The Twilight of Books, essay from New Yorker magazine 2007
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/12/24/071224crat_atlarge_crain/
I was startled recently when speaking to an old friend. I asked her if she was reading anything interesting, just to break the ice from a long absence. She said she never reads, not since high school. Ouch.
That [I]is[/I] sad. I always have a book going - or two or three. I've had some big stresses in my life recently, and one of the things that lets me know I'm getting better is the fact that I'm enjoying fiction again. For several months, I really could only read non-fiction, on the topic of the stressor.
ReplyDeleteRight now I have [I]The Gift of Fear[/I], [I]Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, The Idiot's Guide to Parenting a Teenager,[/I] and a Torey Hayden book all in progress. I just finished - and really enjoyed - [I]H.I.V.E[/I], a book from the teen section which is a cross of Sky High meets Lemony Snicket - and when I finish something I can start [I]The 19th Wife[/I].
This is all on top of homeschooling 3 kids - so we recently finished [I] Animal Farm[/I] by Orwell - my third time through in the last two years.
I can't imagine what I'd do with myself without books! The most important thing I wanted my kids to gain from homeschooling was solid reading skills - and a love of reading. So far I'm 3 for 3 ... my oldest came home with Anne Frank's diary from the library today, my youngest has a new Hannah Montana or non-fiction dog book going every day, and my son is buried in [I]Hatchet[/I] and umpteen icky fact books.
I love seeing my younger two up in their climbing tree with books - it reminds me of me at their ages, up in a big weeping willow with a snack & a book. What could be better?
If you like the Book Thief, you might like The Zookeeper's Wife.
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