Underground New York Public Library

The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung

As a librarian and a lover of books, I love to see other people reading. As I keep hearing about the death of books and how less people are reading, I keep a look out for people who are bucking the trend. I'm a huge fan of paper books and although I have no issues with e-readers,  I think that you lose some of the connection to the book. Plus when I see a reader, I often try to peek to see what book they are enjoying. That's tougher with an e-reader.

(Left) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, 

(Right) The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Because of this love for paper books, I've become a huge fan of the blog, the Underground New York Public Library. The blogger (Ourit Ben-Haim) is a photographer who travels the New York City subway, taking pictures of people she finds reading. The Reading Riders are then posted along with the title of the book they were reading. It's a fantastic blog that offers people watching, reading suggestions, and a reminder that print books are not yet dead.

 Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

The blogger is a street photographer and most of the subjects are not aware that they are being photographed. I love how absorbed in their books they seem. When a photo cannot be taken unaware, the blogger is careful to explain the project and then ask the person to go back to reading. Once they are engrossed again, that's when the shot gets taken. It's all about catching a reader in that moment of engagement with the book. They always look so much more relaxed than the other riders. It's a wonderful image of the diversity of readers and their books of choice. Plus I come away from this blog with a ton of new books to read. Perfect.

Great Short Works of Dostoyevski

Rules for Nonreaders

The previous library I worked in subscribed to the Horn Book. The Horn Book is a children's literature review magazine. It covers hundreds of children's books in each edition giving out stars to the best enjoyed titles. When we would weed out the collection I would go through each issue looking for books that looked interested or good articles. It was in the March/April 2001 issue that I found the "Rules for Raising a Nonreader" and I knew I had to pull out that list. My parents had raised me (and all my brothers and sisters) as readers and I'm happy to say they never did any of the things on this list.

I've been something of a nonreader recently in that I haven't been working on a book every night. I read every couple of days and for me that seems almost scandelous. But I have friends who don't have books in their house. (unfathomable for me) Whose kids never pick up a book for fun. Last year a U.S.A. Today poll found that one in four people had not read a single book in the previous year. I get testy if it's been more than five days since I last read for fun.

So without further ado, here is the way to make sure your child grows up as a non-reader. Remember people, that TV's not going to watch itself.

1. Never read where your children see you
2. Put a TV or a computer in every room. Don't neglect kitchen or bathrooms.
3. Correct your child every time he or she mispronounces a word.
4. Schedule activites every day after school so your child will never be bored.
5. Once your child can read independently, toss out the picture books. They're for babies.
6. Don't play board games together. Too dull.
7. Give little rewards for reading. Stickers and plastic toys are nice. Money is better.
8. Don't expect your child to enjoy reading. Kid's books are for teaching vocabulary, proper study skills, and good morals.
9. Buy only 40 watt bulbs for your lamps.
10. Under no circumstances read your child the same book over and over. He or she heard it once and should remember it.
11. Never allow your child to listen to books on tape; that's cheating.
12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging". Easy books are a complete waste of time. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.
13. Absolutely, positively, no reading in bed.

Unlucky Arithmetic: Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader. Dean Schneider and Robin Smith. The Horn Book, March/April 2001.

I can remember whole days spent lounging on some sofa reading. My parents encouraged us to read and read to us (normally the same books over and over) from the time we were very small. Mom would read picture books to us so many times we would easily have them memorized. Dad read the chapter books to us in the evenings. And once we were old enough to read for ourselves, we devoured every book we could get our hands on. I continue to read picture books (no they're not for babies) and young adult chapter books. I read fiction and nonfiction and almost any genre out there. I will pick up whatever book is handy if I'm waiting somewhere with nothing to do. Reading for me is like breathing. I can't go too long without it. I'm a librarian because I love to read. And I love to read because my parents raised us as readers. Thanks.

He Has The Power!!!

No, not He-man with the power of Greyskull. BigRedKitty and the power of his horde. I have several blogs that I visit every day. They are just part of my morning ritual to start my day out right. All fun, all interesting. One of my favorites is BigRedKitty. He's just so funny and informative. I'm not even a hunter, although I do play World of Warcraft. So I was shocked when BRK discovered my little corner of the net. And then more surprised when he linked to it. I'm honored!!! /salute  

My husband got me started reading BRK since he plays a hunter. He was picking up all sorts of great tips and enjoying the great writing. He showed me one of BRK's Daniel stories and I was hooked. I don't always follow all his pet advice, but as a warlock some of his tactics are useful. Minions are close enough to pets. For those of you interested I play an Affliction warlock. I love the fact that even if things run away, they still die. /evil laugh

But the reason I say he has the power is this. I traditionally get 10 or so hits a day to my site. I tend to jump from topic to topic, not good for building up a steady audience. Since BRK's link this morning, I've had almost 1050. Behold the power of one man's words. Now for any of you visiting, remember he warned you. I don't really talk about WOW much. I mention my first two trips through Zul'Farrak. I talk about going into Stratholme. And I celebrate the fact I just turned 70 (finally). But I play casually. I've been addicted for stretches but WOW playing competes with my reading and, I have to admit, sometimes it loses. 

So this is big thank you to BRK. Thanks for taking some time out of your morning to see who your readers are. Thanks for writing one of the more consistently entertaining blogs I read each day. And thank everyone for stopping by. BRK and his horde are a force to be reckoned with. Thank goodness he uses his powers for good instead of evil. (or at least I think. hmmm)  Maybe I'll have to talk a little more WOW. But then again Wrath comes out in less than two weeks. I might just be too busy playing.