RA Tip: Finding Time to Read!

Have seen similar lists before although a few words to the wise on ways to encourage reading are always welcome reminders! Check out this post from Mashable with 11 tips and tricks to make yourself read more.

I practice numbers 1 (usually more than one), 2 (most of the time), 4 (this can be hard, though make myself do it), 5 (whenever/wherever happen to be waiting in line), 7 (sometimes), 8 (one of my favorite pastimes), and 10 (my family knows to leave me be when am ensconced in my rocking chair with a book). :-)

Need to work on 3 (used to do this but fell out of the habit), 6 (have plans to combine this with my audiobook listening), 9 (does listening to one and reading another count?) and while I'm not a whiskey drinker, I must find the wherewithal to follow number 11!

Give some (if not all) of the tips and tricks a try, you just might like it! :-)

The Loss of Two Literary Icons

On February 19, 2016, the world learned of the passing of Harper Lee and Umberto Eco. Lee was 89 and Eco was 84.

As with many others I am a big fan of To Kill a Mockingbird although having been too young when it was originally published, I did not read the book until I was an adult. Up until I was about thirteen my mother, a grammar school teacher, despaired off my ever picking up a book. Once I did begin to read though, she couldn’t get me to stop and then despaired of getting me out of the house. :-) What I still cherish today from my initial reading was ‘hearing’ the Southern accents come alive in the dialogue. Then came the story itself with all those lovely characters. Atticus Finch and his defense of Tom Robinson. The Finch children, Scout and Jem along with their friend Dill. And their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley. Oh my, how that book got to me! 

Being an Alabama girl, I am also a huge fan of the movie based on Lee's novel. While I did not realize it at the time, I have a small personal connection to the motion picture. Along with hundreds of other mother’s and their young daughters, my Mother took me to an open casting call for the role of Scout. I was just a kid with no interest in acting so had no clue what was going on. And perhaps to keep me from being nervous my Mother did not appraise me of the situation either, which is probably just as well. Suffice it to say I did not get the part, it went to a Birmingham girl by the name of Mary Badham. :-)

Another personal connection I have is with Umberto Eco's debut novel. The Name of the Rose is my favorite mystery title and another of my all time favorite books. The novel appeals to me on many levels. The history major in me is drawn to the time period -- 14th Century Italy during the political and religious conflict of the Papal Schism, when three men simultaneously claimed to be Pope. Then there is the setting, a Benedictine abbey renowned for it’s library. The librarian in me is always in heaven at just the thought of visiting such a place! Then there is the protagonist, William of Baskerville, Eco’s tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Due to it’s setting, most of the characters are Catholic monks who tend to speak in Latin, a language in which I am poorly versed. While entire passages of dialogue are in Latin, this did not deter me from reading the book. I just went with the flow and skimmed those portions of dialogue, gleaning what I could from base words. Another fan of the book who does read Latin, later informed me that many of the red herrings common place in mystery novels appeared in those segments! Imagine my surprise. In the long run though, it did not make any difference to my enjoyment of the story and may have enhanced it because I didn’t have all the clues to help me solve the mystery before the climax. :-)

In honor of their passing I have pulled my copies of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Name of the Rose off the shelves to re-read and treasure once again.

If you are likewise inclined to explore these author’s and their works, here are some suggestions for consideration:

HARPER LEE:

• Novels:
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
• Go Set a Watchman (2015)
• Biographies:
•  Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields (2006)
• I am Scout: A Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields (2008) – Young Adult
• The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee by Maria Mills (2014) 
• Criticism and Related Works:
• To Kill a Mockingbird: Threatening Boundaries by Claudia Durst Johnson (1994)
• Readings on To Kill a Mockingbird edited by Terry O’Neill (2000)
• Scout Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird by Mary McDonagh Murphy (2010)
• Films/Documentaries:
• To Kill a Mockingbird (starring Gregory Peck, 1962)
• Hey Boo! Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (documentary, 2011)
• Harper Lee: From Mockingbird to Watchman (documentary, 2015)

UMBERTO ECO:

• Novels:
• The Name of the Rose (1983)
• Foucault’s Pendulum (1989)
• Baudolino (2002)
• The Prague Cemetery (2011)
• Numero Zero (2015)
• Nonfiction:
• The Aesthetics of Thomas Aquinas (1988)
• Belief or Nonbelief?: A confrontation (2000)
• Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition (2000)
• Five Moral Pieces (2001)
• A History of Beauty edited by Umberto Eco (2004)
• On Literature (2004)
• On Ugliness edited by Umberto Eco (2007)
• Turning Back the Clock:Hot Wars and Media Populism (2007)
• Inventing the Enemy and Other Occasional Writings (2012)
• Films:
• The Name of the Rose (starring Sean Connery, 1986)

Zuckerberg's Next 'A Year of Books' Title Announced

Mark Zuckerberg of facebook has announced his newest reading selection. The fourth title for his 2015 book club challenge, is:

On Immunity: an Inoculation by Eula Biss, a Top Ten pick of the New York Times Book Review for 2014. 

"A provocative examination of the pervasive fears and myths surrounding vaccines researches, from a mother's perspective, the historical and cultural factors that cause people to doubt government regulations and the medical establishment." (NoveList)

If interested in others opinions of his choice, there are posts about it on FastCompany and theguardian.com.  

Will you take up Zuckerberg's challenge?

National Readathon Day - January 24, 2015

Tomorrow is national READATHON day which is being sponsored by Penguin Random House, goodreads, Mashable, and the National Book Foundation. 

Anyone can get involved by joining readers across the country in a marathon reading session from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM on Saturday, Jan 24th, 2015.  Local businesses or libraries may even be holding reading parties for visitors to join. 

Participants can also share experiences and photos through social media, use the hash tag and make #timetoread.

2015 Reading Challenge?

Many set goals with the start of a new year - lose weight, live a more healthy life, manage their time better, and so on. By now, half way through January, those goals are most likely set so I wondered what reading goals may have been established as individual challenges for 2015.

Some will challenge themselves to increase their reading, setting a goal for a number of books to be read each month or for the year. Why even Mark Zuckerberg of facebook has set himself a reading goal for this year: to read a book every other week. 

Others wish to expand their reading into other areas by, for example, reading more titles in a specific genre, reading more nonfiction, or listening to recorded books. 

My personal goal this year is to read 50 books, on average 4 a month. In addition I want to make, at least, half of those audiobooks. Have been increasing my audiobook listening in 2014 and decided a challenge for 2015 was the way to get me to increase it again.

So tell me what your reading goal is for 2015? Can hardly wait to see your challenges in the Comments!

What Are You Reading for the Holidays?

Many of us will be taking time off in the next week or so to celebrate the holidays. That vacation may include visits with family and friends, opening presents, watching sports, going out to the movies, food (plenty of food, more than likely), or simply time to just kick back and relax!

 
One of the best ways to relax is reading and there are sure to be folks who already know what they are planning to read during their Holiday vacation. Some folks may currently be reading (or have already finished) the book they were planning to read in  December. Or perhaps you have a favorite title you enjoy re-reading at this time of year. 

Soooooo, tell us ... 

What ARE you reading for the Holidays? And if so inclined, let us know why that book for this Winter season. 

Use the COMMENTS link below.