Choose One

Next week celebrates the tenth annual Teen Read Week. Today’s teens are so active, getting every teen in America to read one book during that week would be a dream come true. This thought caused me to ponder the question, if I could read only one book a year, which would I choose? An impossible feat! Of course, there are the obvious – the Bible, a dictionary or thesaurus (is it possible to write an email much less a BLOG without checking a dictionary or thesaurus even once?) or the phone book (believe it or not I still can’t order a pizza from memory).

So many books to choose from! For our book club I was engrossed in The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. Not once before this novel do I remember so fiercely desiring the death of the main character! If only Laura would freeze to death, fall through the ice, or be eaten by a waddle of penguins... (This is where the reference books come in handy – honestly, did you know what a group of penguins is called?) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was our teen book club choice. Humorous, frustrating, romantic, thrilling? Yes. The only book I could read this year? Hmm…

There is a lot of great literature on my shelves and so many inspiring choices that have changed my life, but I can’t choose just one book for enjoyment. Can you?

If you could only read one book this year purely for enjoyment, what would you recommend?

To Read or Not To Read

When you browse through the bookstore or library, trying to decide if it will be a steamy romance or a heart pounding horror, have you ever considered not having the freedom to choose which books you can read? This week is Banned Books Week, which has been observed since 1982. It is a week to celebrate the freedom to read, the freedom to choose, the freedom to express our opinion, and the importance of our first amendment rights.

In 2006 the ten most challenged books seemed to share the same two themes. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Gossip Girls series by Cecily Von Ziegesar, Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky were all challenged due to homosexuality. While five others (Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, The Bluest Eye and Beloved by Toni Morrison, and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier) listed sexual content as a reason for the challenge. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz made the list for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity.

The truth is, books are usually challenged with the best intentions - mainly to protect children from difficult "inappropriate" material. Although this may seem like a realistic idea, parents and only parents actually have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children to these resources.

As a bookseller, I have the pleasure of discussing books with many parents and grandparents who seem to fall into one of two categories. The first group encourages their children and grandchildren to read anything that may be of interest to them. They are thrilled that the kids are reading and are not about to discourage them. After all, anything they read in a book they have probably already seen at the movies, on TV or in a video game. The others are the exact opposite. They read everything before allowing their children to do so. Anything "inappropriate" the child is forbidden to read.

I have to admit, I fall into the first category. I feel that based on the child's background and experiences, that is how the text will be interpreted. For instance, a romance may have the sentence, "they fell into a passionate embrace". Based on what the reader may have experienced, that sentence may mean a big hug or to fall naked onto the bed.

So, what about you? Which of the two categories, if either, do you fall into and why?

New World of Words

Millions of children under the age of 2 watch TV and videos. A scary fact, especially for a bookstore owner whose purpose is to encourage children to read. However, believe it or not, this is not all bad news! What are these preschoolers watching? I’m sure if you are a parent or grandparent or if you have ever been a child yourself, you have some idea.

The first program that comes to mind is Sesame Street, of course, which was created 36 years ago as a positive learning tool for preschoolers. What book lover would not love a program which teaches letters and letter sounds, exposes children to new words, and brings books to life?

Last month Word World LLC, under a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, brought a new world to PBS KIDS. WordWorld is a new concept in educational programming that makes getting ready to read enjoyable for preschoolers and their parents. This program brings a whole new group of friends, from hard working Ant to shy Sheep, to life. These characters may soon be as recognizable as the Muppets. What’s more, WordFriends, as they are known, are truly all about words. In fact, they are animals whose bodies are made up of the letters that spell the word they are. WordWorld may have been created as an educational program, but parents and preschoolers will be watching together for the adventure, humor, and to hear the “Build a Word” song at the end.

Young Adult

While flipping through a stack of books, I notice that many of them are listed as young adult books. What exactly is a young adult? Am I one? The last book I read was Perfect by Sara Shepard, thanks to my daughter. After finishing Pretty Little Liars, she proclaimed it to be the greatest book ever and said I just had to read it! Now after finishing the third book in the series, I have to admit, I despised this one as much as the first two. Not because it is a YA book or because of the way it is written or even because of the cover which depicts a too skinny, too pretty, too, well...too perfect girl. The reason I wish I never started this series is because I'm completely hooked! The first book left me hanging for six long months before Easter came and my daughter found an empty dust jacket in her basket. I didn't quite finish Flawless on time. Five months later she kept the third in the series hidden while she absorbed every word. Finally turning it over to me after declaring this the best yet. Now life will come to a standstill for another six months until the fourth and final, Unbelievable, is published. Who is "A"? Will Hanna survive? How can I, an intellectual woman, be hooked on a young adult series?

So, am I a young adult? I suppose I am, considering the oldest man in America lived until the age of 114. Others may say I crossed the threshold of middle age long ago. Either way, next on my list is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which is our teen book club selection.
I'm guessing, or hoping, I'm not the only adult reading young adult books. What about you? Have you read any good children or teen books lately? What got you interested in reading them in the first place? Please, let me know I'm not the only one!

Fall Reading

Fall is here! Okay, maybe not officially, but I consider it to be fall when the weather man says I may need a "light jacket". In my case this usually means wearing long underwear, a turtleneck, and a hooded sweatshirt and still suffering through uncontrollable shivering. This occurs when the temperature falls below a chilly 60 degrees, which here in Wisconsin may occur anytime between July and October.

