only adds to the adventure.

Apparently, Outlander was a bit of escape for the author, who began writing it while she was a university professor. Degrees in zoology, marine biology, and ecology notwithstanding, Gabaldon managed to weave a tale that takes us on a time-travel jaunt from post-WWII England to the Scottish Highlands, circa 1743. Aye, and it's a bonny journey!

I highly recommend this book and won't spoil your enjoyment by going into plot details. In a nutshell, if you like adventure, romance, and botany, this is going to be one of your favorite books. If you'd like a well-crafted description of what a very strong female lead finds under an even stronger Scotsman's kilt, well, what are you waiting for? Go get Outlander. And read it quickly, without remorse -- there's a series of seven books waiting for you, with an eighth expected early in 2013. 

And you know all those silly typos and redundancies in Shades of Grey? You won't find 'em here. Enjoy!
__________________________________

Better than #ShadesofGrey

Just take those old books off the shelf...

...with apologies to Bob Seger (and anyone who has ever heard me sing) I was repeating that little tune the other day as we strolled out of the library, a pile of "new" books tucked under our arms. "We" consisted of a recent graduate of the second grade and myself. For him, Daniel Handler's series of unfortunate events are all-new. For me (donning sheepish look) it's Primary Colors. Seems appropriate in this ridiculous election year, don'tcha think?

Shades of Grey Blip or an Industry Boost?

In case you think "everyone" is reading 50 Shades of Grey, I'm not. (Yet! It's on my list.) But I know how you feel - I've been absolutely astonished by the number of my friends and the number of exuberant strangers I've heard from lately who have devoured the book. It's hot, however you want to interpret it - Ellen Degeneres is reading it on YouTube, a movie's reportedly in the works, and several public libraries have banned it.

(Not surprisingly, the title seems to have caused some spelling confusion, but that's a topic for my writing blog, not this one.)

Because I'm so interested in the machinations of the publishing industry, I have to wonder whether Shades of Grey is more than a blip. Will it amount to Harry Potter for a different demographic? After they've finished reading Shades of Grey (a time or two, wink, wink) will women of a certain age seek out other similarly absorbing titles?

I rather hope so.
~~~~~~~~~
Speak up: leave a comment or contact me if you'd like to review the book or share your views. Guest bloggers always welcome!

Summer reading tips

Ye gads! Already? Yep; summer's danged close. Teachers are whipping out their summer reading assignments; vacationers are picking through paperbacks (or downloading to their ereaders) in anticipation. What are you going to read this season?  Whittle down the stack of dusty magazines? Spring for a NYT Bestseller? Peruse the stacks at your favorite used book store?

Of course, I have a few suggestions...

1. Read about reading
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster, adds some insight to your reading, whatever it is. It doubles as a refresher course in interpretive literature, but in a good way. I'm still reading slowly, a chapter or so at a sitting... fortunately it's on loan from a very understanding and patient friend. (Thanks, Chris!) I recommend it. Even though I haven't finished it. :D

2. Support your local bookstore! 
Pick up those summer reading assignments for your students at an independent book store. They'll love you for it, and probably offer a discount. Plus, remember you always get "free shipping" when you buy from a real, bricks and mortar retail store.

3. Spread some good karma.
Traveling? Try this: pick up some used paperbacks before you go, knowing you'll finish them and not want to bring them home. Strike up a conversation about reading with a stranger (making a friend in the process) and leave the book with him or her. Alternatively, ask the management if you can donate the book to the hotel's game/reading room, or just just leave it by the pool with a post-it-note saying "free book- enjoy."

4. Switch gears.
Always seeking a legal thriller? Give your brain something else to chew on. A romantic comedy. A graphic novel. A translation. Something your parents didn't want you to read, a hundred years ago, when you were a kid. Something you loved as a kid, but you can't remember why.

5. Stretchhhhhhhhhh.
For real, stretch. Your brain loves it when you get so absorbed in a book you just can't put it down. Your spine hates it. So stretch, already. 

6. Share it. 
Share it by reading it with someone. You don't have to join a book group;  just make a pact with a friend, your daughter, sister, spouse, or a neighbor that you'll read the same book and discuss it this summer. Then do it! 

7. Share it again. 
Share the book, yes, by all means! But also, share your reading pleasures with us here (guest posters always welcome) and with readers elsewhere. Reading (usually) is a solitary activity, and that's part of its allure. Sharing what you've read adds another dimension to your understanding - and enjoyment - of the book. So dish!

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.

Grad gift: More than a money holder

Sure, grads need cash. It's gotta be the most appreciated gift of all time. Gift cards are almost certainly the second favored item, right? And they're easy on the giver, minimal shopping and wrapping and all that. But.

They're so. You know. Nondescript. Unimaginative. Borrrrrrring.

Giving a grad a gift like cash or pre-paid gift cards is practical, sure to inspire sincere "thanks" and yet, the grateful word is so often accompanied by the look that says, "Boy, you put a lot of thought into that, huh?"

Enter the book. You can stand out from the other check-writing, gift card-toting graduation party attendees by sticking your check, cash, or gift card into a clever (good) book. You know I love The Naked Roommate (snicker if you want to; it is full of practical advice for college-bound high school grads) but there are more, newer titles to consider - some perfect for college graduation gifts, as well as high school pomp and circumstance. Some ... are really only "perfect" if you know the graduate's parents really well. Just think before you wrap, OK?

A few on my graduate gift-giving radar:

No Money? No Problem (see how that title could double as an excuse for the low amount of your check?), Cool Shit (sort of 'The Dangerous Book' for teens/adults who aren't quite grownups) and the give-at-your-own-risk Get Laid. 

No, I don't make this s... stuff up. What about you? What books are you wrapping up for graduates in the class of 2012? Please share... it's almost party time!