This morning while struggling to squeeze a damp foot into a wool sock, I began thinking about what a new season means as far as my reading habits are concerned. Obviously, as a bookseller books are never far from my thoughts. In the past I believe I actually read more in the summer months while laying outside absorbing the sunlight. Was that really my life? I don't remember enjoying that activity, or non-activity, as it certainly is, even once this year. Although, I do remember reading quite a few exciting new releases.

However, so far in September my reading has definitely increased. It's quite possibly due to my growing book lists that I will finish sometime in this lifetime, or possibly due to my increased waiting time. With school beginning again, there was plenty of waiting time in the dentist office, on the college campus, and after football practice.

This week I rushed through the ending of Ricochet by Sandra Brown in my haste to begin James Patterson's latest, You've Been Warned. Despite every intention of savoring this intense novel, I inhaled it in a day and a half. Not a typical James Patterson, but definitely a page turner until the very end. This morning after seeing the school bus round the corner I was finally able to bring my journey with Steve Martin and Born Standing Up to a satisfying end. Unfortunately you will not be able to say the same for another three months when the touching and humorous autobiography will be published.

Now it's your turn. Do you tend to read more or less as the weather turns colder? Have you read anything life changing or mind altering lately?

This I Believe

In 1951 legendary journalist Edward R Murrow sensed the need to help Americans reconnect with their ideals for living in a civil society, so he created This I Believe "to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization." Murrow believed this could be done through essays expressing a single personal belief shared on the airwaves. The program had an estimated audience of 39 million listeners.


In 2005 This I Believe returned to the airwaves thanks to National Public Radio and independent producers Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. Essays received from listeners and other contributors appear on NPR's website. The book version, based on the National Public Radio segments, reproduces the life-mission statements of people both unknown and famous.

"I believe that man's noblest endowment is his capacity to change." Leonard Bernstein

"I am happier when I love than when I am loved." Isabel Allende

"I believe in the power and mystery of naming things." Eve Ensler

"There is no job more important than parenting." Benjamin Carson

"I believe there is strength in surrender." Mary Cook

"Knowledge is marvelous, but wisdom is even better." Kay Redfield Jamison

"I believe in the pursuit of happiness, not its attainment, nor its final mission, but its pursuit." Andrew Sullivan

"I believe that the wonder of discovery can lift the spirit." Broam Greene

What do you believe? What were your greatest influences in shaping those beliefs? How have your beliefs changed throughout your life?

Teachers - Encourage or Discourage Reading?

Last week we discussed what book series may encourage kids to read. What is a teacher's role in encouraging their students to read? Is it possible for a teacher with the best intentions to actually have the opposite effect? My answer is a resounding YES!

First let me stress the fact that I am a huge supporter of teachers. In my opinion, they have the most important job in the world! Doctors, lawyers, the president? How would they do their jobs if they never had teachers to train and inspire them. This is definetly not a teacher bashing blog!!

Now, let me share the experiences of two students with you. Both had reading assignments and both had teachers who were doing their very best to encourage their students to read - one with possitive results, and one with the opposite effect.

The first student, we'll call her "K" as not to embarrass her (I know no one that knows our family will ever figure out the true identity of "K"), had to read a book of her choice and give a book report in front of the entire class! Every teen's nightmare, right? Not "K"! Although she is a quiet child and is like the majority who fears standing up in front of the class more than death, she was actually ecstatic about this assignment. She just finished reading the second book in her favorite series, so she decided she was going to give the report on both books. Unfortunately the speech did have a time limit so "K" lost points for going over. Of course, she probably could have shared her knowledge of the books without losing points if she would have just trimmed the last sentence off her report, "Both Pretty Little Liars and Flawless by Sara Shepard are available right here in Oconto at BayShore Books!" That's my girl!

The second student, we'll call him "C" even though the chance of him ever reading this are slim to none (Unless "K" tells "C" in which case the big "M" is in trouble!), also had to read but he just had to write book reports. He had it easy, right? Not so fast! He had to read a minumum of 4 books per semester for a C and do a book report on each AND the books had to all be about a specific subject. (The actual numbers and subjects here may not be accurate, since the gray hair roots have begun to strangle my brain. For that I apologize) The last semester the subject was World War II. "C" just recently discovered that reading can be fun when he stumbled upon Neal Shusterman. After devouring all of his books, he just began the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. He set book two aside to read his World War II books. The first couple were actually quite interesting and "C" even found another favorite book in My Mother Kept a Scrapbook: the True Story of a WWII POW, by Gerhard Johnson as told to local author Kathleen Marie Marsh. I find that usually a book or two on a certain subject is plenty to satisfy my curiosity and unfortunately so did "C". Once again getting him to read was like pulling teeth. He knew all there was to know about WWII and completely lost interest. He couldn't continue with the Artemis Fowl series, because if he was going to read he should be reading his WWII books. Guilt kept him from reading all together. He struggled through the last book or two, pulled off a C and then summer break began. Now he had the time to read what he wanted, but he couldn't remember what was happening in his series and he had no desire to start over. That passion for reading, which took years to establish, was completely wiped out in one school year. Luckily toward the end of summer he watched The Outsiders and is now reading his second S.E. Hinton book.

The point of this story? Telling a kid to read is not enough and telling a kid what to read can actually do more harm than good. Would the second story have been different if the assignment were to read at least 4 books a semester with only two of them having to be World War II books and each student choosing the others? I believe so. What do you think?